Since the 4th of July is a couple days behind us, I thought I would take a moment to talk about a dream I hear a fair amount about… Declaring independence from Corporate America.
Declaring independence from Corporate America.
Admit it… You’ve thought about it.
What it would be like to own your own business. To take calls from the beach…
Be free from corporate politics and get paid for the value you provide.
You’ve probably even read books about it: The 4 Hour Work-Week, The $100 Startup, The Lean Startup…
So why hasn’t it happened for you?
Because it is really, really hard.
Let’s be honest… Most of us can’t afford to leave a steady paycheck behind. –And most of us don’t have enough free time in our days to build a business on the side.
Thus, we sustain ourselves with the dream of owning our own business someday.
But let’s just say that you aren’t content with someday. You want to take action today.
Here is the #1 fact that you have to come to grips with…
The success of your business is almost entirely dependent on your sales and marketing skills.
There. I said it.
Now you are probably thinking that I’m wrong. You have been taught that your success is about your unique “why” (thanks Simon Sinek) or the quality of your service.
You may think it is about your unique selling proposition (USP) or the amount of value you can generate.
These things are all important…
But I have seen talented people with great service offerings fail. Why?
Because nobody knows about them!
And while it is true that having a great service means one person will tell another and over time a snowball of client referrals will come…
Most people run out of money well before then.
Trust me, I know. I’ve been there.
When I started my career & executive coaching practice I thought all I needed was a decent website, some search engine optimization, and a couple reference clients.
Then I realized that clients don’t magically appear out of thin air. I learned about content marketing, ad placement, auto-responders and all sorts of details…
…and then things took off.
If you are thinking about starting a small business, take the time to get clear about what it is you plan to offer and how you will market it. Here are 3 things to consider in getting started:
- What is the job your product or service is being hired to do? Said differently, what is the result your client/customers are paying for?
- Who are your ideal clients and where do they spend time (i.e. where can you get in front of them with ads)?
- How will you get in front of these people and nurture them (i.e. educate them about you and your product(s)/service(s))?
I’ve helped clients clarify their product offering, craft digital ads that deliver results, and get results online. So, if you don’t have clear answers to the questions above, schedule some time with me at no charge by clicking here.
Or, if you are still uncertain if the entrepreneurial path is the right one for you, here are some details on my career coaching in San Diego and beyond. Or Click here for details on the experiences of my clients.