The Future Of Business – Making Money Slow
The Future Of Business – Making Money Slow. What do I mean by this, keep it simple. Most who tackle the online world of making money think in terms of getting rich quick, I would suggest you make money slow. Also, make your money goals achievable, trying to make a million in year one is not realistic. The future of business is about building, it takes time to build something bigger than yourself, start small and start building with the end in mind.
I get asked all the time, how do I make money online? In many ways, it’s not much different than offline, solve a problem, fill a need, provide awesome service, and be honest. Building trust offline is easier than building it online, mostly because it’s easier to hide.
When I started making money online (2007) I started with something I was interested in, something I could manage alone, and knew people need my service. I started with a private webhosting company, I serve clients and friends, it’s grown away from that model, but it’s still a size I can manage on my own. But I started with one question…do you know what it might be?
I asked myself how much I wanted to make per year from my webhosting, just using simple math, I did this:
$30,000 ÷ 365 days per year = $82.19 per day
That number is not only reasonable but achievable, that’s 7 days per week. Keep in mind, this is online hours not traditional business hours. You may have loftier goals, but I felt starting with something achievable was a better goal. It wasn’t about how fast or much, it was a building block, and then I would add another building block.
If you only want to work Monday – Friday, break the math out again:
$30,000 ÷ 312 days per year = $96.15 per day
It takes time and persistence, most people don’t want to wait, making money slow is better for a couple reasons. One, it’s easy to manage, and number two, it pays for itself rather than taking money from your household budget. In other words, I didn’t use my own money, the clients covered costs out of the gate. I still build business that way today.
I share this with you for one reason only, to help you stop making ridiculous goals. Don’t worry, if you stay the course and make money slow, your bigger dream and goals will most likely take care of themselves. It still comes down to simple math, providing incredible service, having a product or service people need, and then provide them with unbelievable support.
The old saying of “Keep It Simple” comes to mind, I once heard some say it differently, “Keep it simple, because simple is hard enough”. I hope this helps when you feel overwelmed, especially when you aren’t meeting your financial goals. This method may seem over simplified, but it works for me, it keeps me from getting out of balance, small moves are easier to overcome when they don’t work out, and sometimes that means investing smaller amounts of money. I always ask myself two questions before spending money or starting something new, what’s the worst thing that could happen, and could I survive it? If the answer is yes, I move forward, if it’s no, wait.
That to me is The Future Of Business – Making Money Slow.
The Future Of Business – Plumbers To Nano-Plumbers
The Future Of Business – Plumbers To Nano-Plumbers. Hard to believe I’m mentioning plumbers in a blog post, but I have a story to share. On Friday my wife noticed a wet spot in the ceiling down in our wet room area, you know, where we hang our coats and change our boots and such. It didn’t seem that bad but it was now showing itself, so I called a friend who recommended someone, I called them and they didn’t answer their phone. I tried a cell number and left a message. I felt better because I was dealing with the problem in a calm rational manner.
On Saturday we didn’t do much, a little gardening, house cleaning and I watched the Blue Jays Baseball Game, nice relaxing day in my books. My wife was fussing about this leak downstairs, so I went and look at it, it seemed to have stopped leaking as the ceiling was drying out. I called the number for the plumber again but no answer again, I left another message. We carried on with our day, we had a friend over for BBQ and sat back sipping some wine before calling it an evening. We didn’t even mention the plumbing problem to our company because we didn’t feel it was urgent I guess, we should of asked for a referral. It was a very nice evening, we merely took it easy and went to bed as if the world was all is we would have it.
Hee it is Monday morning, I slept in, I guess I was tired. I got up, had a shower, went to the kitchen, had a banana and went downstairs to my office. I have to walk right by the where the leak is so I took a quick peak. I ran for the phone and called my plumber friend again, only this time more frantically, NO ANSWER!!! So I grabbed the phone book and called the first one I saw. I have to say this, the girl on the phone could tell I was a little stressed, I mean it looks like the ceiling is going to crash to the floor because of the weight of the water. She talked to me as if I was calling 911, in a nice calm voice she asked me to describe the situation and then got the plumber on the phone. It turns out he is close by my home and said he would be there in 15 minutes, he arrived in ten minutes.
THE POINT
He walks in, assess the damage, and was able to find the problem I couldn’t find, that’s because it was well hidden and I really didn’t know what I was looking for (other than water) and where I should be looking for it. He knew where to go, and found the problem. It was actually two pipes that were leaking, and the water build up on the ceiling, he said it has been leaking probably for 6 months because the water was turning yellow.
He fixed the problem, now I have some drywalling and painting to do, but the problem has been solved. That’s what we pay people to do right, solve problems. But my point isn’t the leak being fixed, it has more to do with the plumber.
I talk about, you talk about it all the time. We talk about the future of business changing and how it will be done, but how will plumbing be different? How could this plumber fix my problem with his smart phone? How could he fix it remotely? He couldn’t, and I don’t expect that to change in my lifetime.
Some businesses will change very little, someone still has to be the plumber. I’m sure many types of businesses will be able to automate production lines and so on, but how would the plumber take his or business to that automated state? Today, they can’t.
Do you run a business like this? How will your business adopt the future of business? I suspect you will either use smart phones and the Internet on some level, but your work is very hands on.
I would recommend building a network of people, your current and old customers, get them to refer regularly, build a tribe online that is like-minded in the plumbing niche, and share your trade secrets on a blog, teach people how to fix simple plumbing problems. Steal the audience the TV audience by offering better information, even service. You will become the leader of your industry if you stick with it long enough, patience and persistence always prevail.
I’m grateful for traditional industrial age workers like plumbers, but how will that industry change in the new economy? The Future Of Business – Plumbers, how will they survive?
NANO-PLUMBERS
Let’s look ahead to the future where the plumber repair man may be extinct! Imagine this, you are building a house or an office building, it doesn’t matter. You have found a source for pipes or lines that have nanomaterial, so they are self-repairing. As soon as a weakness or the potential for a pin-hole leak to start, the nanotechnology instantly senses it, and repairs it. Or it sends a message to the installer for tracking purposes, that would be a fail safe for followup. The followup would be done remotely, because nanobots are wireless devices, they can be reprogrammed and or data can be downloaded from them.
Nanotechnology could serve in this way, it would revolutionize the plumbing industry, but who will adopt it? Today this type of product and service would be expensive, but in the next decade, it could be reasonably priced and accessible to everyone. Even older homes could be retro-fitted with the newer technology. From Nanosilver Coatings to Nanobots, there are many different types being worked on today, it’s a matter of time before this technology is in the hands of developers. The cost savings over time will out weight the high cost up front. The same arguement can be had with solar panels for your home, but that’s another story for another time.
How does this Nano-Plumbing idea make you feel?
The Future Of Business – It Will Get Harder & Harder To Get Attention & Build Trust
The Future Of Business – It Will Get Harder & Harder To Get Attention & Trust. I chat with many who say it’s hard to get attention online for their business. There are many ways to skin the cat, you could spend lots of money trying to do online what you’ve always done offline, but that seldom works. The online world is a unique beast, people don’t want to be sold, they don’t want to be yelled at in Social Networks, but they do want things on their own terms. And that is one of the many challenges business owners are facing everyday, but why don’t business owners understand, because it’s still confusing.
The two biggest reasons it will get harder to get attention & trust, it’s sheer numbers really. The first issue is the noise, I mean the volume of it, and you’re in there somewhere trying to be heard. Let’s look at the noise problem, there are currently 2.2 Billion people on the Internet, almost a Billion on FaceBook, and factor in all the other Social Networks. Each network has an approach on how monetize or generate revenue, and some have models for business owners, you know, FaceBook Pages, Google Plus Pages for business and so on. But 2.2 Billion people are producing a crap load of content (noise), and it’s a tidal wave of information, a giant global wall of noise, it’s already hard to be heard right? The second issue is….Well, there’s still another 3 Billion people coming online, and our tools have not progressed at the rate they need to, so we can all filter the noise effectively.
It is perceived, the larger the following you have online, the easier it is to be heard, and supposedly you are trusted at a higher rate. If we used the Industrial Age way of thinking, that would be true, but it’s not!
Consumers online are much more in control of you and your business than in any other time in history of doing commerce. It takes nanosecond for them to find out how ethical you and your business is, and if it isn’t ethical, you will probably never get heard again. Bad service, bad communication, and bad treatment of customers, are all on hypersensitive mode today.
It is perceived, that if you were an early adopter of any technology, you will be heard and seen as a leader, that too is not true. You may be for a short period of time, but eventually your output of content will be your voice, and if the masses don’t like your voice, you will be ignored. If your product or service does not deliver what it supposed to do, you will be ignored.
What does all this mean? It’s going to get harder and harder to get attention and build trust. The world is getting fussier, more sensitive, and has what some would call hyper sensitive BS protectors on. And that filter will work at a high rate.
So what’s the answer, probably far too many for you to adopt I suspect. Products & Services from this day forward have to be compelling, solve problems, deliver what it claims, and do so at an almost perfect rate. I can’t imagine what that means to be completely honest, a perfect delivery rate, a product or service that never fails, it gives me a headache thinking about it. Oh and BTW, I have the same problem you have, are you hearing me? I didn’t think so, too many people out there disrupting my disruption.
In the end, do the best work you can, deliver the best solutions you can, and be the best person you can…treat you customers the best you can, and above all, support them better than anyone else can. At least then you might have a chance to be heard, and your might be able to build trust through your efforts. You won’t be able to take a day off from these problems, they will be in your face everyday.
Deliver solid customer service and create a buzz, build a tribe, and your tribe will help you rise above the noise, and then maybe, you will have built trust.
The Future Of Business? It will get harder & harder to get attention & trust. Do think it’s getting easier, or harder?
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When We Crash, Are You A Taker Or A Giver?
This morning started early, 4:30AM, nothing unusual or earth shattering happens here at this time of day, not until 8AM when school starts to create traffic. Today however, something did happen, and I was lucky to be here, you see….a young high school boy crashed into the neighbours car, flew over the hood and took a nasty tumble.
The young man was able to make his way to my door, I never knew it happened, he was bleeding pretty good from his head, just over the left eye. He had a helmet on so he seemed OK, but lots of scrapes and cuts, he’ll bruise up before long, but definitely shook up. He tried not to cry, but would break into a fit and then pull himself together, he was scared mostly.
His bike actually survived, handle bars need some work, probably should give the bike a good going over to make sure all is healthy. I sat him down on the stairs, got him a glass of water and then I got the nice warm clothes to wipe the blood and such. He was worried about being late for school, I said, you already are so don’t sweat it. He eventually calmed down, until Dad arrived, he got worked up again…I’m thinking he is the drama queen in the house : )
Dad arrived, I put the bike around back so they could pick it up later, off to the hospital to get the young mans head checked. You are probably wondering why I’m sharing this, I think I have a point.
Do you try to help people when they come knocking, when they call you up and say hey can I pick your brain? I have to say I do, often, and many times, for nothing in return. You see, doing the right thing is hard, it’s never convenient, and it always takes effort on your part. We talk about community, we talk about followers and fans, but do we serve them without attaching some kind of reward to serving them? Yes we have to make money at some point, but where is your paywall, is it up front, or is it a number of levels deeper and can’t be seen on first glance. Mine is both, some things have a price up front, but most don’t, I practice the 90 / 10 rule. I give away 90% and charge for 10%.
Now, some people / businesses say they want help but are reluctant to pay for the help. Some always try to take what they can from you for free, and some have integrity, and always try to pay before receiving anything, even advice. There will always be takers, and there many givers, if you look hard enough, they are the ones that volunteer and show up to causes they are passionate about.
I think we all have a responsibility to help each other regardless of reward, I have found that giving away more than I charge for has many rewards, not only financially, but personally. Which one are you, are you a taker or a giver, and which one brings the greatest rewards?
When someone is crashing, or struggling, and failing, where do you stand? I have a passion for the business community, but I care even more about people, without them, you have nothing but loneliness, and absolutely no business. I challenge you to help people and business without expecting something in return, you will grow from it,and you will be or become a human business. Be strategic about where you put your paywalls, and serve…simple isn’t it? Not really, because we are all wired to be in control, and to make sure we get paid first, I’m suggesting anew model, an Open & Free Business Model.
So which are you, a taker or a Giver?
Searching, Seeking And Belonging
We all have this in common, we all are searching for something but we don’t know what it is. We all are seeking something, and we don’t know what that is either. And in the end, we all want to belong to something. Does this sound like you?
SEARCHING
We are never really clear on what it is we are searching for, we give it a name though, we call it happiness. Some of us will go for days, months, years, and even a lifetime searching for this unknown feeling we have. This feeling is like a call to nowhere, we hear a howling wind calling us, so we follow the howling wind only to find ourselves right where we were when we heard it. We go in circles.
Some of us think this search is about our jobs, our homes, our cars, our friends, and even our spouses. The truth is, when you make those changes, you are usually exchanging one set of problems for another. But that’s the way life is right? We have this emptiness inside each one of us, you describe it differently each time, but it’s the same void we keep trying to fill with things that make us feel good. That’s one of the gravities of human behaviour, we like to feel good all the time, so we search for that which gives us that emotion.
We are searching for the wrong thing, we all are spiritual beings, we are searching to fill a spiritual void! There is nothing you and I can buy that will fill that void, I know, I’ve tried. We do the same thing with our businesses, we think we can buy, trick and cheat our way into making huge sums of money just to be called a success. That’s not going to fill the void you feel every waking minute of your life.
SEEKING
Seeking is not much different than searching, except it’s deeply personal. Here you feel your searching has failed you, and now you are seeking because you are hurting at a much deeper level. The void feels even more empty, and bigger, to the point at times, you feel actual depression. This seeking takes on many looks, it shows up when you unexpectedly lose your job, your spouse, a child, and even your home or business, it runs deep.
We continue to live like we can buy our way out of it, you can’t, you have to work your way through it. You truly have to look in the mirror and admit you are out of control, you really don’t have a clue, a clue of the big picture, why you are here, and what your purpose is for living. You do have a purpose, you do have a role to play, you do matter, and your voice needs to be heard. But more importantly, you have to listen, and that’s where we as people get it wrong.
There is a spiritual voice calling to you, talking to you, but you can’t hear it, because you don’t know how to listen for it. You see, each one of us was created and designed for a purpose, a plan was designed for us, but the only way to understand what those are, you have to listen and admit your destiny is not in your hands. We all ask the same question to, what am I supposed to do with my life? I can’t tell you what that is, but this I can tell you, when you do what you were created and designed to do, you make the world a better place. You don’t make the world a better place because you made money from it, you make money because you helped other people. if you help enough people get what they want, you’ll probably be OK.
Your business has the same problem, who decides if your business is successful financially? You? If your product or service truly solves a problem, your customers will decide for you, after all, they are the ones with the money. You can follow a system like a franchise, but in the end, the product or service has to useful, it has to solve a problem, or that system fails. Your business has to help people, not always sell people something.
We all seek to be liked, loved, and important. We tend to seek it from other people, therefore, we need to be validated, given permission, or wait to be picked. That system is why we hurt more often than we don’t. What we seek doesn’t come from people, we just think it does.
BELONGING
Another gravity of human behaviour, we crave to be accepted, to belong. I don’t have to say much here because we all like to be a part of something larger than our selves, to be in a tribe if you will. We want to be where people are, do what they do, and feel useful within that environment. We sometimes think we will find what we are searching and seeking for in these groups or tribes. You might find something, but you won’t fill the void here either, unless you all understand that you are seeking something spiritually, and not physically, something way bigger than you & I.
If you need more evidence that we need to belong to something, just look at the industrial age system, why do we have a Chamber Of Commerce, or hundreds of thousands of non-profit organisations. They all have something in common, they all try to build tribes, pull like-minded people together for a cause. So admit that you are in these groups, but not for them, for you! You need it, those organisations will and can survive without you. I’m not saying you shouldn’t belong to any of these groups, I’m saying, admit the truth as to why you are involved. The truth shall set you free, it always has.
Searching, seeking and belonging feels different for each one of us, but yet it’s the same for all of us. We all want the same things, we just go about it differently. I’m no different than you, I have to admit the truth, the truth about my motives, how I feel, and why I do what I do, even if I don’t make money from it. Money is not the answer, it’s a tool, we all need it, but our purpose, our role, and our happiness does not come from having lots of it. If money is your motivation, you will eventually tell an untruth, you will eventually stop caring about people, you will only end up caring about yourself.
So, amongst all the searching, the seeking, and the belonging, listen to your spiritual voice, it will tell you what to do, and where to go. I challenge you to join me on this journey together, one where we together make the world a better place, we will go on a faith walk to figure out what we were meant to do with our lives. The future of business, no, the future of your business is at stake, are you up for it?
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