Where Should I Start?
Earlier today, I read a wonderful Small Business Trends blog post from Jason Cohen called “How To Work On Your Business Not In It.”
Chock-full of great action steps, I wondered, where should I start?
"Where Should I Start," asks Andy Birol.
The further I read the more my stomach tightened. This was not your typical 3-5 action step sort of piece. Instead, it was a list of 24 essential tasks, each which could easily grow into a day’s worth of work.
Stepping back, I wondered with all the how-to articles for at small business owners, where should we start?
Here are my five action steps for getting started
- Begin with activities that increase customer trust.
Actions that make paying customers feel stronger about you is a top priority. The key is to ensure that your activities make your customers trust you without smothering them and wasting your money. - Then focus on steps that monetize your customer’s trust.
You can’t eat trust and your business won’t survive if it is not getting paid for its value. You must get paid for your added service, assurance, or results that your customers trust and value. - Start projecting this trust to prospects.
Your target prospects need to learn about how you treat your customers and how they value you in return. Tools and tactics that get your message out to those who can buy from you next are essential. - Move on to activities that create new revenue streams from customers and prospects.
Creating new ways to make money is essential. In a world of ever-changing customer needs what you can and should sell is a moving target. John Rockefeller, the Warren Buffett of his time said, “My goal in life is to give everyone else all my work so I can spend all my time thinking of new ways to make money.” - Finally take actions that reinforce or create stronger branding for your business.
The Internet economy and social media offer infinite ways to be heard and be in demand. Take advantage of all the creative ways there are to make and sustain a lasting impression.
In reading over my list, I wonder, what am I missing?
So what do you think? Feel like I’m off target and you need to set me straight? Share your thoughts about where you think we should start.
Comments
2 Comments on Where Should I Start?
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Jason Cohen on
Tue, 20th Oct 2009 1:15 pm
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Andy Birol on
Tue, 20th Oct 2009 1:30 pm
As the author of the reference article, I love your points and would like to throw in my own!
I actually don’t usually like making “lists of 24 things” exactly for this reason. But:
1. Profit wins, usually in the form of more revenue. So do that first.
2. I thought that for any one person, 50% of the list would be “obvious,” and other items would be “impossible” or just stuff you didn’t want to do. So just pick one thing, and it probably doesn’t matter which!
3. Just read along and the first one that makes you go, “Oh crap, yes THAT one makes sense to me!” Just do that one and ignore the rest for a while.
4. YOU HAVE TOO MANY THINGS TO DO, so clearly you can’t put 24 more things on the list. 
Jason,
Thanks for your great comments. So my first step should be to hire you so I practice what I preach!
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