It’s always good to have a chat with a fellow entrepreneur and talk about business and marketing so today I went for coffee at Babylon to chat with Todd from Smartbeat Retail. We spoke about how quickly start-up businesses need to adjust to make sure they have the right market fit and offer something that solves a problem. This is why, in my opinion, the hare would trump the tortoise in a business setting.
Think about it. Would Microsoft be what it is today if it waited until Windows 10 was ready? Nope. Would Apple? Google? Amazon? Of course not!
Do it like a hare!
Find the minimum you need to launch. In terms of a website, it’s a few pages. Home page, Services, Contact. Boom, done. If you are a tradie, you need to let clients know what, where and when you do what you do plus an easy way for them to get in touch with you.
The end goal could be to have a website that trains people via online videos, an automated booking system and a membership area where clients can log tickets. It’s great to have a plan of where the business needs to head, but do you need that ready on day 1? Not at all. In fact, it would do a lot of damage to wait. What if your clients don’t want all that? What if they just want to buy tools from a tradie they trust?
As a business owner, the only way to know what your clients want is to ask them. Never assume what clients need. Through talks with them, you’ll be able to quickly change and refine what you offer. Having a website that can change as quickly as your business is going to be essential.
I feel like this is obvious, so…
Why do people still do it like a tortoise?
There are a number of reasons that I’ve heard from clients. There are those that think that it needs to be perfect before launch. Newsflash: It’s never going to be perfect. Nothing is ever perfect in business.
“If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late” – Reid Hoffman from LinkedIn fame.
Next is fear. “What if people don’t like it?” Better to know sooner rather than later I think. Why spend months or years perfecting something that no one wanted anyway?
Another one is not knowing where to start. You’ll ask questions like “How do I build a business website?” “What software do I use to do that?” “How do I get it to rank on Google” “How do I get one of those cool boxes that detail my business on Google?”
If you’re not tech savvy, ask a professional. A quick call is free and you’ll be a lot clearer on where to start and how to get to where you want to go with your business.
Lastly, it’s because there are too many ideas. Thinking of all the things that could be and essentially creating a never ending project. This is probably the worst and most common. I’ve helped a good number of people solve this and help them get their business launched, so they can start earning money, then refine it.
So, let’s get started!
BOOK IN A 30min CONSULTATION CALL
I used to run a meetup group called ‘Random Pair of Ears’. I would offer 30 minutes for anyone to come and chat about a business venture they wanted to launch. I’d give my honest opinion, plus a few ideas on how to use the internet to get the word out about it. Be it with a website, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram etc
Websites and the internet are my thing 🙂 I’ve built so many websites and refined the process to give you a quality, scalable and customisable website that will grow along with your business.
You will deal with the areas you are good at, leaving the website, SEO and digital marketing to me. Take a look at the website packages on offer along with SEO packages.
Conclusion
Business is hard. It’s even harder if you don’t start. In the wise words of Gary Vee “Stay in your lane”. Know what your strengths are, and if they aren’t websites or digital marketing then give me a shout 🙂