Word of Advice - Don't Over-Complicate How to Make Money (Money Making Plan Inside)
Today, as I was driving along up the dual carriageway I was thinking about life, all these people hurtling along in their cars and vans, lorries and trucks. And do you know what most of them were probably doing?
Many of them were driving hither and thither in an effort to help other people. Providing services to benefit their fellow wo/man.
Look, there's a lass in a sporty little number zipping along overtaking me, she's a mobile hairdresser according to the signage on the side and back of her car. She helps women mostly feel good about themselves by helping them to look their best. A very simple business which provides a great benefit to others. And by doing her job well, she gets paid and makes a profit.
And there look!... There's a guy driving along in his pickup, he's obviously a builder. He helps other people with their home renovations. And in doing so, he helps families to enjoy living in their homes to the max'. A great benefit to other people.
Cast my eye to the opposite carriageway, a lorry drives past. Delivering parcels. Perhaps Christmas presents for loved ones are on board? Another very simple business with a huge end benefit. In effect... helping other people.
Many of you 'newbies'... I know you get very overwhelmed with all of the information available on this forum and elsewhere but just remember this...
Your business is typically a service designed to help other people with their problems. Everywhere you look - people have problems. And these problems represent opportunity.
For if you can provide the perfect solution to anyone's problems and you do it well, chances are, you can make a profit.
Being in business is all about improving the lives of other people. Everyone chipping in to make other people's lives easier or better. It really is that simple.
There's no need to over complicate making money. Just look around you either online or offline...
What are other people doing around you?
What are they talking about?
There are literally thousands upon thousands of profitable niches for you to choose from. Some better than others undoubtedly. But everyone in business is simply providing a solution to someone else's problem.
You're in business to help other people. When you've chosen your niche or area of specialization - check out your competition.
What are they doing which you could do better by a factor of a 10% improvement?
Now, how do you reach your ideal target market / target audience?
Who are your competitors main customers?
Can you devise a simple plan to reach your competitors customers and convey to them the benefits of doing business with you rather than giving their custom to your competition?
It doesn't matter what the service is, everything can always be improved upon. You might be able to achieve better results at a cheaper price, within a faster turnaround time or you might have a bonus which your potential market finds irresistible.
Just keep it simple.
Don't over-complicate how to make money.
Don't make everything more difficult than it has to be.
If you're business plan, your end goal is very large, break your strategy and tactics down into easily achievable bite-sized pieces each building on the last building block to ultimately fulfill your overall objective.
Keep the overall big vision in focus but realize that in order to bring your plan to light, you need to focus in like a laser on what needs to be done in the here and now today. Tomorrow you can add more pieces to the structure of your plan. And the next day the same. Rome was not built overnight.
A builder building a new house looks at the architects drawings and s/he follows a clear plan to get the house built. S/he doesn't go off on tangents. S/he stays focused. And s/he carries out one step at a time so that eventually everything comes together perfectly and voila! There you have it. The finished product. A home ready to move into and enjoy.
So ask yourself... what is your specialization?
What is your ideal area of expertise?
Within which sector of business would you like to become the next authority figure, the go to expert to deliver the perfect solution to your target market?
What areas of life do you have good experience in solving problems?
What ultimately do you enjoy doing the most?
For example, let's say you enjoy teaching others how to paint with watercolors...
This is a massive market. If you live in any reasonable size town or city, right on your doorstep there's bound to be lots of people wanting to learn more about this.
Now, you might be thinking the best thing to do is to set up a website and then possibly monetize it. But how about this, (just keep it simple)...
Design an eye catching postcard with a fantastic benefit jumping off the 'page'. Distribute it wherever you think other people interested in learning how to watercolor might see it. And offer a weekly artists workshop either at your home or in a hired venue such as your local community hall.
Invite 16 'pupils' to learn from you each week in quiet, comfortable inspiring surroundings and charge each attendee $25 for each session. 10 sessions in total. Total cost normally $225. Get them to pay upfront for a $50 discount. If half of your 'pupils' go for this offer they'll each pay $175 each.
8 x $175 = $1,400 and 8 pay $25 for each individual lesson = $200 x 10 weeks = $2,000 add the two together and you could earn $3,400 for 10 art sessions lasting just 2 hours each.
Or in other words $3,400 for 20 hours of actual enjoyable 'work'.
Just keep it simple. You're in business to improve in some way the lives of other people.
Now go find your niche...
Best,
Mark Andrews
PS If you haven't done so already, please check out this thread where I've offered to row for 10 miles to help raise funds for Ken Strong and the cancer charities he wants to support - more offers of sponsorship are very, VERY welcome...
10 Mile Row in Aid of Ken Strong - Sponsorship Wanted
Many of them were driving hither and thither in an effort to help other people. Providing services to benefit their fellow wo/man.
Look, there's a lass in a sporty little number zipping along overtaking me, she's a mobile hairdresser according to the signage on the side and back of her car. She helps women mostly feel good about themselves by helping them to look their best. A very simple business which provides a great benefit to others. And by doing her job well, she gets paid and makes a profit.
And there look!... There's a guy driving along in his pickup, he's obviously a builder. He helps other people with their home renovations. And in doing so, he helps families to enjoy living in their homes to the max'. A great benefit to other people.
Cast my eye to the opposite carriageway, a lorry drives past. Delivering parcels. Perhaps Christmas presents for loved ones are on board? Another very simple business with a huge end benefit. In effect... helping other people.
Many of you 'newbies'... I know you get very overwhelmed with all of the information available on this forum and elsewhere but just remember this...
Your business is typically a service designed to help other people with their problems. Everywhere you look - people have problems. And these problems represent opportunity.
For if you can provide the perfect solution to anyone's problems and you do it well, chances are, you can make a profit.
Being in business is all about improving the lives of other people. Everyone chipping in to make other people's lives easier or better. It really is that simple.
There's no need to over complicate making money. Just look around you either online or offline...
What are other people doing around you?
What are they talking about?
There are literally thousands upon thousands of profitable niches for you to choose from. Some better than others undoubtedly. But everyone in business is simply providing a solution to someone else's problem.
You're in business to help other people. When you've chosen your niche or area of specialization - check out your competition.
What are they doing which you could do better by a factor of a 10% improvement?
Now, how do you reach your ideal target market / target audience?
Who are your competitors main customers?
Can you devise a simple plan to reach your competitors customers and convey to them the benefits of doing business with you rather than giving their custom to your competition?
It doesn't matter what the service is, everything can always be improved upon. You might be able to achieve better results at a cheaper price, within a faster turnaround time or you might have a bonus which your potential market finds irresistible.
Just keep it simple.
Don't over-complicate how to make money.
Don't make everything more difficult than it has to be.
If you're business plan, your end goal is very large, break your strategy and tactics down into easily achievable bite-sized pieces each building on the last building block to ultimately fulfill your overall objective.
Keep the overall big vision in focus but realize that in order to bring your plan to light, you need to focus in like a laser on what needs to be done in the here and now today. Tomorrow you can add more pieces to the structure of your plan. And the next day the same. Rome was not built overnight.
A builder building a new house looks at the architects drawings and s/he follows a clear plan to get the house built. S/he doesn't go off on tangents. S/he stays focused. And s/he carries out one step at a time so that eventually everything comes together perfectly and voila! There you have it. The finished product. A home ready to move into and enjoy.
So ask yourself... what is your specialization?
What is your ideal area of expertise?
Within which sector of business would you like to become the next authority figure, the go to expert to deliver the perfect solution to your target market?
What areas of life do you have good experience in solving problems?
What ultimately do you enjoy doing the most?
For example, let's say you enjoy teaching others how to paint with watercolors...
This is a massive market. If you live in any reasonable size town or city, right on your doorstep there's bound to be lots of people wanting to learn more about this.
Now, you might be thinking the best thing to do is to set up a website and then possibly monetize it. But how about this, (just keep it simple)...
Design an eye catching postcard with a fantastic benefit jumping off the 'page'. Distribute it wherever you think other people interested in learning how to watercolor might see it. And offer a weekly artists workshop either at your home or in a hired venue such as your local community hall.
Invite 16 'pupils' to learn from you each week in quiet, comfortable inspiring surroundings and charge each attendee $25 for each session. 10 sessions in total. Total cost normally $225. Get them to pay upfront for a $50 discount. If half of your 'pupils' go for this offer they'll each pay $175 each.
8 x $175 = $1,400 and 8 pay $25 for each individual lesson = $200 x 10 weeks = $2,000 add the two together and you could earn $3,400 for 10 art sessions lasting just 2 hours each.
Or in other words $3,400 for 20 hours of actual enjoyable 'work'.
Just keep it simple. You're in business to improve in some way the lives of other people.
Now go find your niche...
Best,
Mark Andrews
PS If you haven't done so already, please check out this thread where I've offered to row for 10 miles to help raise funds for Ken Strong and the cancer charities he wants to support - more offers of sponsorship are very, VERY welcome...
10 Mile Row in Aid of Ken Strong - Sponsorship Wanted