Create a SquareOff, Not Just Another Poll

April 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

 

SquareOffs

We are squaring off here.

The days of writing a mini book report to poll your readers is over. You’re now able to take your online polls to the next level, beyond the text and radio button.

People are busy. Engage them on an emotional level and they can become your biggest fans. Be relevant and shareable. Buzzfeed knows this well. Just look at their clever The 20 Coolest Hybrid Animals campaign they did for Toyota. Relevant and sharable with everybody from the cute animal loving set to the sustainable consumer crowd.

 

The best SquareOffs spark and spread an ongoing conversation around your content. They will enhance the social interaction on your site and generate more impressions for your brand. One-sided debates are not exciting. Remember, we are squaring off here.

Get to the point! Are you talking about something too obscure? Keep it simple. If you must add some detail for your readers, do it in the side defense area not in the front page of the SquareOff.

Zebroid (photo credit: Buzzfeed via http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,904914,00.jpg)

Even a Zebroid has two sides.

Choose subject matter that is topical or contentious. Look at your own content across your site. What are your writers writing about? What are your readers talking about? And don’t underestimate the power of Local. If you’re a local news operation, tap into the trends happening on the ground.

For further inspiration, check out Google Trends or what’s trending now on Twitter. This will help boost your reach as people share their votes out to social networks and bringing new readers back to your site.

 

Check out a few examples below and contact SquareOffs to get it on your blog or site.

 

Filed Under: Marketing, Software, SquareOffs, Startup, Tim

Spring Forward Like Pacman

April 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

 

201303RRBridgeTownLakeFromPedBridgeNeverGiveUp

Never give up.

What a busy winter season. Holiday crush, end of year rush always has me looking forward to Q2 on the calendar. It’s Spring time and love of fresh tech startups is in the air with all the conferences, including South by Southwest and the inaugural Big Kansas City.

The picture you see is courtesy of one of my favorite blogs, Austin, Texas Daily Photo. The caption says it all. Go for the Pacman food, and don’t look back.

Time to recap and get this blog revving again…


Unpluggd
I spent a considerable amount of writing bandwidth on my contributions to Entrepreneurs Unpluggd. They share entrepreneurs’ stories and advice to help you build your startup. Check out some of my work there:

South by Southwest
Checked in at “halftime” on Sunday, just in time for a solid three-day plan of tech parties, customer meetings, and the usual serendipity. Brief rundown:

  • #ShowMeSXSW
  • Paid a total of $7 for parking, not bad if you’re with car in ATX during SXSW.
  • SoCo, Joe’s, Annie’s, food truckology, and so forth.
  • Hung out with The Real Lean Startup
  • Badgeless with purpose in the Hilton lobbies
  • Ate a Casino El Camino burger and saw some Music + Film (thanks Kate!)
  • Met Bing Gordon on 6th Street (thanks to Jeff)
  • Hosted a kick-ass party with SquareOffs

I made a few “Un-Predictions” for 2013. Things that won’t change…
Brandifying, Google Plush, Byte Sizing, 2xfoursquare, Impressions, KISS

Tao of Bhanu Returns
Not only did he bust this blog’s record for Facebook likes, but he wrote another impassioned post on startups. Startup Investments and E-Commerce asks some tough questions on funding and urges tech entrepreneurs to take a pledge.

And finally…

trey-piece-hawks

All the way from Columbus.


Sometimes the best offense IS a good offense.
Congrats to the Louisville Cardinals for outlasting the amazingly talented scoring machine of the Michigan Wolverines. This game, this Final Four (Shockers) and tourney was everything the Spring Classic should always be — Competition + Class — and one to remember.

 

 

Filed Under: Life, Post-Up, SquareOffs, Startup, Success, Tech, Tim, Unpluggd

Startup Investments and E-Commerce

March 2, 2013 By 2 Comments

 

Investments come in many different colors.

I have been following lots of startups and angel investment news these days and I never understand why so many e-commerce sites get funded … and with millions of dollars. If e-commerce sites are backed by big investment companies, they seem to get traction.  But, what about other small size investment companies which are investing in e-commerce, especially in clothing?

I have asked a few friends lately who frequently shop online about some of the sites which got a few hundred thousand dollars.  When I ask about those sites, they say they’ve never heard of them. I ask them to look them over and if they would ever use them.  Their answer is almost always a “No.”  A typical response is, “Why should I change when current popular sites are offering wide variety of products?”  In fact, they are not finding anything new, but still these companies seem to easily receive investment compared to a lot of other companies with great products which are struggling a lot.  I don’t know what exactly these investors are seeing in the companies they are choosing, but I can’t imagine what they are thinking starting these companies.  I sense that entrepreneurs are losing honesty. Their only intention is to start something, press their luck with investors, try to move forward, and ultimately sell their company.

Are you offering anything new? Where is your strength of conviction?

I have a service-based company and we’ve worked on at least five e-commerce startups related to clothing.  I still get a lot of emails asking to build more, but I stopped taking on new ones if they don’t offer anything new. I even give them links and ask them if they offer anything new and none of them seem to come up with a valid reason.

I am not trying to speak down on anyone, but how some of the early investors are funding such startups when there are so many amazing products out there looking for funding is unfathomable.  I have been working on a great product for quite some time and the company has been working on getting funding.  In the meantime, I’ve seen many worthless companies receive funding.  It is disheartening to see funding for this great company continue to be delayed.

I feel sometimes people with money are trying to invest simply by following big investment companies, who continue to invest in e-commerce. These days, I feel a lot of people are starting companies just for the name, the fame, and just to try their luck.  In this essence of business, the startups are losing.

There seems to be a very small set of companies that are getting started for a cause or to make the world a better place.  A lot of people are just trying to start companies without passion or conviction.  This is why many, many well-funded companies are shutting down and will continue to fail.

Take a pledge

How often do you see this kind of pledge from a younger generation of entrepreneurs? https://posthaven.com

I am talking mostly about early investors and please look for change.  There is lot more out there than e-commerce and photos.  Don’t follow others.  Don’t invest just because others are investing in similar startups.

Also, entrepreneurs, don’t begin a startup just to sell.  Keep longer, more meaningful goals.  If selling is the only thing it can do after some particular point in time, then do it.  Take a pledge and then begin your journey.

 

About the Author | Bhanu Prasad Madala

Bhanu is CEO at Ruby on Rails Software Kitchen. He resides in Hyderabad Area, India. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Filed Under: Bhanu, Funding, Product, Startup, Tech

To Badge or Not to Badge at #SXSW

February 1, 2013 By 3 Comments

 

“Badges?”

 

I wrote a piece for my friends over at Entrepreneurs Unpluggd last fall on this topic. With just over a month before our annual Spring Break for Geeks  road trip, we’d like to get your opinion on the matter. Join us for a pint on @SquareOffs in Austin on Sunday night, March 10th. We’ll be at Fado Irish Pub on 4th St.

March will be here before you know it and that means “South by” time in Austin. And if you’re like me and haven’t bought your badge yet for SXSW Interactive, you may want to keep it that way. I recently saw a Tweet that got me thinking about the idea of going badgeless. There’s a bit of a badgeless movement going on lately, even a Facebook page devoted to it. It’s clearly a stated alternative, not a knock against the organizers of the conference. Read on…

 

So, if you’re headed to SXSW in Austin, are you considering going badgeless? Pick a side and tell us why!

 

 

Filed Under: Product, Software, SquareOffs, Startup, Tech, Tim, Unpluggd

Un-Predictions 2013

January 5, 2013 By 2 Comments

 

Bark park

Off the leash.

 

With so many predictions flying around out there, I’m taking a page from the unconventional and making this post about the things that I believe will not be changing — the “un-predictions”  for 2013.

I heard once in a great talk from Jason Fried of 37signals quoting Bezos wisdom, ‘focus on things that don’t change in your business.’ For example, a product needs to be slower and harder to use…said no customer ever! You get the idea. It’s in these tiny oft-overlooked realisms that we find our focus and keep delivering value.

My New Year’s gift to you:

pinstagram.ly…ify.io

Companies will continue to pop onto the scene with these uber crazy tech sounding names. If they’ve actually got something then these cheeky monikers will help them stand out for a little while. After their coolifyness wears off they’ll need to be tenacious about reinforcing their brand and value as more pop-up around them. Or, worse, this might happen. It’s true that slowly and certaintly the universe of possible legit sounding dot com domain names are dwindling down. But companies that opt for the other side of creativity — the bold and abstract, utilitarian, or sometimes ironic — still have a place in the market without going all creatify on it.

G+ Identity Crisis?

The tech press will continue to beat the living Internet out of Google for their supposed FAIL on an unrelenting effort to create an alternative to the Facebook social network. What will also continue over at the “Gplex” is their undying focus on building great context into networking and productivity tools for account holders of their service. The digital world is largely an impressions economy, not a winner-take-all moat. Information and people will always find ways to move about their pipes freely. We want context. It’s not about the plus one. It’s about the plus done!

Small Keeps Winning

Somebody asked me recently to sum up the “mobile revolution” and what it means for content. I politely mea culpa’d that I’m probably not the best person to answer that question despite being an early adopter at most things tech. Here’s one simple idea. Content makers will need to continue taking a hard look at how many impressions they can get from content that’s smaller versus bigger, longer form, etc. The context of how and where people are consuming information is constantly changing…and that will not change.

foursquare Quietly Eats the Physical World

“Excuse me while I check-in before we order” is NOT what foursquare is all about, or what makes it still very much relevant. To paraquote its founder, Dennis Crowley, foursquare is ‘making the world around us easier to use.’ It’s a discovery tool  for people that get out of the house and want to experience the world around them. foursquare’s new UI is slick for sure, but two enhancements pushed out this year are a sign of more goodness to come. Users can now synch an AMEX card with their account and get the deal auto-magically when using the credit card at those venues — check-ins not necessary. This takes foursquare more mainstream and further closes the data loop so many deal sites have been struggling with to date. There’s also a slew of new services presenting foursquare businesses with a customer dashboard where they can make quick decisions on data and push out relevance to their best customers. This is customer enchantment at its finest, and signals a sustained focus on value-add for their most active users and the businesses they frequent.

Impressions Not Emails

I’m on a bit of an email crusade these days. I’m both fighting it and on the hunt to improve it. It’s an odd pursuit trying to justify the value of something that’s still very practical but yet has become increasingly irrelevant in my connected life. Which leads me to a brief thought on marketing. How much value are you really creating in your audience’s inbox? Did they convert because of your email, or because it was just one of many impressions that collectively moved them to take action?  I ask this question of every marketer from the tenacious blog owner to the big brander. I’m almost not sold anymore on the email “subscriber” model of online marketing. #11 of on this prediction list especially got my attention. These are important and honest questions we will continue to tackle together in the coming year.

Simple Explanations Rule!

Need a New Year’s resolution? How about practicing explaining complex things in simple ways to non-techy people. It’s fun and challenging. It will ultimately help you become a better communicator. Most of all, it’s a great gift to offer those among us that haven’t yet figured all this new stuff out yet. Here’s a free sampler. Mom: “What’s the point of PayPal anyway?” Me: “It’s so I don’t have to do this every time I want to pay for something”…as a I pull my wallet out of my pocket. The people that fervently push SIMPLE on a complex world will continue to lead the pack of ideas in 2013 and beyond.

 

 

Filed Under: Ideas, Marketing, Product, Startup, Tech, Tim

Personal Branding: Are You @GaryVee or The Stealth Bomber?

December 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

 

Say something.

 

[Editor note: This post is related to the article "Founder to CEO: Mastering the Unnatural" that I wrote for Entrepreneurs Unpluggd. They share entrepreneurs' stories and advice to help you build your startup. Check them out!]

This is a quick post about branding. Personal branding. I’m not going to cover the “what” of personal branding, i.e. tools, techniques, etc. Instead, I’m going to talk briefly about the HOW. Use this as a quick gut check on where you are with your own personal branding.

Let’s talk goals first. Are you looking to get a lift in your job search and networking? Become a better thought leader in your space of learning and expertise? Get the word out about your new startup? The main question you must constantly ask yourself is, “What am I comfortable with out in the wild?” For some, it’s a series of baby steps, walks or skips. For others, it’s big leaps at every turn. Virtually all of us are looking for the same thing. We want our message to be seen and heard by people who care.

Most of us will fall somewhere in the middle of these two approaches, blend them at times, depending on the challenge or opportunity that’s in front of us. This is practicing situational awareness. I’m fairly new to personal branding and admittedly still finding the right mix. And that’s ok. The problem comes when your goals, expectations, and aspirations are out of alignment with your approach. For example, if you’re a soft-spoken entrepreneur and have big, lofty expectations for your idea in the marketplace you want to seriously consider turning up the volume on your personal branding even if it takes you out of your comfort zone.

Now, this doesn’t mean you will instantly gravitate to either extreme outlined below. But it does mean that when you decide to say something big, you should consider how big you want to say it. You’ll need to eventually put most of your personal branding chips into one of these two pots.

The Stealth Bomber

You’re a bit of a lurker. You smartly poke around different environments and platforms making incremental gains in building up your sphere of influence and network. You might even take center stage sometimes. Not a bad play. When played right, this strategy allows you to fly under-the-radar but still be visible when you need to be. You’re usually well-connected. It’s also handy for using the element of surprise when the right opportunity presents itself. You strike when the iron is hot, and do so decisively.

“…featuring low observable stealth technology designed for penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses; it is able to deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons.” — The Stealth Bomber

Personal branders should always strive for congruence. How you say something should align well with how you actually are — your authentic true self. Let’s say you’re known as somebody that doesn’t speak up much, but when you do, you do so confidently and decisively. Your personal branding should reflect this. That’s an example of being congruent. Conversely, if the same person is all over the map and offers no conviction in their personal branding, they are out of alignment with their true authentic self — and it will show. This is where being a stealth bomber can blow up on you. Let authenticity be your watchword with this approach.

@GaryVee

If you follow social marketing trends and aren’t familiar with @GaryVee of Vayner Media and Wine Library TV, get on Twitter or YouTube right now.  He advises some of the biggest consumer brands in their world on their customer engagement and marketing strategies. What sets him apart is his ability to put himself virtually/completely out there for mass consumption in his personal branding. It’s an integral part of his business branding too. This is a far cry from the stealthy approach outlined above. This approach requires a unique set of attributes, featuring thicker-than-concrete thick skin, laser-like focus of message, and less than zero personal inhibition. You must be comfortable in your level of exposure out in the wild being somewhere higher than the moon and stars.

“…featuring thicker-than-concrete thick skin, laser-like focus of message, and less than zero personal inhibition.”

I think you get the point with this approach. You’re putting your personal stamp on just about everything you’re putting out to the world. And you’re doing it in a very BIG and memorable way. If you buy into this approach, you are telling the world you’re confident that your message will persuade them to move in your direction.

The biggest difference between this approach and the previous one? In the @GaryVee approach, you’re putting all your chips into this pot, ALL the time. There is very little, if any, filter when it comes to your strength of conviction. Congruence is equally important with this approach to personal branding. But if you currently fall into this camp or are contemplating it, chances are you’re already the type of person that can pull this off.

Your Homework

To get you warmed up and inspired for how you’ll tackle personal branding in the New Year, watch this short video on marketing by the late Steve Jobs. In it, Mr. Jobs explains that ‘this is a noisy world, be clear on what you are about.’ It will challenge you to think differently about what you are currently doing. To say nothing is no longer an option.

 

 

Filed Under: Biz Dev, Ideas, Marketing, Product, Sales, Startup, Success, Tim, Unpluggd

Creative Collision in the Startup Ecosystem

November 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

Pink'n'blue by futhark, on Flickr

Let’s collide, thrive.

 

[Editor note: This post is related to the article "Going #Badgeless at SXSW" that I wrote for Entrepreneurs Unpluggd. They share entrepreneurs' stories and advice to help you build your startup. Check them out!]

What a last few weeks. I live in the Silicon Prairie. Home to many new upstart software companies within the Omaha-Des Moines-Kansas City triangle. It’s also home to the Kauffman Foundation. If you’re not familar with @KauffmanFDN, to use a college football analogy, they are a veritable “Entrepreneur U” for the World. It was a pleasure to be part of #GEWKC and all the events that took place. It got me thinking about creative collision and how important it is to building a thriving and sustaining community of innovation.

People who run in these startup circles will talk about Brad Feld’s new book “Startup Communities” and what he’s done with Tech Stars and the Boulder community. An exemplary case study. There was also a recent guest post by Phillip Rosedale in the Silicon Prairie News that essentially asked the question,  ’How can a tech ecosystem like Silicon Valley/San Francisco take hold in cities like Omaha, Des Moines, and Kansas City?’ The big takeaway for me is DENSITY. Not the sheer population size. That’s just false hope. But a higher concentration of the ecosystem components in a defined area. The area should not only be defined, but branded. Let creative collision ensue.

Here’s an all-time classic scene to get us started on the idea of density.

Density is EVERYTHING. And it could very well be your destiny, if you play your cards right. Here’s the deal. Nobody’s gonna fund a light rail project through a dead downtown. Nobody’s gonna eat in an empty restaurant. Nobody’s gonna join a movement if nobody knows about it. The capital will be there. Yes it will. So, continue to fill your community with entrepreneurs, connectors, and service providers. Make bold moves.

Entrepreneurs

A curious, passionate bunch. Many have eschewed their corporate pedigree and aren’t looking back. Others are starting early, even skipping the traditional college-then-go-find-a-job plan. They seek comfort in ambiguity and risk taking. They are connectable. Meaning, they have a strong social API (Attitude Performance Index). All of these attributes are hard to find in one person in any community. So unique, and so vital. The DNA of this whole thing.

Action item for those still on the sidelines: Help cultivate and celebrate the entrepreneur ethos in children and young adults.

Connectors

One of my former bosses used to always say “success breeds success.” I’ll take it a step further and say that successful people breed successful people. These breeders are the connectors, and they are everywhere. Some may never take the leap into the great unknown of entrepreneurland. But they’re ready and able to help you where they can.

Action item for those already embedded in a startup community: Get the word out to more  potential connectors about the opportunities that abound for them. Bring a non-startup person (whatever that means) to a startup event or scene.

Service Providers

Not everyone is a product person. Service providers above all else are about RELATIONSHIPS. In many cases, relationships your startup doesn’t have. They also have expertise you don’t have (yes, it’s true), and a healthy distance from your product that allows them to truly think outside of the box for you. They ARE outside of the box. And they should be valued higher in the ecosystem.

Action item for startups: Stop trying to do everything yourself and embrace the service providers in the ecosystem.

Let’s collide, thrive.

You’re a bank? Consider making a loan to “startups” that are actually making money right now. You’re a large employer in the region? Consider looking in your own backyard, and give that innovative upstart a REAL chance to earn your business as one of their first customers. (Best line of any panel this week, by the way.)

Oh, and thanks Google. Welcome to the Fiberhood!

 

Filed Under: Ideas, Product, Software, Startup, Tech, Tim, Unpluggd

Let’s Sprint, Then Party

October 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

Launch party? We’ll be there.

 

After reading Tim Farriss’ highly engrossing article “Always Be Closing: Y Combinator and The Art of the Pitch,” it got me thinking about how entrepreneurs spend their days/weeks in a startup environment. If you haven’t read Tim’s article you’re missing out. Be sure to fire up the Pandora and set aside a half hour. It’s a great behind-the-scenes account of a day at Y Combinator. Seriously, it’s worth it. If for anything, an always entertaining Alec Baldwin clip…

To unearth the quote that’s the lynchpin for this post I’m writing here it involved doing a keyword search for an f-bomb I remembered seeing in the article. Because it was that compelling and memorable. Tim writes:

Two days before, at the dinner, Drew Houston, the founder of Dropbox—summer of 2007— had been the guest speaker. Afterward, he told Graham there was something else he had intended to say about successful startups but hadn’t gotten to: “They don’t fuck around, right? The startups that succeed, they don’t go to meet-ups, they don’t run around talking to boards of advisers, they just write code and talk to customers, right?” This is Graham’s oft-repeated mantra, too. Write code and talk to customers.

Sure, there are meetups and events that could prove beneficial to your startup. There are recruiting opportunities (sometimes, but not always), potential first customers (really the only event you should probably never miss), hot investors (if you’re doing the right things they will find you), and others in the startup community who will no doubt tell you again just how awesome your idea can be.

Write code. Talk to customers. Have fun.

There is nothing more important to your startup, especially in the early stages. Fortunately, most people can realize instinctually when they’ve been hitting the startup circuit a little too much and need to get back to work. I’m sure the founder of Dropbox had plenty on his calendar when scaling his business coming out of Y Combinator. The point of it all is really focus on execution first, and then be strategic about the remaining time  you have and where to spend it.

One founder I’ve worked with split up the time we spent week-to-week attending functions. That’s a great a strategy. Translation: If you’re cramming down on a sprint with your development team, send the biz dev team instead. A strong startup community has tons of opportunities and resources at an entrepreneur’s fingertips. Choose wisely, time is precious.

 

 

Filed Under: Biz Dev, Product, Startup, Success, Tim

Managing Money, People and Yourself as Founder

October 12, 2012 By 9 Comments

 

Recently, I was having a conversation with one of my friends about his startup and I noticed he was doing some things that might give him a big set back. He was very serious with his startup. He quit his job and was doing some freelancing work for his daily needs and funding for his startup. He initially started coding himself by learning Ruby on Rails. After doing this for some days he could not develop any further and asked me for a reference to introduce him to a good Rails developer.

I shared with him a few points which are helpful for every entrepreneur:

1. Quit your job when you have enough to develop the project when you are not a developer.

When you are serious about your startup think about money. Don’t take from your monthly salary and spend it on your startup. What happens if you lose your job or income source suddenly? You might lose in two ways. One is your startup gets put on hold until you get another income source. You will also get into trouble for sustaining in life too. Never quit your job until and unless you have money to develop the alpha version and try to keep surplus money as you don’t know when you will be in need of money.

2. Get maximum productivity out of a developer.

I introduced him to a developer who I feel is the best in the market right now. I gave him tips about how to do this. Here are few suggestions which might be useful for other entrepreneurs too:

  • Give the developer detailed explanation about the project. Tell them about your vision and make them feel that they are one of the most important people for this project.
  • Emphasize job security. Tell the developer how many days they will be useful for this project and give a commitment of time — whether it’s a month or two or three – so that they will not be worried much about looking for other jobs or looking for other part-time jobs while working on the project.
  • Communicate early and often about the work to be done. Hiring a good developer is an important thing, and ensuring the developer takes responsibility for their work is another BIG thing. As entrepreneurs we need to communicate properly and explain everything upfront.
  • Be as open as possible about finances. If at all there is lack of funds don’t wait until the end of the day. Always better to prepare the developer upfront for this so they will be able to look for other jobs as an alternative. Also, by conducting business this way there’s a better chance the developer might come back to you when new funds become available. The good ones usually do if they’re worth it!

(After a few days I asked the founder how the development was going and he said he was not happy about it. I was shocked as the developer who is working with him worked with me for four years and is in fact a tech champ. So, I talked with the developer and was told the code he wrote was not being used, things were re-started from scratch, etc. As it turns out, the founder was worried about the code and other technology issues and didn’t trust the developer’s work.)

4. As founder, prioritize what’s most important to the overall success of the business.

The developer came highly recommended and is proven. This should not be a worry. There are many other things the founder should be focused on during this critical time to execute on the vision. List everything out and choose to focus on the things that you are best at and leave the remaining to others on the team. It makes things difficult for others to give their best when the founder is always focused on everything and not especially on several key things. This is also a lesson in hiring and managing a team.

5. Have enough funds to get through the alpha phase.

Concentrate on getting funds from your friends and family initially. Launching a product is not just launching your website, but doing marketing and PR and other tasks so calculate buffer when you calculate money for your startup. If you plan this way, you won’t expect anyone to work on your startup full time because you will have a realistic outlook on the finances of the business. People will respect this and will want to continue working on the business as more funds become available.

What all these helpful points speak to as a founder is making a decision and sticking to it. Every founder should take responsibility for everything that happens to their startup as they are the one who is ultimately going to make the tough decisions. Once you hire your CTO and give him a nod to use particular technologies then you don’t have to learn those technologies in order to check whether they are doing it the right way or not. Your responsibility is hiring people who you think can best move things forward and then empower them to do so!

 

About the Author | Bhanu Prasad Madala

Bhanu is CEO at Ruby on Rails Software Kitchen. He resides in Hyderabad Area, India. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Filed Under: Bhanu, Startup, Success, Tech

Startup Series: How to Stop Fumbling Around and Finally Launch Your Business

September 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment


As you start your business you may have a ton questions or may just being feeling overwhelmed.  Perhaps you have a business idea but you are still in the ‘dream’ stage or in the ‘I haven’t made money… yet’ stage. You may be feeling uncertain, and perhaps a little lost, about whether or not your idea will work.  Things have changed a ton since the days of going to college and getting a secure job.

People want to work at something they are passionate about and that gives them a purpose.  People also want to create their own schedule and lifestyle.  Maybe you fall into both of these categories and see others ‘making it’.  Now, it’s time to turn your idea into a business.

As you work toward your business remember your idea may change, grow and develop into something else along the way and that’s fine.

First, know that your idea is not the first idea of its kind.  It’s been done before, sometimes poorly and sometimes exceptionally.  Find those entrepreneurs who have already had success in creating a vision similar to yours and sign up to their blog, Facebook, and Twitter. Study them and figure out what they have done well and what they could have done better.

The examples don’t have to be an exact copy of someone else’s business, but look for some key things:

1. Research until you find a person or brand you want to imitate with a similar vision, strategy, or approach. Everyone’s business will be different, but if you can find something solid an use that as a mold and a motivator, you can move towards your goals quite quickly by using a similar business model or the same tools.

2. Find a business or entrepreneur who uses the same medium you envision using for your business. Whether you are creating a product or you are branding yourself as the product (coach, speaker, etc.) you need an online store, a website, or a social media platform.  It’s not likely that you will use just one medium with the options to use websites, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and all of the other options out there, but start with one medium and build off of that.  Stay consistent and build your list and while growing your list of platforms you are using to get your product message out.

3. Look for a similar business plan.  The idea here is to get a good idea of the products they are launching, how they launch a product and how their sales funnel works.  Figuring out what works for them will not only fuel your mind with ideas, but help you learn each of the steps from creating the product to how to close the sale.

Search until you have found multiple examples of your business vision. Having multiple examples will allow you to be more specific about your business strategy and will help with implementation along the way.

From each example, take note of what specifically each business does well and study those aspects of the business.  As you study and learn from them you should be learning more and more specific details from them.  For example, when you picked them as a model you may have picked them because they sell e-books and you want to sell e-books too.  But as you receive their newsletters and watch their Facebook status, you’ll start to see how they get traffic and how they do a launch and what their sales funnel is.  Having this clarity moves your business toward success.

As you work toward your business remember your idea may change, grow and develop into something else along the way and that’s fine.  Accept that as you learn more about yourself and the new industry you are in, you need to adapt the idea or product to your new knowledge.  As you grow, always be looking for something to strive toward or better yet, to surpass!

 

About the Author | Nichole Carlson

Nichole is a life and fitness coach in Austin, TX. She is creator of The Rich & Beautiful Project. Connect with her at www.nicholecarlson.com.

Filed Under: Biz Dev, Ideas, Nichole, Product, Sales, Startup, Success
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