• HOME
  • LAUNCH
  • BUSINESS
  • LEADERSHIP
  • MONEY
  • SUCCESS
  • NEWS
Tuesday, 2 March 2021
ExpertHub
  • HOME
  • LAUNCH
  • BUSINESS
  • LEADERSHIP
  • MONEY
  • SUCCESS
  • NEWS
    • All
    • Company Posts
    • ExpertHub Today
    ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

    The 7 Strategies of SA’s Strongest B2B Sales Performers for 2021

    ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

    3 Sales Strategies SMEs Can Borrow from SA’s Strongest Performers

    ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

    SA’s Strongest Salesforces Focus on Value, Not Discounting

    ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

    ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

    Devastating Financial Gender Gap Has Grown: Women Are Better Investors, But Retire With 30-40% Less Than Men

    Why SMME’s Need To Think Small

    Devastating Financial Gender Gap Has Grown: Women Are Better Investors, But Retire With 30-40% Less Than Men

    Five Money Management Principles To Start 2021 On The Right Financial Footing

    Trending Tags

    No Result
    View All Result
    • HOME
    • LAUNCH
    • BUSINESS
    • LEADERSHIP
    • MONEY
    • SUCCESS
    • NEWS
      • All
      • Company Posts
      • ExpertHub Today
      ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

      The 7 Strategies of SA’s Strongest B2B Sales Performers for 2021

      ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

      3 Sales Strategies SMEs Can Borrow from SA’s Strongest Performers

      ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

      SA’s Strongest Salesforces Focus on Value, Not Discounting

      ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

      ThinkSales State Of B2b Sales In South Africa 2021 Survey

      Devastating Financial Gender Gap Has Grown: Women Are Better Investors, But Retire With 30-40% Less Than Men

      Why SMME’s Need To Think Small

      Devastating Financial Gender Gap Has Grown: Women Are Better Investors, But Retire With 30-40% Less Than Men

      Five Money Management Principles To Start 2021 On The Right Financial Footing

      Trending Tags

      No Result
      View All Result
      ExpertHub
      No Result
      View All Result
      Home LAUNCH Starting a Business Start-up Advice

      Selling The Dream

      When you’re starting a business, the secret to success is getting everyone — from customers to suppliers — buying into your vision.

      Alan Knott-Craig by Alan Knott-Craig
      Jan 11, 2019
      in Start-up Advice
      0
      starting-a-business
      Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

      RelatedTopics

      How to Start a Small Business in the UK in 2021

      How To Attract Your First Clients With a Business Product People Will Pay For

      The Advantages of (And How To Choose) a Business Partner


      I started a company in 2016 offering road building in residential areas for local municipalities. I realised that there is too much risk involved and I do not have the capital to purchase machinery. The overheads are also too high. I feel more comfortable supplying municipalities with commodities. I have been in sales and have good people skills and sales experience. However, I’m struggling to get a foot in the door. Manufacturers are reluctant to give me a credit advance. As a result, I had to let go of many opportunities. How do I overcome this obstacle? — Martin

      I can only speak from my own experience selling to municipalities. I did it once, successfully. This is how I did it:

      1. I convinced the municipality to roll out public WiFi in low-income communities.
      2. The municipality awarded me a contract.
      3. With that contract in hand I shopped around to find a company that I could sub-contract. That company had to take a risk that the municipality would pay me, and I would in turn pay him. I had to take the risk that the sub-contractor wouldn’t deliver the goods.
      4. I found a sub-contractor.
      5. We deployed the WiFi.
      6. The municipality paid its bills.
      7. There was never a hint of corruption.

      In retrospect I realise I was the beneficiary of a succession of benevolent miracles.

      Miracle No. 1: Meeting a political leader that shared my vision and was competent.

      Miracle No. 2: Getting a legitimate contract out of a municipality.

      Miracle No. 3: Finding a sub-contractor I could trust, and that trusted me.

      Miracle No. 4: Successfully working with the municipality to fulfil the contract.

      Miracle No. 5: Getting paid by the municipality.

      Miracle No. 6: Avoiding corruption.

      If you believe in miracles, keep going. If you’re slightly more risk-averse (or less desperate) than I was, then rather don’t target municipalities to build your business.

      You’ll note that I solved the supplier credit problem by finding a sub-contractor that trusted me. That’s the only way to do it. Not only do you have to sell the dream to the customer, you must sell the dream to the supplier. I recommend reading Shoe Dog, the story of Phil Knight and Nike.

      I want to start a business, but I don’t know how to approach my local bank or investors, probably because I don’t have any experience in the business field. I am currently in a full-time job and holding on to the security of the monthly salary (which I know is wrong) but I have responsibilities. How do I break out? — Lorenzo

      First, the security of a monthly salary is under-rated. Don’t be so quick to wish it away! Of course, a salary is a long-term dead-end. When you’re forced to retire at 65, you’re likely to be staring at 35 years of supporting yourself and your family relying on pension and savings alone. Assuming they don’t retrench you before age 65.

      Be grateful for a salary, but be on the look-out for a way to make a living on your own terms.

      That way you will learn skills that can be used after forced-retirement age, and even more important, you will be able to keep yourself busy rather than spending your old age pottering around the house in boredom and driving your significant other mad.

      Forget about banks and investors. If you want to start a business, you must do it without ‘other people’s money’. Find a problem in your industry, solve that problem, get paid for solving the problem. Repeat.

      Ideally find a like-minded colleague that you trust, pool your efforts and partner to find a way to make a living in your own business. Partnership massively de-risks entrepreneurship.


      3-rules-for-being-an-entrepreneurAlan Knott-Craig’s latest book, 13 Rules for being an Entrepreneur is now available.

      What it’s about

      It’s easy to be an entrepreneur. It’s also easy to fail. What’s hard is being a successful entrepreneur. For an entrepreneur, there is only one important metric of success: Money. But life is not only about making money. It’s about being happy. This book is a collection of tips and wisdom that will help you make money without forgoing happiness.

      Get it now

      To download the free eBook or purchase a hard copy, go to www.13rules.co.za.  To browse Alan’s other books, visit bigalmanack.com/books/

      ShareTweetShare
      Alan Knott-Craig

      Alan Knott-Craig

      Start-up guru. Tech genius. Best-selling author. Alan Knott-Craig is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and the founder of more than 20 companies in the tech space who shares his expert advice and insights with entrepreneurs in the start-up phase. To find out more about his latest book, The 13 Rules for Entrepreneurs, go to bigalmanack.com/13rules/

      Quick Links

      • Business Plan Advice
      • Business Plan Format Guide
      • Business Plan Format
      • Sample Business Plans

      NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

      Sign-up for Weekly ExpertHub Updates

      * indicates required





      EXPERT INSIGHTS

      https://vimeo.com/311685299?loop=0

      Browse by Category

      • Academic & Alumni Networks
      • Accounting & Payroll
      • Accounting & Payroll
      • Advertising
      • Advice
      • Angel Investors
      • Are You Suited to Entrepreneurship
      • Are You Suited to Franchising
      • Arts & Crafts
      • Attracting Investors
      • Auto & Transportation
      • Automotive, Travel & Transportation
      • Bank Finance
      • Banks
      • BEE
      • Bootstrap Financing
      • Branding
      • Budgeting
      • BUSINESS
      • Business Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
      • Business Ideas
      • Business Ideas Directory
      • Business Landscape
      • Business Leadership
      • Business Leadership Q&As
      • Business Model
      • Business Plan Advice
      • Business Plan Format
      • Business Plan Research & Preparation
      • Business Plan Template
      • Business Plans Q&As
      • Business Services
      • Business Survival
      • Case Studies
      • Cash Flow
      • Celebrity Businesses
      • Change Management
      • Checklists
      • Children
      • Children & Education
      • Company Posts
      • Compete to Win
      • Compliance
      • Computers & Internet
      • Construction & Engineering
      • Consulting
      • Cool Offices
      • Direct & Email Marketing
      • Doing Business in Africa
      • Doing Business in SA
      • Doing Business in SA Q&As
      • Doing Good
      • Eastern Cape
      • Education & Instruction
      • Entertainment & Events
      • Entrepreneur Competitions/Awards
      • Entrepreneur Daily
      • Entrepreneur Profiles
      • Expansion Finance
      • ExpertHub Today
      • Financial Management
      • Financial Management Q&As
      • Financial Reporting
      • Food and Farming
      • Franchise & Biz Ops Spotlight
      • Franchise Finance
      • Franchise Listings
      • Franchise News
      • Franchise Your Business
      • Franchisee Advice
      • Franchising
      • Franchisors
      • Free Mentorship Services
      • Free State
      • Funding
      • Funding Q&As
      • Funky Marketing
      • Gauteng
      • General Business Networks
      • Get Organised
      • Government Funding
      • Government Funding
      • Government Grants
      • Growing a Business
      • Growing a Business Q&As
      • Health and Beauty
      • Hip Retail Spaces
      • Hiring & Managing Staff Q&As
      • Hiring Employees
      • Home Products & Services
      • Hotels & Hospitality
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • How to Guides
      • Import Export
      • Import Export Q&As
      • Import/Export
      • Increase Profitability
      • Increasing Productivity
      • Innovation
      • Intellectual Property
      • International
      • Investing
      • KwaZulu Natal
      • Labour Complexity
      • Labour Law
      • LAUNCH
      • LEADERSHIP
      • Leading
      • Legal Assistance
      • Legal Contracts
      • Lessons Learnt
      • Limpopo
      • Long Term Courses
      • Managing Staff
      • Manufacturing
      • Manufacturing
      • Marketing
      • Marketing Q&As
      • Marketing Tactics
      • Medical & Health Care
      • MONEY
      • Mpumalanga
      • National
      • Networking
      • Non-Profit Organisations
      • Northern Cape
      • Ongoing Learning
      • Ongoing Learning
      • Online Business Plans
      • Online Businesses
      • Online Marketing
      • Online Mentorship Services
      • Online Networks
      • Partnerships
      • Performance & Growth
      • Performance Monitoring
      • Personal Finance
      • Personal Improvement
      • Personal Improvement
      • Personal Improvement Q&As
      • Personal Services
      • Personal Wealth Q&As
      • Pets & Animal Services
      • Podcasts
      • PR & Publicity
      • Presenting
      • Private Equity
      • Professional Mentorship Services
      • Professional Services
      • Property Investment
      • Publishing and Media
      • Ready to Launch
      • Real Estate
      • Real Estate
      • Recreation
      • Referrals
      • Researching a Franchise
      • Restaurants & Bars
      • Retail
      • Retail Business
      • Risk Management
      • Sales
      • Sales Confidence
      • Sales Prospecting
      • Sales Q&As
      • Sales Strategy & Management
      • Sample Business Plans
      • Sample Business Plans
      • Santam for Business
      • Sector Focus
      • Self Development
      • Services Businesses
      • Setting & Achieving Goals
      • Setting Up Systems
      • Short Term Courses
      • Small Business
      • SME Incubators
      • Snapshots
      • Special Interest Business Networks
      • Sports, Outdoors & Fitness
      • Staff
      • Start Up Tools & Infrastructure
      • Start-up Advice
      • Start-up Guide
      • Start-up Industry Specific Q&As
      • Starting a Business
      • Starting a Business Q&As
      • Starting an Export Business
      • Starting an Import Business
      • Strategy
      • SUCCESS
      • Success Stories
      • Support for Women Entrepreneurs
      • Tax
      • Techniques
      • Technology
      • Technology
      • Tools
      • Types of Businesses to Start
      • Uncategorized
      • Upstarts
      • Venture Capital
      • Western Cape
      • Women Entrepreneur Competitions
      • Women Entrepreneur Successes
      • Women Entrepreneurs
      • Women's Business Networks
      • Women's Funds
      • Work Life Balance
      • Worksheets
      • About Us
      • Write for Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Sitemap
      • Contact Us

      Copyright © 2021 ExpertHub.info

      No Result
      View All Result
      • HOME
      • LAUNCH
      • BUSINESS
      • LEADERSHIP
      • MONEY
      • SUCCESS
      • NEWS

      Copyright © 2021 ExpertHub.info

      Login to your account below

      Forgotten Password?

      Fill the forms bellow to register

      All fields are required. Log In

      Retrieve your password

      Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

      Log In