What is the secret to success? — Anonymous
Success is not about winning. It’s about not losing. In other words, being successful is not about increasing the odds of winning. It’s about reducing the odds of losing. There is one simple way to reduce the probability of failure. Go the extra mile.
In everything you do, do a little more than expected. Need to prepare a proposal? Format it, add page numbers, spellcheck, PDF. Need to instal a router? Arrive early. Finish early. Dress neatly. Smile. Need to refund a customer? Be polite. Don’t delay. Apologise. Follow up. Need to provide 5MBs? Provide 10MBs. Need to be at work at 6am? Be at work at 5.30am.
Go the extra mile. Over-deliver. Blow away everyone in every little thing you do. If you do that, from the littlest things to the biggest things, you will have the lowest odds of failure.
In other words, you will not lose. As an entrepreneur, not losing is winning. Go the extra mile. It’s less crowded.
I’m a virtual business on Johannesburg’s East Rand and I want to expand my target market to the US. I unfortunately don’t have any international network that I can tap into.
I’m investigating Fiverr, Reddit and Upwork as potential avenues of work and market research tools. I have also made contact with an international VA agency. What else do you recommend I do to break into the international market? — Jade
Selling internationally is no different to selling locally. It’s all about growing your network, sweating your network, and putting yourself out there.
Everything you’re doing is right. Chase all potential channels to market. Tell family and friends. Ask clients for references or leads. Don’t forget the magic of Google AdWords. And a LinkedIn Premium subscription.
Make it easy for your potential customer to find you. If you’re going to use an agency, remember this: Make the agency rich. Don’t begrudge your ‘sales arm’ making money off your sweat. The more money the agency makes, the more business it will send your way.
I’m based in a small town where people are accustomed to what they know as opposed to adapting to something new. I’ve advertised in the newspaper, sent out fliers and have a Facebook page with over 500 likes. So far, the response to my tutoring service business has been slow. How can I improve? — Stephanie
You’ve made a big assumption: That there is demand for paid-for tutoring. Generally speaking, you should sell your product before you start your business. Sell it, then build it. It’s safer.
But maybe you’re on the right track. In addition to paid-for marketing, consider channel partner and referral programmes. Go to your local high school, meet the maths teacher, offer a commission for every student she sends to you for tutoring. The maths teacher becomes a channel partner, allowing you to put up posters at the school, and referring clients.
Even better than channel partners is a referral programme: For every new client referred by a client, give the client a 10% discount, or a month free.
At the end of the day there is no shortcut to getting more customers. Start with one. Make her happy. Let her tell a friend. Tutor the friend. Rinse, repeat. Over time your service reputation will grow and word of mouth will bring customers to your door.
I have an idea to build a mobile platform to connect all informal artisans in SA to potential customers. Uber for artisans. Will you invest? — Neo
Great idea. Some questions: How do you displace the other informal platforms in SA, such as Gumtree? How do you de-risk your business before raising capital? Can you secure funding without selling equity?
Before you give theoretical answers, remember this: The questions are not theoretical. No one should back you unless you have the above solved in reality, not just in theory.
In other words, raising capital is only realistic once the risk is so low you almost don’t need to raise capital.
Listen to this
Alan’s audible book Be a Hero: Make Life an Adventure is now available on amazon.com and Audible.com
Read by Alan himself, Be a Hero is a collection of stories on how to make your life an adventure by changing your mindset and tackling adversity.
Go to amazon.com or audible.com to download your copy. Be a Hero is also available in Kindle and paperback through Amazon.com.
Read ‘Be A Hero’ today
