Category: New Business Development

There have been a flurry
of articles and news coverage
recently
about Miami becoming
the next Silicon Valley.

CEOs are making appearances,
talking about how
they moved their companies
to Miami,
implying others should move
their companies also.

This is a deliberate
media campaign
and it is dangerous
for businesses
and people
that aren’t easily relocated.

Why?

Because Miami won’t fare well
with climate change
and rising sea levels.

Yet none of the news coverage
I’ve consumed
about Miami becoming
the next Silicone Valley
has mentioned this key issue.

Just because another CEO
has made a move
doesn’t mean that move
will be successful
for your company.

Your business is different.
Your needs will be different.

Do your own research.

No one likes
to be wrong
but most of us are
much of the time.

Especially business builders.

We’re doing things
that haven’t been done.
We’re using information
that is ‘cutting edge’
and, as a result,
not established.
We’re making A LOT
of decisions
and often making them
quickly.

I’m known in my field
for saying things like
“THAT was a mistake.”
or
“I was so wrong about THAT.”

And because I’m known for this,
people come to me
when THEY make mistakes.

They’ll tell me
about promo strategies
they tried
and didn’t work.

They’ll tell me
when they get an error
while loading a book
(a product)
at booksellers.

They’ll tell me
about cover (packaging)
errors
and mishandling of reader (customer)
messages.

I learn valuable information
and save myself
from making the same mistakes
this way.

You’re a leader.
Lead by example
and admit
when you’re wrong.

This will benefit you
in the long run.

I haven’t received
a lot of big breaks
in my lifetime.

That’s okay.
Because I’ve received
millions of little breaks.

Today, for example,
7 people retweeted
one of my promo posts.
3 people have,
thus far,
discovered book 1
in a long, older series.
I was asked to be a guest
on a writer’s blog.
I read an article
about promotion
that might increase my sales.

Sometimes
I receive so many
little breaks;
I often can’t take advantage
of all of them.

And those little breaks
have often meshed
into success.

Seth Godin
shares

“Little breaks get you
into a room,
but they don’t guarantee
your performance.
Little breaks get you
a glimmer of trust
or opportunity,
they give you a microphone
and a chance
to share your dream.”

Don’t ever discount
the power of little breaks.
They can change
our worlds.

One of the aspects
that make
my romance novels unique
is the novels
can be read
on their own
but they are also
intricately connected
to each other.
They belong to a world.

This requires
a sh*tload of work
and sometimes
I get the urge
to skip it.

Other writers in my niche
don’t connect
their stories.
Why should I?

But I shouldn’t skip it
because this extra ‘work’
is what differentiates
my stories from other stories.

It is WHY some readers
(customers)
prefer my stories
(products)
over the competition’s stories.

Seth Godin
shares

“When difficulties arise,
it might very well be
good news.
Because those difficulties
may dissuade
all the people
who aren’t as dedicated
as you are.”

Embrace the difficult parts,
especially if they
differentiate you
from the competition.

Some writers,
when hosting a workshop,
will offer a free critique
to participants.

I ALWAYS take them up
on this offer.
If I have one available,
I’ll send them work
that has already been through
a round of edits.

Why?

Because the writer
is unlikely
to say that work is perfect.
She will look for something
to improve
and that area of improvement
is likely to be
something
my usual editor
doesn’t pick up on.

It is a next level
critique,
a critique
that will push my writing
forward.

Seth Godin
shares

“Don’t defend your work
with the generous critic.
The entire point
of getting better
is to eagerly abandon
the approaches
you were taking
on your way
to gaining new skills
that are more effective.”

Look for ways
and critics
that will push your work
to the next level.

It is human nature
to want things
to stay the same.

We know
how to navigate
similar situations.
They are ‘safe.’
They feel easy.

Often,
when something new happens,
the mandate
is to get business back
to what it used to be.
We patch systems,
instead of implementing
completely new systems.

But that misses an opportunity.
Because how it used to be
wasn’t perfect.
There were big problems
with how it used to be.

And patches are…well…patches.
They aren’t meant
to last.

If we’re going to implement change,
it might be worth
the resources
to rethink the entire system.

Consider taking the time
to, at the very least,
think about it.

I talk often here
on client k
about how most people are
lazy and selfish.

Some people push back
on this,
telling me
people are better than that.

I’m not better than that.
I’m lazy and selfish.
Wishing I was otherwise
doesn’t make it true.

This week, the CDC in the US
said fully vaccinated people
no longer had to wear masks.

When asked how anyone would know
a person was fully vaccinated,
Dr. Fauci
said

“You’re gonna be
depending on people
being honest enough
to say
whether they are vaccinated
or not.”

There are quite a few people,
some might say
the majority of people,
who aren’t ‘honest enough.’

Wishing they were otherwise
doesn’t make it true.

Viewing the average person
as someone other than who they truly are
can lead to failure
and possibly death.

Before rolling out new policies
or planning anything,
ensure you have a realistic view
of the people involved.

If your view
contains no faults,
it isn’t realistic.

We’re human.
We all have faults.

Lee Seung-yoon,
Founder and CEO
of Radish,
sold his company
for $440 million.
That deal was announced
this week.

A month ago,
Amazon announced
it was launching
a look-alike product
to Radish.

(I suspect the Radish deal
took more than a month
to craft
but I also suspect
Radish’s Founder
knew about Amazon’s copycat product
long before it was announced.)

The timing of Radish’s sale
appears to be perfect.

Amazon will take a big bite
out of Radish’s business.
Radish will have to reinvent itself
to compete.
It is often easier
to start a new business
than reinvent an established one.

I suspect the Founder
considered the possibility
a large competitor would enter
the market
long before it happened.
I suspect that is why
the sale was relatively so quick.

As business builders,
we should consider the same scenario.

If a large competitor entered your market
tomorrow,
would you sell your company?
Think about that now
so you can act quickly
if…when that happens.

Disappointment is part
of building a business.

We’re dealing
with the unknown.
Things don’t always
go our way.
Sometimes we let
our excitement
and optimism
run ahead of reality.

For many of us,
disappointment
is paired with
a feeling of loss.

In our minds,
we already had the opportunity,
sale, partnership,
whatever we were
looking forward to,
and it was taken away
from us.

Often, when that happens
to me,
I feel stingy.
I want to hunker down
in a bunker
and protect
what I have left.
I want to withhold
resources.

That can kill
a growing business.

To offset this,
I participate in
an act of generosity.

I pick up a piece
of garbage off a sidewalk.
I drop off
a can of beans
to the food bank.
I send a postcard
to a senior citizen residence.

This act of giving
combats my urge
to withhold.
It opens me back up
to opportunities.
It offsets the disappointment.

Disappointments will happen
while you’re building your business.
Learn how to deal with it
in a healthy way.

I don’t write fast enough
to jump on any trends.

By the time,
I’ve written the story,
revised it twice,
went through three rounds
of edits,
formatted it,
had a month of pre-orders,
the trend is usually over.

What I HAVE done
is catch trends
by having the story
already published
and available.
I market the sh*t
out of it
under the trend
and make
awesome sales.

Seth Godin
shares

“By the time
you show up
to chase the cool kids,
it’s probably too late
to guarantee a sinecure.

What’s the alternative?

Publish.
Consistently.
With patience.
Own your assets.
Don’t let a middleman
be your landlord.
Yell at Google
for blocking your emails
and hope it’ll work eventually.
Continually push for RSS
and an open web.
With patience.”

If we produce
enough products/services,
we will eventually
luck into a trend.

Be prepared for that.
And produce
consistently.