32 Must Reads To Ensure Home Business Success
Dear Naomi,
I’m thinking of starting a home business, at least some of which will exist online. Do you have any advice for me? I was thinking about slapping up some bullshit website and seeing what happened, but then I thought I’d email you first.
Love,
Groupie # 841
This post got me a few emails. Well, it’s 1:00 am two days later, and I’m still answering, so it might have been a smidgen more than a few. It would seem like there are a few people in the world with some questions about starting their own businesses. Because I’m really nice, I figured I’d slap together some linkbait a list of informative resources on running an online business. Under that heading, I include blogging.
1. Think first. Don’t do another thing until you read this. When she refers to “other projects”, she’s not just talking about other businesses. Think of the impact of what you’re embarking on — on your job, your marriage, your friends, your kids. Think first, hang shingle later.
2. It’s going to cost money. Get over it. The days of slapping some shit up on the internet and waiting for the Adsense dollars are not only gone, they weren’t here in the first place.
3. But not as much as you think. You do not need to spend $5,000 on a website. Hell, you don’t need to spend $50 on a used printer. If you don’t spend money arbitrarily, it won’t cost as much. Genius.
4. Create a really fucking solid business plan. So-lid. Not the kind of business plan that helps convince your bank to give you an extra five grand on your line of credit. The kind of business plan that PLANS YOUR BUSINESS.
5. Starting small is not the same as starting stupid. I started this blog with $500. BudTV started with $30 million. Whose site are you on right now?
6. Slow and steady wins a lot of races. Slow and slow wins none. He’s talking about blogging here, but this can probably be applied to just about any human endeavor.
7. You have to think like an entrepreneur. You will get nowhere by thinking like an employee. In fact, you’ll get worse than nowhere. At least you had a job before.
8. You have to get over being scared. Waiting until you’re not scared anymore is like waiting until you’re completely ready to have kids. Cue maniacal laughter.
9. Know what you’re getting into. You don’t just whip up a few gift baskets and call it a day.
10. Treat it like a business. Here are 63 reasonably successful people saying exactly that. I said it in five words, but you probably don’t believe me.
11. Who you know is not important. It’s vital
12. You will not achieve any kind of social media success, or any success at all really, if you do not make and keep good friends.
13. Social media is not fair, but it is no less fair than anything else.
14. The internet is not a magic place. Use common sense.
15. Never, ever, ever underestimate the power of being nice. Don’t believe me? Google “I heart Zappos.” Now never argue with me again.
16. Don’t just be trustworthy. Actively build trust. You can be Gandhi, but if no-one knows, no-one cares.
17. Learn to network. It’s a skill, like juggling or driving or peeing standing up.
18. Marketing is not immoral. “There tends to be mindset among small business owners and freelancers that if you somehow gain some marketing advantage by simply doing what you’d normally do, but with a slightly elevated degree of effort or intention, that is a bad thing.”
19. You need a USP. You will go nowhere without one.
20. If you don’t have an elevator pitch, you don’t have a business. If you say it takes you more than 30 seconds to describe the greatness that is your business, you have no focus and your business sucks. If it only takes you five seconds, you don’t have a USP. Start over. Think you don’t need one? If it’s good enough for Intel, it’s good enough for you. (Best use of Eminem lyrics in a blog post.)
21. Do things which make money. Do not do things which do not make money.
22. Master your time. Now. If you don’t organize your time, you don’t meet your commitments. If you don’t meet your commitments, you lose.
23. Design everything with your customer in mind. If you are a blogger, your reader is your customer.
24. Get to know your customer. Best use of the word “cricket” in a blog post.
25. Figure out your price, stand by it, and announce it. If you’re unwilling to tell people what you charge, there’s either something wrong with you or something wrong with your business model.
26. Figure out your money dramas. When you have a paycheck coming in every 2 weeks, you can have as much drama as you want and it really doesn’t matter. When you run your own business, this is really, really, really important. Figure your shit out.
27. Be really enthusiastic. Passion is good. Enthusiasm is extra good. Best use of the word “droniness” in a blog post.
28. Encourage constructive criticism. If you receive unconstructive criticism, cut the bastards out for good. You have better things to do than managing unhealthy relationships.
29. Slash and burn your vocabulary. Do not allow your words to be your downfall.
30. Every single action matters.
31. Step away from your computer. You need perspective or you will burn out. Burnout is ugly. Avoid it at all costs.
32. Know what your dream is. Seth Godin’s dream was to become an action figure, and 91 books later, his dream came true.
If you liked this post, please think of bookmarking it for future reference or submitting it to your social networking site of choice. Then everyone can read it and the world will be a better place.
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The world is already a better place because of this post - great stuff here. Now, to step away from my computer and off to become an action figure!
Number 20 is a must. I went to a store to buy some computer equipment yesterday. Something the owner said perked my radar and I went over. “Do you guys offer website design and web content services?”
“No… Unfortunately we don’t,” he winced. “We haven’t been able to find anyone in the area who does that, and I prefer to shop local. Besides, most people are French and websites should be English.”
Enter James Chartrand, schmoozer extrordinaire. I whipped out a business card, started my elevator pitch and gently guided the owner back to his desk, where I gave him a few URLs to look at (that we worked on, of course.)
Always seize opportunity. Had I not been ready to market on the fly, I would’ve bought my equipment and gone home.
this is brilliant, 21 being my favorite. i have sent this link to everyone i know working on any kind of business or blog (ok so that’s like 3 people, but still!)!! One day i will actually click on all the links and read all the content. maybe starting with the time management one as time seems to be in shortest supply!
THANK YOU!
Brilliant post! Tons of great advice/information with just the right touch of humor. I’ll be back to click on the links …. right after I use “time management” to get some work done!
Thank you!!
I don’t have an elevator pitch (see my “What do you do for a living” at http://aplawrence.com/Opinion/what-do-you-do.html and do read the comments too ) but James Chartrand pointed out one of the major differences between those of us who “make it” and those who don’t: being alert for opportunity.
I actually wrote what follows in another post at my site, but it’s short enough to reproduce here, so I will:
Opportunity is work looking for someone to do it. That’s true whether it’s a pile of leaves in the back yard or something that needs an invention to be created.
The minute you really understand that, you see opportunity everywhere. The “problem” isn’t necessarily your income opportunity, but it’s someones, and if you think about each one creatively, you might just come up with an idea that can get you a piece of it. If you don’t think like that, then it’s just another problem, and if it’s your problem, it’s going to cost you money and time. Maybe it will anyway, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend a second or two wondering if there’s a way to turn that type of problem to your advantage. If you have this problem, other people do also. What can they do about it? Is there anything better that could be done? How could you benefit from that?
It’s that kind of thinking that was the seed for many a successful business or invention.
Looks like I’ll be doing quite a bit of extra reading today. Thanks for the list!
Hey everybody! Thanks for checking out the crazy list. Seriously good posts, there. I should set aside a day and reread them…
@ Anthony - Loved the piece on your blog, by the way. Tried to comment, didn’t get it. I won’t get into it here, I’ll just write a post about it. Bottom line, really cool. Comments thread was wicked.
@James
I have a similar story, happend just a week ago and I’m working on a proposal now. I happened by a small music store and remembered daughter 1 needed new guitar picks so; in I went. After over hearing the owner mention how disappointing the Christmas numbers were I introduced myself.
Always be ready to sell your services. I get to foray into the unknown world of music store promotions, and he gets a marketing specialist who works for guitar lessons and equipment + a cut of the profits. Win!
@ Michael - I need guitar lessons. I need to work in marketing. That sounds way too cool.
Great post, thanks for the clarification!
Thanks for the links … time to start digging in!
Oh, man. This looks like it may be an all-nighter. Good thing I quit drinking. On Tuesdays.
There’s not much time left till Wednesday, Stephen. You’d better hurry up.
Thanks for providing links to some of the best articles. You taking the time to compile these links is very much appreciated. Also , thank you for linking to my article, I am glad you liked it :-)
Hey Ritu, thanks for stopping by! It was my pleasure. Unfortunately, in the creation of this post every single thing in my life suffered, including laundry, so I am typing this in my underwear.
Man, I love my job.
Thanks, great post! I see I have a lot of work to do…..
Ha! I just realized that you linked to me in that giant list. It’s pretty awesome to be there. :-)
I’m sneaky like that…
Hey Naomi, thanks for the linkage, you kinda resurrected an old post, I almost forgot about that one :)
[...] to start a small business here is a list of 32 Must Reads To Ensure Small Business Success, which describes how one could start off good with small [...]
Cool post. Number 21 is a killer ;)
[...] IttyBiz » 32 Must Reads To Ensure Small Business Success [...]
[...] ideas over at Anywired that should get you thinking about your online options. Naomi of IttyBiz has a brilliant list of must-reads to ensure business success. Read both articles and you should be armed with everything you need to make a plan and make it [...]
Brilliant Linkbait…er post! I would love to add a recommendation that EVERY person wanting to start a business should read The E-Myth Revisited, it should be required reading for all business owners, I only wish I had read it earlier than 4 years into my business so I could have started fresh instead of having to fix all the things I screwed up while blindly flailing into what has become a great business!
AWESOME! Seriously…I bookmarked and am going to go through all these links as soon as I find some spare time (maybe I’ll read them every time I find five extra minutes). :) Thank you so much!!!
We’ve been doing humor hook linkbait on the web since 1995 at Zug.com
It would be great to get your feedback on the comedy linkbait angle!
Shelah
Marketing Assistant
http://www.zug.com/us/about/link-baiting.html
This is wonderful. Thanks for posting.
[...] 55. 32 Must Reads to Ensure Small Business Success [...]
Ozark Suds
Handcrafted lye soap made fresh daily in the USA!
Just starting out and working on my pitch and plan, doing some craft shows first before opening up a biz
[...] 32 Must Reads to Ensure Small Business Success. Great round-up for all sorts of small businesses and one-person businesses. [...]
One of the best business/marketing round-ups I’ve read. As a business school graduate & someone just leaving the corporate world & starting up, I’m thrilled to find this!
Thanks for taking the time.
And, by the way, VERY slick site. I love the Amazon links that don’t even look like Amazon links. I’ve got a lot to learn!
I threw my blog together to keep some excitement going while my designer & html guy work on my website, hopefully I haven’t shot myself in the foot by putting out a sloppy product!
Thanks again!
See, if you shnooze, you loose… for some reason, I only just got a pingback notice TODAY. ? I’m honored and touched to have my post included on the list, and chagrined as hell that I didn’t acknowledge it months ago, back in January when you actually posted it.
Of course, I didn’t know about it then, but chagrined I am, and chagrined I’ll be… for at least a little while.
The list is great, Naomi- thanks for collecting it all together.
[...] 32 Must reads for home business success (I don’t care if you are starting a home business or not, all of the rules still apply). [...]
Great post. #21 is something it actually took me a while to understand. The lesson was learned late one hectic night (morning?) when I thought to myself about everything I had on my plate, and actually calculated how much money I was exchanging my sanity for. Wasn’t much!
I now have another (former competitor) to whom I refer the projects I don’t want to mess around with (you know the type). Leaves me more time to focus on the pleasurable/profitable projects–which is what I went out on my own to do in the first place! Can’t say enough about how well this has worked out for me (both professionally and personally).
Determine the type of work you want to do and can AFFORD to do (not all work makes $), then put yourself in the best possible position to do just that! Taking on EVERY project that’s brought to you, contrary to popular belief, is not the way to elevate yourself. Learn to be picky!
That’s all I’ve got. Great site, by the way–love the writing style!