Business seminars are a dime a dozen. So are self-proclaimed experts always ready to lay out the secrets to successful business. For entrepreneurs just getting started, the sheer volume of available information can be overwhelming. So many of them fail before they even get started because they cannot understand it all. That’s a shame because building a successful business doesn’t have to be that hard.
We human beings have a bad habit of over complicating things. Yet entrepreneurs would do well to remind themselves of one simple fact: people have managed to build successful businesses since the dawn of time. Successful businesses existed long before there were business consultants and online seminars.
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1. Choose Your Product or Service
There are three fundamental steps to building a successful business. The first is to choose your product or service. Remember that the point of business is to get people to buy a product or service from you instead of someone else. So first, you have to figure out what it is you are going to sell.
Your choice does not have to be anything fancy. For example, have you ever heard of Poshmark? If not, Poshmark is an online social platform where people buy and sell used clothes. It does quite well. The people behind the platform decided they wanted to create an online environment that combines social media with e-commerce. So that’s what they did.
Whatever product or service you choose is one that people have to be willing to buy. So either find a need or create one. Then go meet it. Do that successfully and you are one-third of the way there.
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2. Figure Out How You’re Going to Sell It
The second step is to figure out how you are going to sell your product or service. If you choose a product, are you going to sell strictly online? You can sell through sites like Poshmark, but you will need help from a company like PoshyVA. Their virtual assistants are your key to Poshmark shares, which are your key to sales.
Maybe online doesn’t thrill you. Fine. Products are sold in brick-and-mortar shops, at flea markets, at pop-up shops, in retail kiosks, and on and on.
Should you choose a service, marketing will be critically important. You have to get your service to the masses. Once they know what it is you do, you will need strong salespeople willing and able to close the deal.
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3. Go Out and Sell It
Finally, the third fundamental step of building a successful business is actually going out and selling whatever it is you sell. If you are selling a service, combine your marketing efforts with excellent customer service. Give your customers exactly what they are paying for, and your service will sell itself. Just note that you’re going to have to go and get customers. They are not going to come to you – at least in the early days.
If you are selling a product, you also have some marketing to do. How you market will depend on your chosen online platform. That choice notwithstanding, the amount you sell will be in direct correlation to the effort you put into marketing. You have to go out and get customers. There is no other way.
There are other details to consider including funding, developing a business plan, etc. As an entrepreneur, do yourself a favor and don’t get bogged down in too much expert advice. Concentrate on these basic steps and then plug in extra advice where necessary. Do not try to build a business by overthinking it. That rarely works.