I have posted before on my past with failures and success; however, I want to focus on one specific detail. I am asked by clients and friends (they are usually both) how to get started with nothing once they realize my “Get Customers 1st†strategy. They usually say “OK, I know I need to get customers first, but how do I accomplish this in my business?â€
I always try my best to answer this question for them by listening to their take on their business. It is true that if I had all the time I need, I can get the customers for my clients before they spend more than $1,000 and create unnecessary overhead. Why $1,000? There are always miscellaneous stuff when starting a business that cost money, usually they are things which will be unnecessary, but the Entrepreneur doesn’t know it until he/she spends money on them.
Here is my process:
Example: “My objective is to teach every Entrepreneur how to succeed with their startup.â€
Now that you have the milestones, reverse the order.
The above represents my process and the key to my success, lunch time! It is better to spend that initial startup cost on collecting very pertinent information from the right people custom to your needs rather than spending it on office equipment. Once again, I hope this helps.
I always try my best to answer this question for them by listening to their take on their business. It is true that if I had all the time I need, I can get the customers for my clients before they spend more than $1,000 and create unnecessary overhead. Why $1,000? There are always miscellaneous stuff when starting a business that cost money, usually they are things which will be unnecessary, but the Entrepreneur doesn’t know it until he/she spends money on them.
Here is my process:
- Get focused - Every business is part of an industry. Every industry has a multitude of niches. Find the niche my business (or my client’s business) fills by solving the problem inherent to a specific niche. Sometimes it is only one niche, other times it is a few. One niche will shine above the rest, so focus on this one to start, the rest will fall into place.
- Begin the plan - Many people don’t like the business plan process because of bad information streaming across the Web! The real purpose of your business plan is to focus your efforts into a step by step process to accomplishing your goal for the business. A daycare can have a business plan in crayon if it helps focus them. So, begin the plan with the goal/objective of your business found by solving the problems for your niche.
- Find the steps - You have started your business plan (or I have) and stalled right after writing down the objective/mission statement (your goal for the business). What now? Work backwards; under the objective start listing in reverse chronological order the milestones you need to get to the objective.
Example: “My objective is to teach every Entrepreneur how to succeed with their startup.â€
- 1st milestone in reverse order – Need the Entrepreneur to launch their business.
- 2nd milestone (reverse order) – Entrepreneur needs to have fulfilled “pre-launch†planning steps.
- 3rd milestone – Entrepreneur must create “pre-launch†plan, also called a business plan.
- 4th milestone – Entrepreneur must understand how to build a “pre-launch†business plan.
- 5th milestone – Entrepreneur must ask how to build business plan or other business topics.
- 6th milestone – Entrepreneur must find a way to ask for help.
- 7th milestone – Entrepreneur must find resources about entrepreneurship to get help.
Now that you have the milestones, reverse the order.
- Define milestones into steps – My 1st milestone in the example above after reversing the order is to help the Entrepreneur to find resources about entrepreneurship so they can get help. This would be accomplished by creating or finding the resources for the Entrepreneur and marketing to them so they know where to find these resources. For me in this case, this would be to build a website ready for resource content and market it. The next milestone is to create an easy way for the Entrepreneur to ask for help. This would be a system created in the website for them to ask for help easily. Milestone 3 is to push them to ask or subscribe to the website (community). I have already made it easy for them to subscribe, but I need to get them to act. This would be equivalent to offering benefits of subscription (membership). Milestone 4 is to offer classes, or seminars, or articles, or a feedback system (forum, etc.) to facilitate the Entrepreneurs questions and getting him/her answers. You can derive the rest from here.
- List the steps below the milestones and divide each one into a section of your business plan.
- Create sub-steps in each section to accomplish the sections goal. The sections goal is the step above that matches the milestone. How do you get these sub-steps? Find experts who have accomplished the sections goal (milestone, or step associated). Example: Milestone 6 is to get the Entrepreneur to fulfill their pre-launch steps. I would need to find an expert who has succeeded MANY times in getting others to follow steps. This would most likely be a motivational speaker with life coaching experience. Or, Milestone 4 is to get the Entrepreneur to understand how to build the pre-launch plan and then build it. I would have to find an expert who has helped others build plans to accomplish goals. A good person to help is a Project Manager with many years of experience and a business consultant or business plan writer. I could meet with all at the same time or each individually. If you are an expert, you may fill in as such. Most likely you will be filling in as at least one expert since you chose the business niche.
- Take them to lunch! – Now that you know how to find the experts, take them to lunch. Lunch is unobtrusive; it lowers the possibility for misinterpretations, and lightens the atmosphere. I have used this technique for over a decade now and always am I surprised at the effectiveness. Most successful people like to share their knowledge. Success rids most people of the paranoia which keeps experts tight lipped. Anytime I find someone tight lipped, I pretty much know they are not a success or hiding the element of their success which is another person!
- Finish the business plan - Add costs for each sub-step and summarize the costs and tasks in each section. Now you have a business plan. If you think this is not enough for a business plan that is because of all the hype on the Web, or the old school financiers who try to tell Entrepreneurs how to run their business. You don’t need fancy charts or the other crap unless you plan to get investment capital. Writing a business plan for investment capital is different than these steps. IMO, if you need investment capital, write two plans, this one first then hire a finance dude for the second.
The above represents my process and the key to my success, lunch time! It is better to spend that initial startup cost on collecting very pertinent information from the right people custom to your needs rather than spending it on office equipment. Once again, I hope this helps.
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