Do what you love and never work a whole day in your life. My mother told me this statement somewhere in the middle of 7th and 8th grade. I had no idea how much that would be the one sentence that would be the sum of my life.
I don’t want you reading this thinking that I dont have problems. I’m in business for myself, Of course I have problems. Business is just a trade off of various problems, you solve one and there is another right behind it! Business itself has less to do with the problems and more to do with how you deal with them everyday.
Deep down I feel everyone has a desire to do what they love. It has less to do with the love and more to do with strategy. I have seen more business owners frustrated about an idea they once were in love with and now they hate it! They hate it because it became a job. Of course I don’t want to get too deep in that subject because you can just go read Michael Gerbers E-Myth. He is right though. I had a job then started my company that became a job again.
What is so exciting is when you finally combine an idea that you love with good financial sense. People talk about the feeling of business, the fuzzy feeling in your gut that you know this just makes good sense. Sometimes when we ask other people to look at our proposed business idea we expect them to just explode with excitement and look at us at the genius they never knew. Often time however, that does not happen. Many times we show the concept to our friends and family first and they try not to hurt our feelings but tell us it sounds like a flop. Sometimes, they can be wrong. To make sure open up the yellow pages. Do your own free market analysis.
Let’s say your selling Ice Cream from Brazil. (totally making this up here as I go) First, think to yourself who your target market would be. Second, figure out where these people are. Third, compile a list of names and numbers from the phone book. Finally, give the sales pitch and wait to see what they say.
Sales Script:
Ring…Ring…..
Homeowner: Hello?
You: Hello Mr. Jones, I am doing a quick survey today. My company, Brazil International is importing Brazillian Ice Cream and wondered if this would be a product you would buy if you found it at your local grocer?
Homeowner: Uh, yeah I guess. I’m actually from Brazil and It’s hard to get that stuff here.
You: Mr. Jones, what would you consider paying for this ice cream of 32 ounces?
Homeowner: I don’t know what does Ice Cream go for? $3 or so?
You: would you pay as much as $5 for your favorite Ice Cream.
Homeowner: No!
You: Would you pay $4?
Homeowner: Maybe
You: How about $3.50
Homeowner: Yeah, I guess I would. I would have to make sure it was fresh though.
Not every call will go that smooth. You are going to get a jerk here and there. But keep track of it because you will notice a mathmatical pattern to your calls. This is known as the law of averages.
Its this kind of stuff that really gets me going. You start to ask around and formulate your deal to the point you can see your short term goals turn into large scale goals for the years to come. Then you think bigger than big. Eventually you get the bug and you might start calling national distributors and negotiating deals with WAL-MART before long.
That is the Art of The Deal. One business owner defines it as the last legal drug!