How to start an online business: the secret is "Service"

If you are looking to cultivate any kind of commercial endeavor, online or otherwise, the most important thing I have found is the role of SERVICE in what you are doing.

Service is NOT an arbitrary word used to describe whether you respond to customer service emails; It is at the CORE of what determines whether or not a business venture will be successful.

Putting this in perspective, if you consider what a “company” actually “does”, we have witnessed a sea change from a “production” -based model to a “service-based” model over the past 15 years.

Driven by Internet connectivity and developments in engineering techniques, the way to “be productive” in the modern world (particularly in the West) is to provide new products and tools. How they are done should be a secondary concern (very little gain).

The key, unlike historical production, is that it is no longer true that having “production capacity” is an important deal … almost everyone has access to that.

What people do not have is a MARKET in which to offer their products. This market (depending on the type of company you end up growing) will determine the PRICE of the product and if it is something they will consider using.

The point is, if you are looking to “get into” the business, the absolutely most important thing you NEED to consider is what kind of SERVICE you will be able to provide as a professional. This service, applied using your own or someone else’s products / tools, is the real secret behind why some companies “always” seem to grow, while most struggle.

This tutorial aims to explain how it works and what to do if you are looking to get involved in the business world.

Service makes the world go round (literally)

Most people get involved in “business” because they have an idea that they want to pursue.

Perhaps they wanted to create their own clothing line, have some kind of “lifestyle” business (winery / farm, etc.), or get involved in a particular field (cosmetics / modeling). The hallmark of “failed” deals usually begins with a nostalgic desire for someone. to “work for themselves”.

This is a lie. People don’t care that you started a “business” and all the stories you read about a 12-year-old CEO who is in his fifth company are only there because the publication wanted something new to keep its readers coming back.

The simple reality is that MOST people only move out of necessity. What is “necessary” that they consider that a product is for their life is how much value they will attribute to it (and, therefore, a price).

The way to ensure YOUR products are purchased is to create a need for their use. Don’t even think about “selling it” – [most] people are not stupid; they will attribute a price to any product that they consider essential to their life. No one has ever discussed the cost of life-saving heart surgery … and the same principle exists in all other businesses. People pay you in direct proportion to how much you really “don’t give a damn” about what you’re doing.

The most important thing is to realize that “service” is at the core of what gets people interested in a company.

It is not their “products” or even their “staff”, it is what they DO on a daily basis that drives RESULTS. This “activity” is what the market recognizes and ultimately attracts you.

Think about it.

• Apple does not “manufacture” its products. They design them and create all the components, etc. Your service is design.

• You are there make They “make” their products because no one else can do it as well as they.

• Amazon are Really a digital logistics company – no one it is capable of storing and shipping as many packages as efficiently as they.

If you want to go into “business”, present a RESULT that you can provide to a market.

• More than 10,000 Twitter followers in the first 60 days

• More than 150 YouTube subscribers in the next 90 days

• Conversational Italian in 14 days GUARANTEED

• Ferrari + Lamborghini brand lessons

• CUSTOM T-SHIRTS help you get laid; CUSTOM SUITS pay you

If you are looking to “start” a business, the BEST thing to do is see what people are ALREADY looking to buy (just look in the “best sellers” section of any market).

This gives you a direct indication of * exactly * what they have a budget for (what they are willing to PAY). This allows you to deliver this RESULT as a service (IE in your way), giving you the ability to start attracting customers by virtue of your effectiveness in delivering those results.

The BIGGEST problem I’ve seen is leadership with a product, or even a “solution.” I hear it all the time: “what problem does your business solve?” … hardly anyone who buys a product really thinks they have a “problem.” Rather, they are looking for a particular SERVICE that can be provided to improve their life in some specific way. Or, as Gary Halbert put it, “Your marketing should make your students procrastinate.”

Think of it this way: who would you rather do business with: “The LARGEST social media agency in the world” or “The ONLY agency that GUARANTEES more than 10,000 FOLLOWERS in the NEXT 30 DAYS or your money back.” While the former works for established companies, the latter works for ANY businesses, especially new ones.

Do you realize that you are not really selling anything about the “process” of how you achieve results? This comes later; it must stipulate EXACTLY what the buyer is going to get for their time / money, which in the case of “social media” is the followers. For SEO, it ranks first in Google and for “programming”, it is to create a “RECURRING SAAS BUSINESS”.

Obviously, how those various results are cultivated is vital. But the irony is that nobody cares how you do it … as long as it’s legit.

This is the reason why some companies “always” seem to win: their “service” is based on the provision of particular RESULTS. They ignore (outsource) everything else.

If you start a business, it is “okay” to focus on service

In conclusion, if you are thinking of “starting” a business, the key is to forget about yourself and fully focus on the underlying results you can deliver to the customer.

If you don’t have the skills to provide such results, you must put to work to develop them (which can be done on the job).

Think of each transaction from the perspective of what you can add to the commitment. Don’t be afraid to “give away the family money” (in “secret” terms): 99% will not compete with you, and the guy who rip you off will jump into the next fad he finds.

The key thing to do from a business perspective is to identify the various “services” that you can, or can, provide to anyone with the right budget.