After ignoring about 3000 “Get Rick Quick” Direct Messages on Twitter, I decided to set the record straight on how to get rich. If you’ve studied any number of successful people you’ll come away amazed at how routine they make it seem. If you didn’t know better, you’d think that they just did the same thing for a long time, and eventually they just ran into wild success. Funny thing is, that’s pretty much how it happens.
Don’t believe me? Here are the steps:
Step One: Solve a Real Problem
Sorry to tell you, but opening your dream restaurant, or launching a boutique themed after your favorite color isn’t a real problem-solving business. Opening a restaurant in an area with only fast food, or opening a store catering to an “often requested but never available in bigger retailers” solves a problem. The factor that you want to think about here is:
Would a customer change their current habits to have this problem solved?
Many businesses only create opportunities. They create chances to do something different, which customers can ignore; but they don’t find that pain that will turn a few straggling customers into a flood of rabid fans.
Step Two: Systemize the Solution
Even using the word ‘system’ screams repetition. Think about this: if someone solved a problem for you, and the exact same problem arose again, wouldn’t you want the same solution? Of course! Systems allow you to give the same result every time. Think McDonald’s hamburgers. Your customers are going to come to you with the same pain specifically because you know how to fix it. As long as your solution is working, then don’t change the formula! Too often entrepreneurs allow themselves to be too creative and work themselves out of a favorable situation with unnecessary risks.
One caveat I would add is that you should create your system so it can deal with a change or evolution in the problem. For example, fashion is notoriously fickle, so your boutique would need to build in systems to stay aware of the current trends, so you’re not left with out-of style merchandise. You can build change in your system so the outcome remains the same when your customers’ problems evolve.
Step 3: Scale Up
What if you could sell 1 pixel of ad space on your site for $1? If you could, then you have found a solution. Getting someone to give you money for your service/product is the hardest part of building a business. Once you do that, all you have to do is scale. In my earlier example, if I wanted to make $1 million dollars, then I would just have to sell one million pixels. In fact, someone did just that, proving that the key if just repeating your successes over and over again until you reach your goal.
The problem is, there is an idea of the entrepreneur as a ridiculously creative person facing thousands of different challenges every day and only succeeding because of their ability to creatively solve the constant barrage of new challenges. To a point, that happens in the beginning, but then you have the same challenges over and over and over again. In fact, success eludes many business owners because they can’t be patient enough and go through the monotony.
So what’s the message? Well, if you’re working a job right now and are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur to escape repetitive tasks, I’ve got bad news for you. If you’re someone who clicks on those, “Get Rich Fast” links, be prepared for the monotony and repetitiveness that will come with the territory. The point is that entrepreneurship is only a roller coaster until you find something that works. When you do, ride it until the wheels fall off. Chances are, you’ll have some extra cash for new tires
Source: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/breaking-news-the-road-to-riches-only-has-3-steps/
智慧，智商
12 years ago
