Want a Business But Not Into Entrepreneurship?
I had a question a while back.
Someone was really good at what they do – think a particular soft-social skill thing.
That’s a good start.
But they weren’t good at the business side of the equation.
They loved creating content and putting videos, blog posts and the like out into the world. They also loved studying their work, and if they could, they’d concentrate all of their resources into the pursuit of their knowledge.
But ultimately you can’t make a living pursuing selfish interests without regard for the sales and business stuff.
So what do we encourage our reader to do?
Let’s find out.
Firstly, Get Your Head Straight
A lot of people don’t want to be a businessperson because they’re afraid of selling.
I’ve written about this a ton of times:
- Sales Isn’t A Natural Skill
- 3 Mental Exercises To Kill Fear-Based Procrastination
- Insecurity, Inaction And Copywriting
Essentially though, think of it this way: You are solving a problem with your business offering.
It is rude and a bad thing for you not to share a solution to a person’s problems.
Forget copywriting, forget selling, forget expensive marketing courses.
If someone has a problem and you can solve it, it’s the right and moral thing for you to do to solve that problem. If you charge for this solution then that’s fine – after all, you have a limited time on this planet and you have to eat too.
Solve Problems
It’s all very well putting new knowledge out into the ether. But if you want to make a living doing your chosen (or God-given) vocation, then you need to make money.
You do this simply by finding a problem and solving it. If you constantly research new things, experiment and improve yourself, then it stands to reason that you will already have these solutions.
If other people can benefit from what you are learning, package it up and teach them.
When other people enjoy something you create, then sell it to them.
Business Stuff
Aside from selling, you need a few skills when it comes to creating something commercially:
- Deadline setting
- Customer service
- Basic logistic sense
- Basic financial awareness
- The ability to work hard and long hours
Really, that’s all there is to it. Especially in the beginning stages. I wrote more about this the other day, and most of the topics are included in the archive somewhere or other.
Don’t Get A Partner
The second part of the question was basically, “Should I get a partner to deal with the business stuff?”
My answer is – with very few exceptions – absolutely not.
Here’s the thing with most business partnerships: They are doomed to fail.
It’s very rare that you’ll get two people who have personalities that match. It’s even rarer that those personalities match and the skillsets match and the desired outcomes match.
Besides, if you have no business skills, you have no idea what you’re bringing to the table and what the other person is bringing to the table.
Often, with business “beginner” partnerships, it’ll end up being one person who does the work while the other, “concentrates on building the brand,” or in other words, does not a lot and waits for you to do the actual work.
Without going deep into possible hypothetical relationships, here’s my major problem with partnerships where one person does the “stuff” and the other does the “business.”
A person who is truly good at “business stuff” can follow their own opportunities. They don’t need a partner and would in most cases rather not have one. If they wanted your skillset, then they could hire someone with your skillset.
A person who is good at a skill has a unique outlook on the niche they’re in. They’ll probably understand the customers’ needs better, and understand in depth things which a business person won’t appreciate.
For instance, let’s say you’re a luthier and you make guitars.
A businessperson with no interest in guitars will think, “We could cut costs by using cheaper wood” and you’d know that the cheaper wood ruins the acoustics of the instrument.
Try explaining that.
And sure, you could explain that, but why would you? Build the damned guitar and sell it yourself.
If you know nothing about business, you need to learn. Once you’ve learned, there’s no need to bring another party in.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing in this article that hasn’t already been said. Essentially though, there are three elements:
- Stop being afraid of being a business
- Build something that solves people’s problems
- Take care of the ancillary business skills
If you do that, then you’ll do well and you’ll learn more as you need to.
So far as getting a partner – don’t do it. Do the above instead.