How to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices
The Podcast Discoveries Series
by Case Lane
In just a few short years, podcasting has arisen as the one online activity everyone must do. Not only comedians, newscasters and historians, but also corporate executives, specialized professionals, and the kid next door.
Unlike blogging which required at a minimum the ability to write, podcasting is the audio medium, a stage that permits and embraces the same chatter, banter and jokes that take place between ordinary people on average days.
In fact, the gentle nature of conversation has become the hallmark of podcasting. The platform’s success lies in its intimate connection with the listener’s ears, and its soothing waves playing in the background of walks, workouts, and commutes everywhere.
For those who wish to use podcast appearances to bolster their careers, products, services, businesses and authority, the opportunity comes with a challenge.
With an estimated one million podcasts available for download all over the world…
How do you find a podcast where you can present yourself as someone who is valuable and useful to interview?
And once you do convince someone to talk to you…
How do you leverage your appearance to grow the community or audience you are hoping to reach?
Behind the Mic: The Inadvertent Research Project
From May until August 2020, I researched over one thousand podcasts in search of relevant shows that may be interested in having me on as a guest.
I was startled to learn that what we think we may know about the podcast industry may not be true.
What we think is competition may not exist. And what we think is opportunity, may be stunningly more real than we could ever have imagined.
In this blog series, I am going to let you know what I learned from my inadvertent deep research quest into what’s really going on in the podcast industry.
Building from my How to Become a Podcast Guest post, this post provides more detailed information for potential podcast guests. Including after obtaining the interview, what should do between the confirmation of your appearance, and the day your show goes live?
The Background
If you have not read the How to Become a Guest post in this series, start there for details about my journey to be interviewed on 50 podcasts as part of a virtual promotional tour for my new book Recast. What I did not know then is I would have to research more than 1,000 podcasts, to find the 50 who have now said ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ so far.
On purpose, I only approached podcasters, I had never heard of before. The podcasters I have heard of are some of the biggest names in the business. I immediately put them on my dream list to be approached some day in the future.
Instead, I wanted to meet and work with the vast majority of podcasters, those with shows ranked from #101 to #1,000,000 on the listener charts, in all the categories that might be applicable to my message.
I researched 1,117 podcasts
About two-thirds were not relevant to my topic.
The remaining were sent a request for an interview.
Of those who were sent a request, 25% replied – that’s double the rate quoted in most how-to articles.
Of those who replied:
About half said ‘Yes,’ and those interviews have taken place or have been scheduled. Another third said ‘Maybe’ and the balance said ‘No.’
Based on my learnings from the above, here is how to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices.
- Follow-up Immediately on Communications
- Manage Requests for Payments, Reviews and other Contentious Issues on Your Terms
- Check Technical Requirements
- Read Pre-Interview Documents and E-mail Instructions
- Know Your Subject
- Be Clear About Uncomfortable Topics
- Get Names Right
- Speak to Their Audience
- Confirm Promotional Expectations
- Embrace the New Relationships
Follow-up Immediately on Communications
Once you have a host’s attention, and receive an offer to appear on a show, make sure you follow-up with a confirmation, and any questions, comments, interview date or other requests, as soon as possible.
If the response is a ‘maybe,’ follow-up with the criteria that could make it a yes – ie, I’ll reach out again in 6 months to see if your calendar has freed up.
If it’s an outright ‘no,’ send a thank you for replying.
If it’s no response, there’s no need to send a follow-up unless you desperately want to interview with that host. Many podcasters know exactly what they want and who they’re looking for, and have no time to respond to every request.
Manage Requests for Payments, Reviews or other contentious practices on Your Terms
Some podcasters are asking for payment, review requests (often 5-star), listens or subscribers before they commit to an interview, or even before they consider an interview.
In my research, payment requests ranged from a $15 ‘application fee,’ to over $500 ‘premium’ service. Some stated the fees were to help them defray costs, others said it was to limit the number of requests they received.
This was not common practice, less than 2% of all requests required potential guests to make a financial or review commitment.
But potential guests should be prepared for these requests, and create your own guidelines for how to handle them.
In all cases it is up to you, the potential guest, to decide if you wish to participate.
Presumably, each host has decided the request practices are valuable to their brand, reputation, or viability. They are free to manage their podcast as they see fit, and potential guests are free to accept or reject the request.
Given that there are tens of thousands of podcast interview opportunities for guests to choose from, a potential guest should not feel compelled to engage in any practice that they do not support, or that makes them feel uncomfortable.
The best part of the online entrepreneurship world is the diversity of action, opinion, behavior, and circumstance that allows participants to choose the types of niches, communities or tribes to which they wish to belong.
This wide-open field is loaded with opportunity. There is no point contemplating a practice you do not support. Once you feel any hesitation about whether or not to contribute, move on to the next podcast on your list.
You can always go back if you feel you have not received enough interview opportunities or audience exposure, or if you really want to engage with a specific podcaster.
Check Technical Requirements
While Zoom Video has become the default provider of face-to-face global communications, it is possible for hosts to be using a different app. You should be able to confirm the technical requirements at the time of interview confirmation.
If you think you will have an issue, communicate your concern to your host as soon as possible, or at least one week before the interview so that there are no delays on the interview day.
Read any Pre-Interview Documents and E-Mail instructions the Host Sends You
Some hosts prepare an overview of the episode, or notes about the topics they want to cover. Make sure you read this document, and ask any clarifying questions prior to the interview.
If you are concerned about the structures, topics or intentions of the interview, send an email to clear the air. Or suggest a brief preliminary conversation, prior to the interview, to cover any questions.
Know Your Subject
If you sent a pitch e-mail with suggested interview topics, make sure you are able to respond to any of those suggestions. The value in your recorded conversation is in the talking. You must have something to say.
If you are promoting a book, product or service, consider making a related offer to the listeners. But make sure you ask the host’s permission first. Do not try and promote a product in the middle of the interview. The product should be relevant to your topic of discussion, and valuable to the listeners.
Be Clear About Uncomfortable Topics
If you do not wish to discuss a particular subject make sure you tell your host. At a minimum, your public information on your social media and website is open for any type of follow-up question. Assume your host will ask you about anything you have already placed in the public domain.
If the interview veers towards a topic you are not prepared to speak about, you can either side-step the question or say you do not want to discuss it. Most shows are not live, or if they are, there is a separate podcast version that can be edited later. However, do not assume this will be done. If you have concerns, discuss the issue with your host first.
Get Names Right
If you are planning to say your host’s name, make sure you are pronouncing it correctly. Clarify name pronunciations in the pre-interview, or at the beginning of the interview before you start recording.
Sometimes in the excitement of preparing for a show, you may stumble over names so it’s best to double-check that you know the correct pronunciation of both the host and show name.
Speak to their Audience
If you read the How to Become a Podcast Guest Interview in this series, you will have done your homework around the host’s podcast category, description, episode description, and episode content.
You should have an idea about how they speak to the audience of the show. Podcasters with a vibrant community may refer to their listeners by a nickname, like John Lee Dumas’ Fire Nation. If you pick up on that reference, the host will likely note your attention to detail.
Confirm Promotional Expectations
A host should not have to ask you to promote the episode you are on, but surprisingly, podcast hosts are frustrated by the lack of promotion done by podcast guests.
For hosts, the minimum requirement is to advise the guest when the show is available, and include their preferred episode link for posts.
If the host does not provide a preferred link, select your own option, like Apple Podcasts, or your preferred platform.
When the show is available, promote to your social media and e-mail lists. The number and frequency of these posts is up to you. Research or ask for the host or show’s social media handles so you can tag them when you post on your feeds.
Some hosts will provide you with episode graphics. If they do not, you can create your own. You can create a template for free using Canva, and change the podcast image and the text with each guest appearance. Copy and paste the host’s podcast art image from a directory, and give the episode number and/or title in your post.
Once you have a template, creating the graphic takes less than 5 minutes, and provides a good alternative to only posting a link.
If the host provides you with a graphic make sure you use that one.
You can also create a page on your website with graphics linking to the shows you have appeared on.
Embrace the New Relationships
The best part of this virtual podcasting tour has been meeting so many great podcasters who are doing awesome shows about a subject I champion.
As you reach out to others in your category about their shows, and your ability to provide value for their audience, you may find yourself making new friends and colleagues who become part of your community for years to come.
The opportunity to speak on their show would be the beginning of your collaboration.
Conclusion
The value of a conversation on a subject specific broadcast is timeless.
Online entrepreneurship has changed the game for so many who thought they might never be able to have a business, and the open fields for communication and information-exchange have only made the opportunity more exciting.
If you have knowledge to share with an audience, participating in the field of podcast interviews is a valuable and important contribution.
When you have the opportunity to work with a host, do your part, help grow the industry, improve everyone’s processes, and change the world.
More Information
The best part about researching 1,117 podcasts was being accepted as a guest on so many awesome shows! You can find links to all of those fabulous podcasts here.
The second best part was my new found insight into the podcast industry.
This research was so eye-opening that this post is one of five about what I learned about the podcast industry from researching 1,117 podcasts.
Here are the links to all of the posts in the Podcast Discoveries Series:
Introduction to the Podcast Discoveries Series
How to Become A Guest on a Podcast
How to be a Welcoming Podcast Interview Host: The Best and Worst Practices
How to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices
Maximize Your Podcast Listening: Use Interviews to learn from Virtual Mentors
Additional Resources
Research Checklist: Podcast Guests: If you would like a free checklist for how to research and find the right podcast for you. Click here to download.
Podcast Directories: If you would like to get your own copy of the podcast directory listing and instructions based on my research click here (coming soon)
Podcast Guest Interview Blueprint Package (the ultimate course for podcast guests): Podcast Guests: If you would like the comprehensive guide to finding and contacting podcasts that are right for you, including as bonuses the Interview Checklist and the Directories List. Click here for this special offer.
Podcast Discoveries Book: Readers: If you would like the entire story of this epic research journey to discover and contact podcasts for guest interviews. Click here to download at Amazon.com. NOTE: the book is also available at Apple Bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other popular sites where ebooks are sold.
Research Report: To purchase, the entire research report click here (coming soon)
Podcast Discoveries on the Ready Entrepreneur Podcast: This information will be explained in upcoming episodes of The Ready Entrepreneur Podcast. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts to stay up to date.
Podcast Discoveries on YouTube: To watch videos explaining the Podcast Discoveries process for finding your new favorite podcasts, click here (coming soon)
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com and related companies are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
The Creative Actions for Starting an Online Business
by Case Lane
This is Part Two of Two posts about my new book Recast: The Aspiring Entrepreneur’s Practical Guide to Getting Started with an Online Business.
The book is ten practical actions for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start a business online, live with purpose and achieve their dreams
In this second post, I’m covering the Creative Actions, where aspiring entrepreneurs must understand the options for moving forward with a business idea
Part Two: Recast
When you Recast Yourself as an Entrepreneur, you are deciding to change the way you think, work and act so that you can bring forward – usually from scratch – the vision of a product or service that provides a solution for people who want or need it from you.
You are doing something exciting and terrifying.
You are aimed against the tide, and this whole societal idea of what you should and should not be doing.
Maybe it’s a little crazy?
And maybe it’s the entire idea of progress.
But how exactly do you do it?
Recast for Success
The role of Marty McFly in the fabulous Back to the Future movies was originally played by Eric Stoltz. They had already started filming when the production decided Stoltz was not right for the part. They wanted Michael J. Fox, who at the time was the star of a hit comedy series called Family Ties.
Now this is Hollywood, and Hollywood does not exactly share talent. The problem is like having a professional athlete who wants to play two sports. Like Bo Jackson, who played professional baseball and football at the same time. Both teams are freaked out that the athlete will be injured in the other sport – and then deny the other team their star. This might explain why you rarely get the two-sport professional anymore.
When Back to the Future was recast, the production had a problem. How do you get Michael J Fox in two places at once? Legend says they worked out a deal where a car service, and an assistant took him back and forth between the Back to the Future set and the Family Ties set, and made sure he was where he was supposed to be.
Both sets had to work out a schedule, plan their shooting for when he was available, and the transport had to get him back and forth as required.
Presumably, Michael J Fox could catch up on his sleep in the car.
Both Back to the Future and Family Ties were iconic mega hits, so history can assume everybody was happy.
But the opportunity for came from working through the logistical and schedule details.
The Creative Actions
For an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to get started with an online business, which requires navigating between an old life, and a new dream, you have to focus on the Creative Actions that bring the dream to fruition.
The five creative actions you need to move forward, follow the five foundational actions discussed in a previous post. As in the book Recast which covers all ten actions together, the count for the creative actions begins at…
6. Identify your Idea
7. Research
8. Connect
9. Create an Action Plan
10. Do Activity #1
6. Identify Your Business Idea
Your business idea is the core value you want to deliver as an entrepreneur. What is the product or service you believe is wanted or needed by people in your soon-to-be-defined community in the world?
Identify your interests and skills, your passions within those interests and skills, and extract your business idea from that information.
Even if you are not sure about the idea, pick one so you can move forward. You can always change it later as thousands of entrepreneurs have done before you.
7. Research
Once you have your idea, you begin researching. This research is specifically about how to get started and set-up a business around your idea. For example, if you want an online store, you begin investigating how to set-up an online store.
Your research can include taking an online course, reading books, listening to podcasts, watching videos – taking notes. Whatever is the best way you like to approach learning.
Take notes about key points so you go alone. For example, if someone outlines a step-by-step, take notes include where there are gaps in your understanding. Your next research will be to fill in the gaps.
Put together a picture of the work you have to do next.
8. Connect
Part of your research is also action #8 – connecting. You want to talk to people who have done what you want to do. If you cannot find like-minded people – you can continue to research specific people by listening to their podcasts, or watching videos and reading their books.
If you can talk to specific people, use the information you gathered in your initial research phase to ask questions that continue to fill in the blanks.
Ask what the gurus leave out! That’s the most valuable question: What are people not saying about a particular product, service or industry?
9. Create Your Business Action Plan
As you are gathering research, you are creating an action plan. Make a blueprint for the activities you need to do to start your business.
Your blueprint can include activities such as buying your domain name or options for product manufacturing. Each activity will likely have additional activities attached to it. As you create your action plan, account for any area where there are still questions.
In your Action Plan, include how long an activity is estimated to take, who is needed to do it, and how much it could cost.
With any cost that looks prohibitive, identify alternatives, or create another action to identify the money.
Keep going through this process until you’ve given yourself a complete overview of all activities you would need to do to get your business up and running.
But do not keep adding ideas and activities forever.
The key to the entire process is to take Action. You create a plan only as far as you need to begin creating your business.
10. Complete the First Activity in Your Action Plan
Your final get started action is to complete activity in your action Plan. Finishing the activity will lead you to the next one. Completing your first action gives you momentum – and feedback. You can begin to see results and get more ideas.
Your Action Plan is a living document. One that adapts and changes as you take action. You keep it going with each new move you make.
Summary: Your Creative Actions
When you Recast as an Entrepreneur, you are setting yourself up for a life of – professional satisfaction, financial security and lifestyle freedom – on your terms.
But you have to be prepared to be an entrepreneur.
And you have to get started.
Your Creative Actions for Your Entrepreneurial Dream are to:
- Identify your Business Idea
- Research
- Connect
- Create your Action Plan
- Complete your First Activity
Every action you take towards building your business gives you the confidence and momentum to keep going forward. And if you keep going forward, you avoid falling away to the fears and obstacles that stop many aspiring entrepreneurs from achieving their lifestyle dream.
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links which earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE RECAST PATH?
CLICK TO GO TO THE GETTING STARTED FACTOR YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND NEXT:
ENJOY LIVE CLASSES?
Case Lane is delivering a FREE WEBINAR: How to Start an Online Business With An Idea You Champion!
Thursday 10 am PST via Zoom
WANT TO READ THE BOOK?
You can Download Recast at Amazon.com
Get all the details about how to Recast your life, and become an online entrepreneur in this exciting new book!
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links, which earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you
The Foundational Actions for Starting An Online Business
by Case Lane
This is Part One of Two posts about my new book Recast: The Aspiring Entrepreneur’s Practical Guide for Getting Started With an Online Business. The book is ten practical actions for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start a business online, live with purpose, and achieve their dreams
In this first post, I’m covering the Foundational Actions, that are often overlooked by aspiring entrepreneurs who just jump right in to the online business arena.
Part One: Recast
When you make a decision to stop doing everything you were supposed to do – college, work, mortgage in the suburbs – and start doing everything you have always wanted to do – you throw off years, maybe decades of indoctrination and start again – as someone else.
An extraordinary moment for an extraordinary person?
Or just the right-of-passage for every entrepreneur?
Historically, most people were dependent on their tribe or community, and could not just walk away. Now you can be individually free, and that’s both liberating and terrifying.
In a steel mill, to recast means melting the steel down and reshaping it into a new form.
In Hollywood and on Broadway, recasting means replacing the original performer with some new.
What does it mean to Recast Yourself as an entrepreneur?
The Consequences of Recasting
In the DVD extras for the movie The French Connection, director William Friedkin talks about the actor who played the movie’s memorable villain. Friedkin had told someone to go to Europe and get the actor he wanted to play a rich French drug dealer named Alain Charnier.
When the actor showed up on set, Friedkin took one look at him and said something like: ‘you’re not the guy I wanted.’
The actor said something like: ‘I didn’t think so. And I’m Spanish not French.’
That bit of mistaken recasting created one of the most memorable roles in one of the greatest movies ever made. Spanish actor Fernando Rey would play Charnier in both the original movie, which won five Oscars including Best Picture, and in the sequel The French Connection II.
Recasting is a Hollywood, and Broadway, reality that is loaded with disasters and successes. But at it’s core, recasting means giving the part to a different actor. On the screen, a new person comes in, and makes the role their own.
When I set out to write a book about getting started as an entrepreneur, I wanted to capture the essence of how you should adapt to your new role – and I called the book Recast.
When you decide to become an entrepreneur, you are recasting the role of your life, from playing perhaps an obedient adherent to the status quo, to someone who lives the life you have designed for meaning and purpose.
And you come out on the other side thinking of yourself differently.
Start Your Recast With Yourself
Start your recast as an entrepreneur in a completely different place than most people…start with you.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs remain ‘aspiring’ because you are trying to jump right in to starting a business without any preparation. Then when you get derailed by relevant details, you stay derailed and do not get back on track.
The Five Foundational Actions
When Recasting, begin with the foundational actions you need to take to BEFORE you launch into your business details. Your five foundational actions are followed by five creative actions.
The five foundational actions are to:
1. Take a deep breath
2. Establish your workspace
3. Gather your tools
4. Remove distractions
5. Set your schedule
1. Take a Deep Breath
Taking a deep breath is shorthand for saying make sure you are mentally, and physically prepared to dedicate your time and effort to your business.
Entrepreneurship is a marathon of endless sprints. You have to be prepared to constantly adapt and change to circumstances, to shift when something is not working, and to double-down when it is.
You want to be able to move forward with confidence and security, and the only way you can do that is to make yourself prepared for the long-haul. So once you have convinced yourself that is what you’re going to do, you need a good place to work.
2. Establish Your Workspace
If you do not already know for sure where you’re going to work, take a moment to walk around the house or neighborhood, and identify your spot. This may sound mundane until you realize that you’ll want your own corner for maybe hours at a time to do business related activities.
Don’t skip this action, and then come back a day later and say you did not do any work because you could not find a good quiet spot to focus.
Take a whole day if needed. Identify several locations that you want to test, but select one to start that’s realistic and suitable for your work.
3. Gather Your Tools
After picking the place to work, avoid sitting down, and getting up five minutes later because you forgot coffee or a pen or the lighting does not work.
Make sure you have around you all the tools you like to use when you’re working.
When you go to work in a corporate job, on the first day HR takes you around and shows you your desk, the break room, the supply room, and so on. Do the same for yourself.
Identify your coffee or water. Get the supplies you like. Even if you’re 100% digital, make sure the electrical outlet is accessible. And you’re not in a wi-fi deadzone.
Although, these actions may sound trivial, these are exactly the setbacks that provide obstacles…and excuses for aspiring entrepreneurs who end up delaying their business…sometimes for years.
4. Remove Distractions
When establishing your workspace, be aware of potential distractions. If you are sharing space, make sure you can work without being interrupted. And interruptions do not only come from your household. You could have external disruptions such as a school bell or trash pick-up that interfere with your video calls.
Also if people know you’re working from home, they will inevitability think you can be on the phone or sign for packages or run an errand – when you’re trying to get your work done.
Removing distractions means letting everyone know you are working on your business, not having a vacation. And you have to be serious and dedicated to this particular action.
5. Set Your Schedule
To finalize your foundational actions, you will create your new schedule. In corporate life, you have a set time to go to work. In online life, you want freedom and flexibility. But you also have to do the work, or delegate to others and supervise.
The most common factor among successful entrepreneurs is the fact that they actually did the work. They created a business, and kept moving forward with their plans.
Create a schedule where you put time aside every day to do the work. You may only have a limited amount to do, or a lot, but establish the time you need to complete your daily tasks.
Account for conflicts with your household or location. You do not want to be scheduling your calls at the same time your child is having a piano lesson.
You want to have a picture of your entire day, and then identify the times within the day that work best for your work.
Summary: The Foundational Actions
Setting up a solid foundation for your business will support you going forward, and make the next part – the creative phase that much easier.
To Create a Solid Foundation for Your Entrepreneurial Dream:
- Take a deep breath and get mentally and physically prepared to focus on your business
- Find a dedicated workspace
- Gather the tools you will need to do the work
- Remove all distractions from people to devices
- Create your schedule that fits your selections
If you take these actions first, before you dive in to your business, you will feel more confident and secure before moving forward.
For the next article: Click Here for the Creative Actions: Part 2 of 2: Recast: Ten Practical Actions for Aspiring Entrepreneurs Who Want to Start a Business Online, Live with Purpose and Achieve their Dreams
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links which earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
ENJOY LIVE CLASSES?
Case Lane is delivering a FREE WEBINAR: How to Start an Online Business With An Idea You Champion!
Thursday 10 am PST via Zoom
WANT TO READ THE BOOK?
You can Download Recast at Amazon.com
Get all the details about how to Recast your life, and become an online entrepreneur in this exciting new book!
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links, which earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you
How to Decide on an Online Platform
Part 3 of 4: Choose to Be Comfortable
by Case Lane
When choosing to launch an online business, you do not want to be phony.
In fact, you are told must be authentic.
Except there’s the conflict. You are being told you MUST be authentic, under the assumption that everyone knows what authentic is.
At the same time that people claim you must be authentic, they also claim you should make videos, or send email, or start a podcast or dance on Tik-Tok.
Aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start a business, and attract an audience, but are turned off by the so-called ‘authentic’ things everyone is saying to do, need an alternative for appearing on an online platform.
The best bet is to pick the space where you are most comfortable.
What is an Online Platform?
Your online platform is the Internet space where you have your online presence – the basis for your business.
Bloggers have a website, podcasters appear in directories, vloggers post YouTube videos. Social media influencers dominate on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter.
You decide which one works best for you by deciding first which form of public expression suits your preferences.
A Presence You Own and Defend
A while back, in Hollywood, one of my colleagues once told me about this incredible idea one of the senior executives had that would change the industry.
My colleague was prone to exaggeration about a senior executive’s idea…especially if it could lead to career advancement. But the executive in question was more qualified than most, and had a solid reputation.
The idea could have been great…
….but, it was terrible.
And to my surprise I told my colleague exactly what I thought of the idea. I reacted against character because I felt passionate about the subject, and had a strong opinion of its viability.
The decision whether the idea would be implemented was not mine to make, but the opinion was definitely mine to express.
The defense of your own approach is even more pronounced online.
Model Your Own Instincts
When you see people online in your target industry acting all the same – being cutesy, dancing, giving shoutouts, swearing and hollering….
You might think that’s how you have to behave to win over people in your potential community.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs imitate successful people because they believe the success can be directly copied.
But that approach rarely works.
There is already a successful person being the original version of who you want to be, so a fake version has a limited chance.
Often a new entrepreneur does not want to behave like the successful person. But does it under the mistaken belief that the community will only respond to the questionable behavior.
However, since you are passionate about your product and service, and turned off by the presentation of the existing leaders in your field, then you may have an opportunity with other members of the community who feel as you do.
No doubt your niche has specific approaches to ensure you are seen by your community, and are communicating your message effectively, but you can modify your approach to ensure you are comfortable, and therefore authentic in your presentation.
If you see a successful person in your industry who is a blogger, but you hate writing, you can either do something else, or outsource the writing to someone else.
Remember, online your marketplace is the entire world. There is likely a community that would appreciate receiving your product or service in a form that it is not currently presented.
For example, today almost every book is released in digital, print and audio formats. Not to mention those that may eventually be made into a movie or show.
The reason you can keep releasing the same story in different forms is because different people want to absorb the same story in the format they prefer.
Select Your Platform Preference
You can deliver your product or service offering on exactly the platform that you prefer.
You have to decide where you add value, and how you want to contribute based on your expertise and skills.
You can also look at your niche the same way. Test the approaches you prefer, and measure your community’s response.
For example, professional NFL football has one community of beer-drinking, screaming, face painters…and another of statistics and analysis geeks from analytics professors and statisticians to college students and the curious who discuss the probabilities of certain plays, moves and scores in every scenario.
The business of data is data tables, analysis apps, fantasy football instruction manuals, courses on how to understand the game, blog, podcast, affiliate for clothes, gear, and food…and more.
You can approach your own passion in your niche in any direction you choose, and find your community wherever they may be hiding.
You can write, talk, film, teach, dance or holler…
Practically everyone is on the Internet, and everyone is looking for their preferred approach to education, information and entertainment.
There is no competition and all fields are wide open because people are constantly searching for their preferences.
When you go online with your business idea. You can deliver as you see fit.
That’s the incredible opportunity that exists in the online space today. And you have the opportunity of a lifetime to take advantage of it.
For the next article: Click Here for Part 4 of 4: How Dominate Your Niche of Niches
ENJOY LIVE CLASSES?
Case Lane is delivering a FREE WEBINAR: How to Start an Online Business With An Idea You Champion!
Thursday 10 am PST via Zoom
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Click this link to get your summary and early bird notice of the book’s release.
How to Prepare to Be an Expert Online
Part 2 of 4: Identify Your Passion in Your Skills and Interests
by Case Lane
When I was at law school, a few years ago, I realized something no one ever talks about. People were NOT putting their entire lives online on the social networks. The secrets were still very much being kept secret.
You might guess what some of those secrets were, but what’s surprising is that even the benign activities were being self-censored.
For example, if someone had a hobby they thought their friends would make fun of them about, or an interest in an influencer they wanted to follow, but did not want everyone to know they were following, people had to find other groups and places to express this interest away from their main social pages. They created new pages or signed up for other sites under different avatars.
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to start an online business in a niche no one knows you are interested in, or where you have limited or no experience, you face the same dilemma right?
How can you legitimately declare your passion or expertise to be exactly what you say it is even if you have no experience in your niche?
The Science Geeks Hangover
Have you ever actually seen one of those bubbling plastic model volcanoes? You know the kind that are the staple of jokes on TV show when making fun of a science project.
Those model volcanoes are Science Fair fodder. And at the Science Fair, as you remember, the winners get a blue ribbon nobody sees, and a pat on the back that has no clear path to ongoing success…
Now don’t get me wrong. I love science. I think the Science Fair champions should get the front page of the paper, and be honored at the Super Bowl half-time show.
Those brilliant geeks make the plastic volcano to demonstrate the build up of pressure into heat, steam and gas that EXPLODES into the air, then down on to everything in molten liquid destruction…
It’s super cool! And often easily forgotten…
The State Science Fair is a big deal for some people, but it receives not nearly the attention given to the State Basketball Championships, which is a big deal for everyone.
The science champion will likely receive a free ride to college, and so will the basketball champion.
The science champion may even receive a lot of interesting offers to work in a research lab or at a big corporation.
But the basketball champion knows exactly the types of offers she could receive. The basketball champion already has an absolutely clearly defined road to success that almost everyone knows, and can repeat.
Only the future professional athletes have this clarity…not the biologists, not the musicians, not the historians, not the programmers, and…definitely not the entrepreneurs.
The Value of a Familiar Road
The high school basketball player who has the intention of playing professionally, knows to work to earn a spot on the varsity team, and if not the junior varsity, and at least play intramurally.
The top players may even earn a spot on an AAU traveling team, and compete at multiple levels.
During high school, the goal is to earn a Division IA full ride college scholarship, and if that doesn’t materialize, the player tries for Division II or III with an eye to reach Division I, some day.
While in college, the goal is to try for the NBA, and if not the Development League or leagues in Europe, Asia or South America.
There is also an opportunity to compete for a national team to play in the Pan-Am Games, or maybe even the Olympics.
When playing days are over, the player can start the process again as a coach or team management, first in high school, and then college, and internationally…
…and so they keep going.
Not everyone makes it, but everyone knows what the path is…and has an chance to pursue each possible direction to achieve the next level of success.
The science champion may or may not get a job, may or may not have a promising career, may or may not get to work in their preferred field, and in all circumstances has no clear path to defined markers of success.
There could be annual science competitions, but none have the objective championship declaration like the number of points scored in a basketball game.
The science champion will have to figure things out and accept decisions made by others. They are caught in a status quo of research grants, subjective analysis, and naysayers and unbelievers, questioning what turn out to be their best ideas.
The Opportunity to Prepare
The basketball player can ramp up her own performance, and aim for higher and higher opportunities along the pre-determined path.
And because the basketball player can see the path, the road and the opportunities ahead, she can PREPARE to be a professional basketball player, coach or even team manager or executive, knowing the available jobs and programs, out around the entire world…for life.
Every day the basketball player needs to do more drills, more shots, more weight-lifting and running. Diet can be modified, so can sleep. Hours can be spent watching tape to see not only how the greats play, but also your own mistakes.
The basketball player can always be ready for the next opportunity…
…The science champion has to rely on outside forces.
The aspiring entrepreneur must do both.
Like science geeks, aspiring entrepreneurs do not have a clear road, but like basketball players, you can prepare.
An aspiring entrepreneur can understand the road to follow, and the skills to develop, while declaring a passion around an idea upon which you build your business…and then work directly in that business to achieve success.
And the success is defined…by the objective global marketplace.
The market will tell you if you have won or lost against your definition of success.
Declare Your Expertise Through Your Work
Many who follow the entrepreneurial road are indoctrinated into the science geek’s understanding of life, and allow the gatekeepers to decide their path.
Outside forces define not only the qualifications for your professional success, but also the attributes that would put you on their radar in the first place.
The result is not always satisfactory, a fact that leads many to try entrepreneurship. And when walking away to go into business for themselves, aspiring entrepreneurs can look at the activities successful entrepreneurs are doing, and model their practices.
As an entrepreneur, you set your goals based on the opportunity you see, and you work to achieve them.
The only approval you need is from the global marketplace where you deliver your product or service.
Select your passion, the niche or space – the product or service you want to champion – exactly where you want to make your mark, and you use it to do exactly what you want to do, even if you have no experience.
The key driver for successful entrepreneurs is doing the work. That’s what separates the successful from the forgotten. That’s the only common denominator.
Entrepreneurs can be born rich or poor, finish school or not, go to the formal workplace or not, travel the world or not – and in all cases, the success stories are written by and about those who did the work, and did not give up.
You declare your expertise exactly where you are going to put in the work.
Because your intentions and effort will put you ahead of those who are not doing anything. You can start with zero experience because the minute you get started you know more than the next person who never tried.
If your production and delivery of the product or service resonates with that next person, that person will consider you the expert they want to follow, and you will have your business.
Just like a basketball player, you keep the main goal in mind, while you make adjustments based on feedback and the response you receive from the global marketplace.
While the science geek is waiting for grant money or possible job offers, you are practicing the moves needed to break in to the next level by being passionately involved in your chosen area of expertise.
You have to get ready like the basketball player.
You have to prepare to be a Ready Entrepreneur
For the next article, Part 3 of 4: How to Decide on an Online Platform: Click Here
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Thursday 10 am PST via Zoom
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How to Find an Online Business Idea…
…That Works for You!
Part 1 of 4: You are in the Internet World Now!
by Case Lane
You are looking at a world where everyone seems to be making money online.
Even if you do not really surf social media or pay that much attention to the online world, you know other people are building financial security and having an awesome time…and you’re not.
And you’re wondering what to do next. Should you join in? Are you missing the future? After all you’re educated and have worked for years and have tons of experience, and you’re wondering why you cannot have the same success, that these overnight online wonders seem to be having.
Then you think again, and wonder about jeopardizing your education, work experience and knowledge by doing something you’ll regret online.
Do you have to be silly? Swear and be outrageous? Do a song and dance like those other people you see? Or can you be serious and spread your knowledge without becoming just another one of those annoying Internet show-offs?
The Value of Online Business
You know, many of us never imagined having to figure out how to earn income online…
We did not see, and did not have to see the rise of technology as a life-altering fact.
For many it was like a fad that would pass…
I noticed this back when I worked in Hollywood, and watched the rise of digital media from physical media (you remember film and tape, right?). Over a couple of years, we were first spurred on to switch from VHS to DVDs..
…but would you believe I worked with a high-paid home entertainment executive who once said, with all sincerity, “I don’t know why someone would want to buy a DVD.”
Maybe in hindsight, when you think about the multi-billion dollar industry that was once occupied by DVDs, you want to laugh right? This guy was making millions, seriously millions of dollars a year, running a billion-dollar division of a mega global corporation, and he honestly had no idea what was driving consumer choices.
That executive could not see the future that was right in front of his face. He probably would not be able to do the same today.
The transition from the industrial age to the tech age is already overwhelming people, including, and maybe especially, those who are educated, and well-off, and think that they and their children are already set for life.
What if they are not? What if you are not?
In 2020, the world changed overnight. We have always lived in a world where we could not, technically, predict the future. But in 2020, the uncertainty is at a new height.
Companies are spending day and night planning for the post-pandemic world. But they’re planning in a fog.
What’s the new normal?
Nobody knows.
Your Opportunity Online
Given the uncertainty around us, we have to react to changes…and learn to react quickly.
In the pandemic economy, essential workers, corporate management …and online entrepreneurs continued to work. Delivering value and solutions to increasing numbers of those who want or need new services and products.
After starting ebook self-publishing while in law school, I decided the best way to learn was to do, and I became immersed in the world of online entrepreneurship and the tech tools and resources available to everyone who wants to get online.
I firmly believe that a great number of us, maybe one-quarter to one-third of the population should be independent, self-sufficient entrepreneurs taking full advantage of technology and the global marketplace to maintain and enhance our security in the global economy.
We should not be living in a world of constant instability.
And even if there is some recognition tomorrow that the global pandemic exacerbated the gap between rich and poor, and we have to do something about it, governments and civic society are unlikely to develop long-term solutions anytime soon.
How long will lasting permanent sustainable viable change take? Longer than you you’ve got.
You are much better off securing your place – by yourself.
Follow a Guided, Tactical Path
The online entrepreneurship opportunity is alive and thriving, the investment is low, and the demand is high, yet many do not accomplish their dream to become an online entrepreneur, or they drop out while trying.
To avoid overwhelm, and help you see through the jumble of information so that you could get your chance in the digital economy, follow a clear path that makes sense to you.
Based on my research, reading, building my business, observing developments all over the world, talking to other entrepreneurs, helping aspiring entrepreneurs, and trying all the various paths myself, I developed a framework you can use to prepare BEFORE diving in to one of the online entrepreneurship fields.
Instead of randomly thinking about whether you could be a blogger or podcaster or course creator, take the cleared path through the noise, and adopt the blueprint you could use so you would know where to start.
Focus on Value
The tech economy both thrills and scares people.
The first post is the hardest, right?
As an online entrepreneur, remember you share value. Your work is important. You provide knowledge, advice or even useful tips from your hobby that other people can find useful.
The first time you decide to put your words online, you may feel a little trepidation.
This fear is normal. The reason is the visibility and permanence that comes with posting. In this current environment, what you say online defines you, and stays part of your legacy forever…as far as we know…
And that’s pretty scary…
So spend time to think through the content you plan to deliver before you post your message…even if you’re still worried.
What will happen?
A variety of people are making money online for a reason. They overcame their initial trepidation to make sure they contributed.
Entrepreneurs have the courage to move forward.
Define Your Personal Goals
Maybe you want additional income, or maybe you are really concerned about your current paycheck or your retirement…
Maybe you want to use the incredible education, knowledge and experience you have built up, and deliver it to a world that wants and needs what you have to offer.
If you can create an online revenue stream for yourself, you have a chance to build your future security, hedge your bets against job instability, and fully participate in the online global economy…
In other words, you can set your own future…and maybe set one for your kids, friends and others too.
This is the future we all have to get moving on together.
That old world Hollywood executive did not understand how the world was changing…
But you do…
…And so do I…
Get the Right Idea
To take advantage of the online entrepreneurship opportunity to make money, be successful, and achieve lifestyle freedom…
Focus on a business idea that:
- Reflects your interests or skills
- Delivers over the platform where you are most comfortable
- Helps you be the automatic leader in your niche of niches
That means…
1. Technology, and the access to the global market you get through technology are not passing fads. You have to recognize that this is a permanent change to our economy and society. And you have to decide if you want to fully participate, by starting an online business, and becoming a contributor.
2. If you’ve come this far, you probably recognize that becoming an online entrepreneur allows you to take the best of all worlds…
…You can highlight your professional skills
…Reach deep into your interests
…And deliver value to those who are aligned with you.
There may be other professions that provide you with job satisfaction or financial security, but they all also likely depend on the Internet. By starting your own business online, you are setting yourself up for the future that is already here and covering all your bases.
3. When you prepare to be an online entrepreneur you increase your chance of success by focusing on exactly what you like to do, and picking the platform and tools that best fit your vision for your ideal life.
You have your opportunity to achieve your vision of Lifestyle Freedom through an Online Business – the 21st century dream life – but without Feeling Fear, Embarrassment or Imposter Syndrome.
You want to be authentic and deliver value as you see fit.
Today, right now, you are living the opportunity to have the life that you truly want. A life on your terms where you add value that you believe in, and that makes you feel like you’re really contributing to build the world you want to see.
Becoming an entrepreneur, being your own boss and having your own business is one of the best ways to take control of your life, and to deliver to yourself your own life dream.
But you have to get started.
Why is it so important for you to move forward with entrepreneurship now?
Summary
1. Technology is our lifeline and upon it we are building the future. So the more you know about having a life online, the better you will be.
2. Being an online entrepreneur means you develop online skills, you learn the tools and resources which now are indispensable in the work world, and you can accelerate your professional development, and improve where you want to be.
3. When you prepare to be an online entrepreneur you increase your chance of success by focusing on exactly what you like to do, and picking the platform and tools that best suit your vision.
For the next article: Click Here for Part 2 of 4: How to Prepare to
ENJOY LIVE TEACHING?
Case Lane is delivering a FREE WEBINAR: How to Start an Online Business With An Idea You Champion!
Thursday 10 am PST via Zoom
WANT TO READ THE BOOK?
Get a FREE Summary of Case Lane’ new book Recast: The Aspiring Entrepreneur’s Prep Guide to Starting An Online Business
Click this link to get your summary and early bird notice of the book’s release.
What is an Aspiring Entrepreneur?
The two words ‘aspiring entrepreneur’ have their roots in Latin.
Aspire comes from aspirare – ad- ‘to’ + spirare ‘breathe’. The root of the English word ‘aspire’ is to breath. Yet we have come to associate aspire with ambition, dreaming and hoping for an accomplishment.
The idea of being aspirational often refers to the indefinite, those with their head in the clouds. In fact, we even say lofty heights of buildings are aspiring into the sky.
Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay
A word meaning breathing, the act we need for life, has ended up as a reference to lofty dreams that can be celebrated or ignored. From a root tied to actually staying alive, we have derived a hopeful sensibility to achieve something you desire.
The word entrepreneur, comes from the French, entreprendre which means to undertake. The Latin root is prendere, which means to take.
Would this mean the term ‘aspiring entrepreneur’ refers to a breathing taker – or the breather who seeks to undertake?
Two Words for One Intention
A friend of mine once told me he studied Latin to avoid needing a dictionary. When you look up words, you often find the Latin root, which if you know the definition, means you can define the word.
When it comes to the concept of an aspiring entrepreneur, the Latin root appears to betray a less serious qualifier on the action-oriented French intention ‘to undertake.’
Maybe aspiration alone is not enough.
Entrepreneurs also need ambition, drive and perseverance.
The aspiring entrepreneur who ‘undertakes’ is more likely to transform dreams into actual action. A fact which brings the term ‘aspiring entrepreneur’ full circle.
The entrepreneur part of an aspiring entrepreneur undertakes to get things done. The aspiration part is knowing you can make it happen. The dreaming – breathing part of the definition is the vision needed to ensure a business idea gets into the global marketplace.
An aspiring entrepreneur, who stays aspiring, is the ‘almost’ entrepreneur who has not yet found a path to business success that will work. To get beyond aspiring that entrepreneur has to keep going until the correct road is identified.
Follow Examples
In Wild Company, Mel and Patricia Ziegler’s awesome book about building the Banana Republic stores, they knew they wanted to have a business even if they did not have a specific idea which one. They went out looking for a business that would work for them.
The titans of the early 20th century like Rockefeller capitalized on opportunities they saw growing around them in new technologies for steel and oil.
The titans of the 21st century like Jeff Bezos used the capabilities of technology and the reach of the Internet to build new businesses.
Are You Aspiring?
An entrepreneur who has yet to create a business must decide if activities reflect: Continuous aspiring? Searching for visible opportunities? Or preparing to create something new?
Begin first by considering where you have been. What makes you believe you are an entrepreneur? If it’s the idea that you want to have your own business, that you have a product or service you believe could be of value, or you know you want an independent professional life, then you are set. You are already in the entrepreneurial space.
If you want to be an entrepreneur for the ‘bling’, the money, house, car and publicity, but you do not have a valuable product or service attached to your vision, then you may be stuck in aspiration for some time to come.
It is much easier to pursue your dream and work on it every day, if you believe in it and you care about results and the outcome. You have a great chance to actually have a business if your passion for your product or service is also the fuel that prompts you to put the time and money in to making the passion a business.
It is a lot harder to commit to a plan if you really just see it as a ticket to…nowhere.
Actions for Moving Beyond Aspiration
To get beyond aspiring, make a commitment to a business idea that you can move forward into a business.
Take the time to research your idea, find your niche and community.
Determine where you can add value, and the product or service needs of the community.
And put your research in to action.
Forever aspiring means never doing.
You want to see the results of your dream not just having the dream.
An aspiring entrepreneur is the person who focuses on the hope and dream of entrepreneurship. You can start aspiring, but must transition to actual action to be considered an entrepreneur.
Summary: To Transition to Action:
- Research your idea – determine who wants or needs the product or service you would like to offer
- Talk to people who have done it before
- Identify the value you can add – your niche
- Put your research into action
Take your vision past aspiration, and on to implementation.
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. I earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
How to Adapt Model Solutions to Your Business
A successful entrepreneur takes the stage, and the crowd sits on the edge of their seat listening intently to their story.
Usually the person has an extraordinary story of rising up from the bottom, hitting hard times, and recovering to go on to earn millions.
As the crowd rises to its collective feet to give a standing ovation, you decide right then and there that the success story you have just heard is also the model you want to follow.
After all, why reinvent the wheel if a successful entrepreneur has already carved a path you can follow.
Image by Thomas Hendele from Pixabay
But when you try and emulate the success, you suddenly realize the idea may not have been as straightforward as it sounded on stage. Many aspiring entrepreneurs sometimes hear the greatest advice they have ever heard, and then ask:
How do you adapt success advice to your own business?
The Plan to Follow a Model
The stories of successful entrepreneurs who created a business from their own idea are often model entrepreneurial journeys. Entrepreneurs are driving forces in the economy, and their perseverance and determination is inspiring.
Following a model someone else has set can be an excellent way to get your business up and running. Several courses offer ‘complete blueprints’ on how to repeat the work already done, and hopefully to achieve the same success. You can also find detailed blogs with guidelines and advice around an established model.
But sometimes the advice is so inspiring you want to just follow what others have done step-by-step. But when you go to do implement as instructed, you realize your business idea and plan do not neatly fit into the model.
Copying verbatim may not work because your circumstances are not exactly the same. You have to figure out how you could do repeat the model’s success – with your own idea.
Where do you start?
Break down Details
Using an origin story you may or may not be familiar with – the creation of Facebook – you can begin to document the details you know, and identify the gaps that are missing.
In general, you probably know that Mark Zuckerberg and his partners built Facebook in their dorm room at Harvard, and released the site to Harvard students, before dropping out, going to Silicon Valley and formally creating the company.
If your business idea is to build a social-sharing website, and you want to follow this model, you would also intend to build on your own until you can attract venture capital funding.
Sketch the existing model
1. Gather all the Details from the Model You Can Find.
Often when a successful entrepreneur tells their story, they do not give you all the details. You might hear about the late nights coding, and the conflicts with partners, but you do not learn the specifics, especially about technical obstacles or marketing.
How did the site get built? How was it promoted? Who was the first person to sign on and why? Did the founder have 1,000 friends who clicked on links the first day?
When you try to emulate someone’s success, and are unsuccessful, you might think there’s something wrong with you – that you are unable to do what the most successful do.
But in fact you may not have all the facts. Before you even try to do what someone else has done, document exactly what you know, and what you don’t know. Make sure you fill in the gaps for information you have not yet heard.
If you do not have a step-by-step guide to how to finish the job, you will have to research other sources to try and figure out what’s missing.
Since you know what the final product looks like, you can spend some time to visualize and reverse engineer the complete process.
Ask questions about the pieces you do not understand.
2. Fill in the Gaps
Where do you find the missing information?
Keep doing research.
Do enough research to figure out what you have to do next. Do not drift in to analysis paralysis, and halt your entire business launch while trying to find out everything you need to know.
You will never know everything you need to know. You will only have enough to get started before you begin trial and error to see exactly what could happen with your business.
If you’re trying to build the next great social network, and you know nothing about technology, start by finding out the basics, like how user interfaces are created. Talk to programmers and coders who understand the process. And designers who can help you make the product user friendly.
If you are not doing something as complicated as building a social network, but you are building a website and want to copy the process of a successful ecommerce company, you will almost certainly need to get started to learn what the market is buying, and how you can deliver for your market niche.
3. Build your community
Often the biggest piece of the entrepreneurial success story that is often left out of the current record is the marketing and promotion that intrigued the first customers.
Understanding how this business reached its market is absolutely critical to your success as an entrepreneur. You could have the best product or service in the world, but if no one knows about it, you will not have a business.
Conversely you could have a decent, not spectacular, product or service, and be wildly successful because the customer base responds well to your offering.
In all cases, you must respond to your own results, not try and directly copy what someone else has done. If your marketing does not work, look at your product or service, market targets and the current environment.
Trying to make the same adjustments your model made may be futile if all other circumstances for your business are completely different.
To learn more about what it takes to match someone else’s model, see my upcoming podcast and blog series where I will break down my attempt to capture the magic of someone else’s 30-day plan.
Summary: How to Follow a Model
1. Make sure you know all the details you can learn about the business you want to model. You won’t find out everything the founders did, but document what you do know so you can decide what you have to do next.
2. Fill in the gaps for the missing information. Continue researching or talk to experts who may be able to give you insight into the actions that you need to take.
3. Build your own community. Focus on your own marketing and promotion. Everything changes, the world around you, the economy, society – what worked for a business at a certain point in time, may not work for you. Make make sure you are prepared to set up your own promotion plan before going forward.
When aspiring entrepreneurs begin investigating the options for starting an online business, the variety of options can be overwhelming. People appear to be making money as bloggers, podcasters, vloggers, teachers, and not to mention the all-encompassing ‘influencer.’
The open question is: How do people actually get set-up and become successful online?
Then there’s the terminology. The word website is ubiquitous, but what about landing page or squeeze page? Email, direct response, digital and targeted marketing? What’s the best approach and best tools for the type of business you want to create?
3 Key Online ‘Presence’ Tools
The most common tools, that you control, for establishing your online space are: your website, landing page and email management.
If you want to understand more about what the online tools look like, and how you can get set-up using them go to: guide.readyentrepreneur.com to get a step-by-step introduction to getting setup on your website, landing page and email management. And there are videos there too.
Reasons for Using a Specific Tool
You can decide which tool to use based on the depth of online presence you want to have.
You do not have to have a website to have an online presence. You can use social media to build your online presence or start a YouTube channel. Or just have an online store through Etsy or WooCommerce. Establishing your content on a third party brand can act as your website, but that decision has its limitations.
Ask yourself: Do you want or need a specific place where you can send your community, or do you want to be hosted on a third party’s platform.
Important Considerations
If you do not have your own space – you are subject to the other platform’s control. You would end up being dependent on Facebook’s latest rules, or design limitations on a template store or similar constraints developed by others.
The consideration around the type of online presence you want is whether or not you want to have control.
You also have to consider how you want to scale. With your own space, you can scale on your own terms.
The question is: Are you a renter or an owner? You can imagine the preferred approach is to own so you can grow and have the flexibility you need.
Landing page or Website?
The terms landing page or squeeze page or lead page or lead magnet, all refer to the same thing. Your landing page is a one page website that provides information about your business, product or service, and usually prompts the viewer to do something like enter an email address to receive a product from you.
Entrepreneurs start with a landing page as a way to collect e-mail addresses or sign-people up for a webinar or another service. This is a great way to start if you want to build your community from the beginning, and manage e-mails from the beginning. It may also be less expensive to have only a landing page instead of a website, and starting with one page helps you get started quickly.
A website is much more in-depth because it has multiple pages, and you can target each page differently. On the Ready Entrepreneur sites there are pages that provide foundational information about finding your confidence, time, money, value, action and lifestyle – the 6 core factors in Ready Entrepreneur.
There are posts for the blog. If you plan to start a blog, you would start with a website, not a landing page.
You can have integrated pages from another site. If you select the courses page on the Ready Entrepreneur website, it takes you to the platform where my courses live, which is Teachable.
And you can collect e-mails and other information.
In general, you have more flexibility to present more ideas with a website. All the functionality of a landing page is with a website, but not vice versa.
Collecting E-Mail Addresses
Whether you start with a website or a landing page, you have to decide if you are going to collect e-mail addresses.
Why do businesses ask for your email?
The top reason is they want to own a record of interested customers for continued marketing. Over time, you want your own community – that you own – by having a list of emails of people who are interested in what you do, and why you do it.
Almost everyone looks at email every day. Even the people who use multiple email addresses to keep the marketing separate from personal or business correspond, still definitely look – because they want to see if there are any new deals or offerings that are interesting. And they know the businesses who have their emails are the businesses they have done business with, and might want to do it again.
An aspiring entrepreneur has to make a decision about collecting emails. Many people may believe it’s an obvious decision, but it’s not as obvious as it sounds. Once you collect a customer’s e-mail you have to protect it, and you should decide what to do with it.
If you decide to start communicating with the people on your list, you want to be able to provide them with continuously interesting information so that they will remember you, and be engaged with your e-mails. If you decide to neglect communicating, and then suddenly start up again, you may surprise people. If they’ve forgotten you, you may receive a quick unsubscribe.
Before you start collecting e-mails, think about what your plan will be for your email list.
Will you have an opening sequence, a series of emails that are scheduled to send you messages in a defined sequence?
If so then you are probably wanting to use an email management system, like ConvertKit, which is what I use (and for which I’m an affiliate). At ConvertKit, Mail Chimp and a few other providers, you can set up your account for free. You begin to pay as you attract more subscribers and scale.
If you are not planning to do elaborate communications, or you do not want to have any upfront costs, you can manage emails in a spreadsheet. However, you have to be careful that your system does not get out of control as your business grows. If you are planning to do a promotional push to get people to sign-up with you, you probably want to get a paid system, and automated, system.
There are many different email management systems that are differentiated on features and price. What you want is ease of us and flexibility. Think about your strategy for emails. Are you going to have different programs with different lists that need to be managed differently? Then you definitely want a system that can help you to do that efficiently.
The considerations are flexibility, growth management and cost.
Summary
When you are starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur, you will know doubt look at online resources and try to decide how to use them.
For each option, tactically think through each option to avoid being lost or wasting time trying to make a decision.
- Decide what kind of online presence you want – your own controlled or hosted on another platform
- Do you want to manage your own image and style without limitation and not be subject to someone else’s rules, or do you want to keep it simple
- If you pick your own space – between a landing page or a website do you want to start big or small
- If you are going to collect emails you have to decide if you want to manually or automatically manage the process
- Manually is potentially more difficult especially as you grow.
- Automatically will grow with you, and provide flexibility to do different approaches with different groups
- Think through your reasons for using a particular tool before you get started.
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How to Get Started with No Audience or Market
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur with no friends, family or colleagues who support your idea of becoming an entrepreneur; or you have tons of friends, but all of them are only interested in partying, celebrities, sports or other things, and nobody ever wants to talk about business, how do you get your business idea out into the global marketplace?.
You may have a business idea in your head, but when you try and share your plans, you get the cold shoulder. No one is going to give you any feedback about whether or not your idea is any good. But you are ready to launch. You have a product or service you want to put out into the global marketplace, but you have no idea how to make sure your potential customers know about you.
How do you get started?
Product Launch
When you start a business you often do something called a product launch. One of the best ways to think of it, is it’s like a movie premiere. The final official launch of a new movie is a big party announcing the ‘product’ is now available for everyone to see.
If you are a billion-dollar Hollywood studio, you throw a huge bash, invite all the stars, roll out the red carpet, tell the press, and bam! your product is launched, and gets mountains of free publicity.
Publicity that comes months after – trailers, bus side posters, interviews in the press, and many other promotional activities have already taken place. If you are a Hollywood studio, you spend money to launch a product and you’re done.
How can your business idea get the red carpet treatment?
But if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur and you don’t have the multi-million dollar budget, how do you get started?
If you would like to hear these strategies, check out the Ready Entrepreneur Podcast Episode 063: How to Get Started with No Audience or Market on Apple Podcasts or wherever you enjoy your podcasts
Friends and Family
Many entrepreneur how-to gurus will tell you to start your promotion with friends and family. If you can get the people around you to try your product or service, and maybe even review it, you can easily get started with immediate feedback and ‘social proof.’
The early support is helpful and inspiring, but really only works best when friends and family are your potential community. If they’re not, the support your receive may not be genuine, as they may not be interested in contributing to your idea, or might provide a half-baked response.
Using friends and family works best for those who have strong, supportive and active friends and family. If you belong to religious groups or organizations that support individual endeavors, you can leverage those connections.
If you don’t have a supportive immediate circle, you have to think like a Hollywood studio.
Publicity
When launching a new product or service, an entrepreneur needs publicity. And you get publicity by creating a compelling story about your product or service, and then telling people who are, or can connect you with, media influencers.
There are many ways to start telling people about your product or service. Start with social media. Develop the message of your product or service and post about it on social media. Different platforms perform differently for this approach.
If you use Instagram and your product or service can be displayed in pretty pictures, then go ahead and post attractive photos. You can also use hashtags to highlight your product or service for people who are looking for something similar. Instagram works best for this because it gives you the popularity of hashtags.
Twitter works in a similar way. Sometimes people search for an idea, or phrase ,and you can lead them to your product or service if you are using a hashtag that is associated with your product or service.
If you use Facebook, you can write a detailed post, with links to your site. However, you may have a more challenging time circulating your posts to others.
If you have some friends or family who you know are not interested in your business, try and get them to circulate your message others by encouraging them to repost or pass it on to someone who may be interested.
Social media allows you to move forward if you have no other resources, and you just want to see what kind of an organic response your idea may receive from the marketplace.
Giveaways
Before a Hollywood studio releases a movie, they let a lot of people see it for free. They hope those people enjoy the movie, write reviews and spread the word to others. You can do the same with your product or service.
You can offer the product or service for free, or offer a portion of it or a companion product that prompts people to just pick up and try your idea.
Free promos have been part of the marketing playbook for years. You may already be familiar with the practice inside your local Costco. There is a reason they are giving out free samples. The store is trying to prompt the customer to buy the whole product. You can use the same tactic.
Depending on your product or service, you have to find the best place to provide your free offer. The aisles at Costco are controlled. But you may be able to find a local event or product fair that suits your style and business intent.
Online you can use tools like webinars, YouTube videos or Internet calls to provide free services that allow people to sample what you have to offer and how you deliver it.
Once you are able to obtain a potential customer’s attention through a free offer, then you have an opportunity to retain them by collecting an e-mail address, and continuing to communicate and follow-up.
Blog, Podcast or Video posts
You can also build your audience through blogging, podcasting and online videos. These platforms can be free to use, and provide you with an opportunity to present a more detailed and thoughtful message about your product or service.
Plan your ‘message’ from the perspective of the customer. What would you want to hear about a new product or service that would peak your interest and stop you in your tracks? You can write a story about your product, or the reason you decided to start your service, or a testimonial from someone else. And if you come up with a compelling idea, you may even be able to leverage other people’s audiences.
Other people’s audiences
If your idea resonates with the audience of another blogger, podcaster or vlogger, you can ask to appear on their established platform. These influencers are often looking for great new ideas for their audience. If you can present your product or service in a way that appeals to them, you may be able to ‘launch’ to an established audience.
But make sure you do your research. Do not approach influencers who have nothing to do with your product or service, or whose audiences would be completely different from your intended community. When you reach out, make sure you have something to offer that’s compelling and interesting enough for the influencer to want to present you to their community.
Most businesses began with no visible market. In fact, many aspiring entrepreneurs were told their idea would not work, and their business will not be successful.
The founding entrepreneur had to reach the people who would be interested in the product or service they had to offer. Ben and Jerry drove around selling ice-cream out of the back of their van. They took the product to the potential customers, and let them spread the word.
Summary:
- You can start your own publicity machine with family and friends if they are supportive
- If the people around you are not your intended community, reach out to social media with your messages, photos and hashtags that appeal to the people you are trying to reach
- You can giveaway your product or service in the arena that is most appropriate, whether that be at a physical event or online. Let people give your product or service a test run, and then become the testimonials for your future promotions
- Use online tools like blogging, podcasting or vlogging to create a compelling message about your product or service, and deliver it to a larger audience
- Reach out to people who have established blogs, podcasts or vlogs and let them know if you have a product or service that may be beneficial to their community. You have to show them how you provide value.
