Author: Dr. Leslie McGeough

“Business is Great!” – Why attitude is everything

You may have heard that you manifest what you accept as true – think negative thoughts and sure enough, your day sucks. And that goes for entrepreneurship too. It’s so easy to blame a lack of customers, the economy, employees and everyone else for our challenges. Have you noticed how you can get a real gripe-fest going by sharing your frustrations with as many people as you can? Like magic, you can bring everyone else around you down in your quest to be heard.

Attitude is everything

There’s a story we’ve heard throughout the years that we really like. Why not take a page from this man’s book:

The owner of a small landscaping and garden business wore a button every day that said: Business is Great! His company thrived, even during a recession. He smiled, chatted with his customers and his employees were always friendly and helpful. Whenever someone asked him about the button, he’d tell them the fact that he lived in a country where he was able to start and operate a business was amazing. He’d say how fortunate he felt at being able to do what he loved. He talked about having the chance to employ other people and help them grow. Most of all, he shared how great he felt helping homeowners solve their gardening and landscaping problems.

People were skeptical. There must be something he wasn’t telling them. Times were tough. People were being laid off. No one seemed to have any money for extras. Yet this man’s small garden business was always busy and he prospered. His employees were happy and there was a feel-good sense about his business. And without fail, there he was every day – smiling and wearing his Business is Great! button.

One day, he shared his secret to a particularly frustrated business owner who wanted to argue that business wasn’t great. He was about to close down his own shop because his customers were cutting back orders, his employees were unmotivated and nobody was buying anything. The landscaper listened to him rant, then smiled, leaned over the counter and said: “The button came first, the business followed.”

Decide today that being in business is great

Yup, it’s hard work, but no one said starting a small business would be easy. Stick with it, put a smile on your face and get out there. Remember why you started your small business in the first place and work every day to feel the love. Entrepreneurs are nothing if not tenacious!

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Networking basics – tap into the universe’s accounting system

The universe has a perfect accounting system: the more you give out, the more you get back.

What does this mean? Am I telling you to slash prices? As a new business owner, of course you can’t afford to give away massive amounts of products free, or not charge for your services. That’s not what I’m talking about.

What you can do, and for next to nothing, is listen to your customers and other people you meet and do what you can to help them solve their problem or dilemma – even if it doesn’t have anything to do with your business. This can be as simple as giving them the name of your fabulous mechanic or suggesting a tradesperson who didn’t charge you for a simple repair (you know, the “you need to plug in your computer in order for it to work” guy). Then phone that person and tell them you’ve sent someone their way – they’ll thank you.

How do these kindnesses help your business?

Even a small act of kindness stands out and people will remember you for it. Ask how your customer is feeling if they were ill with a cold the last time you spoke to them. Say something nice to them. Say please and thank you. In turn, they’ll remember you and when they come across someone who can use your services, you’ll be on the receiving end of a referral. Another simple thing to do is to ask for some extra business cards from a business that gives you great service and pass them on to others. It’s the pay it forward approach.

Here’s an absolutely free thing you can do right now. Send an email to someone who has helped you along the way. It could be a customer, a supplier, an employee or your accountant. Tell them you just wanted to take a minute to say thanks for all the help/advice/assistance/great ideas they’ve  given you. Make their day.

Sounds too simple to be of any value? Well, we’re here to tell you simple works. This is all part of what we call networking – building relationships with others. And as you’ve probably figured out by experience, building relationships is what business is all about. People buy from those they know, trust and like, so give customers a chance to see you as the decent human being you are. Do something nice for someone. You’ll reap the rewards.

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How much product development is too much in start-up?

An interesting start-up issue came up in the last The Pitch show on BNN.  I was on the panel with Brian Kobus and Jeremy Gutsche (both pictured with me at the right, having a chat before we go on air). One of the Pitchers was Marina Prospero from Perfectore Canada – a company that sells a resistance device designed to improve posture while we work.

I was critical of Perfectore’s lack of sales traction in eight years when they referenced feedback from over 30,000 test subjects. At what point do you say “That’s enough testing! We’re going to market!”

There’s a lot to balance when it comes to beta-testing with real, early-stage customers to make sure your product is a winner when it hits the market and generating internal cashflow to keep your investors and bankers happy and your product development going. But how much testing is too much?

Normally, I encourage over-optimistic entrepreneurs to test, not to stop testing. So this was an unusual situation. If you are launching a new or innovative product or service, you must seek early stage beta customers to help you:

  1. Work out any bugs or kinks in your product, delivery, pricing or marketing models.
  2. Fine tune the customer value proposition.
  3. Gain early sales traction – beta customers will pay – maybe not full retail but you should be able to generate some cashflow from them.
  4. Gain brand awareness through their endorsement and testimonials.

At some point you have to hit the “Go!” button and take your little piggy to market. Going to market before you’ve done your homework with early-stage beta customers is often fatal. Going to market after you’ve spent too much time testing and not enough time building internal cashflow through sales is also often fatal in business. Just know that product development never ends.  At GoForth, we are on the third revision of our small business and entrepreneurship education program – in 21 months. Will our product development ever be finished? No. I learned to put my perfectionism aside and go to market to great success knowing that our education program – like your products and services – are works in progress.

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You Should Sell These! How to Start a Business Selling Your Handcrafted Work

You knit lovely sweaters or create pottery bowls your whole family loves to get as presents. All your friends are urging you to quit your day job and make your mark selling your wares. You’ll be famous! You’ll make a fortune!

Or will you?

Starting any kind of profitable business takes perseverance and hard work. Expecting to make a decent living from a hobby is an especially big challenge. However, a little preparation goes a long way. Spend as much time and effort learning how to set up and run your craft business as you do making your beautiful quilts, and you have a chance at success. Do your homework. Take the time to develop your idea and business skills before you hang your handmade shingle.

Can you make money with a craft-based small business?

It might not be the immediate fun you’re hoping for, but here’s the truth: creating beautiful items is one thing and knowing how to make a profit from your work takes a completely different talent. Something you’ve had fun with as a pastime may soon lose its appeal when you have to churn out item after item to fill orders. All our GoForth free resource downloads can help you determine whether you can make a living or if you’d be better off sticking with your passion as a hobby.

Handcrafted goods are enjoying immense appeal and popularity at the moment. And yes, people do make money.  Check out what others are charging for the same type of product as you’ll be selling to get an idea of what’s going on with similar businesses. Sites like eBay and Etsy are great for a bit of anonymous market research.

At GoForth, we support craftspeople and their quests to fill our homes and lives with beauty. You’ll find answers to handicraft related questions from our experts and help in creating that fabulous online craft business by taking our online training course.

Have you started a small business from your handcrafted work? Tell us your story!

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