10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Started My Business [Part 2]

by | Nov 28, 2018

10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Started My Business [Part 2]

I am excited to give you part two and I want to thank you for all the GREAT questions that have been coming in! Many of you have had questions about how to find your ideal customer, how to figure out the best opt-in, how to actually START selling, how to find your clients and get in front of them etc.

So again, I wanted to remind you that today and over the course of the next couple weeks, I want to open this newsletter up to being an INTERACTIVE experience rather than a passive reading experience for you. In conjunction with this series for the next 3 weeks, I’d like to offer the opportunity to HIT REPLY and ask me ANYTHING. If I can answer the question I will and if not I will reach out to my network of resources and find out who can.  At the end, I will answer your questions in a webinar you will all be invited to.

Ok so back to what I WISH I had known…

4. Serve a small group of people really well and the rest will follow. 

Think about making a difference for ONE single person. If you can change one person’s life for the better, you have succeeded in something great. Everybody starts with a small audience. Don’t be afraid to have a few clients in the beginning. When I started my first small business 15 years ago, I had 4 people in my first workshop (and we are all still in touch today).  When I opened my fitness studio in Kenya, I had 2 people who had never heard of Barre before in my class ( I still credit those two people with starting my business for me…they told EVERYONE, they loved it so much, and I am eternally grateful). Word of mouth marketing is still the most powerful form of marketing there is. If we go above and beyond for your clients, (within reason) the rewards are sweet.  Be genuine and generous with your information, your time, and your attention and people will thank you for it and will tell others about your product or your service. We all evangelize brands we love.

5. Create connection within your community and they will come back again and again 

I have had several businesses where this is true. People return to places where they feel comfortable and connected.  Make introductions, facilitate your community meeting and getting to know each other and create opportunities for bonding. This has felt harder for me to do online than it was when I had a brick and mortar business BUT it can be done. In an age where no one calls, or hand writes, or meets in person, look for ways that you can facilitate the opposite – meaningful connection. In my studio business and in our restaurant business, we surveyed customers about what they liked best about the businesses. It was the collateral benefits they focused on: community, confidence, friendships made, ambiance, memories created, good times had etc. They didn’t focus on the functional benefits like weight loss, great food, value for money, and great coffee and croissants. The functional benefits of your product are not what people care about most.  They care about the emotional and self expressive benefits MORE. Speak about those in your marketing and deliver that in your customer experience.

6. One Voice + One Platform + One Product + One Person = ONE BELOVED BRAND

If you are an entrepreneur, shiny object syndrome is real. Especially in the online world where there is SO much you could be doing. The journalist in me has a tendency to research the S@*T out of things. All I want now is those countless hours back!!!

You do not have to learn about every single medium, potential customer, strategy before you build your business and brand. Even most established businesses only have time to focus on a few things at a time. You just have to pick ONE of each. One brand voice, One Platform (to market with and get your message out) One Product to offer and One dream customer. These FOUR things = ONE consistent magnetic brand.

But the CUSTOMER is the base of this pyramid  (If you don’t know who that is, I can help you with a strategy to get one. )

Stay tuned for PART 3 in my next email where I will talk about how to get big projects done with limited time, the only things you really need to know about your ideal customer, and my number one recommendation for building an email list fast.

Next week I will be writing you from Breckenridge Colorado where I am volunteering to teach skiing to disabled athletes and I’ll tell the story of how the opportunity came about (hint- by doing something I dread doing) 

And remember, I am taking your questions! Hit reply and ask!

Amy Selbach
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