Start something
Ideas on how to start a business, from finding the idea to making the first sales. Noah Kagan's Million Dollar Weekend shows up twice, including his rejection goal for selling more. Other speakers cover asking people what annoys them and defining your ideal customer before you sell. 10 picks from the Bez Tytułu newsletter, in reading order.
The picks
Start a first business in a weekend
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #198
A book shows how to start a first business in a weekend and check whether the idea can grow large.
The speaker recommends Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan, a book that describes starting a first business over a weekend. It offers a step-by-step guide to validating an idea and judging whether it could grow into a million-dollar business. He calls it the best book he has read on starting a business, and notes that his podcast has an interview with Kagan.
Key points- It gives a step-by-step guide to starting a business in one weekend
- It teaches validating an idea before wasting time on it
- The speaker calls it the best book he has read on starting a business
Ask people what frustrates them for ideas
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #216
Collecting other people's complaints is a practical way to find problems worth building a business around.
The speaker describes a friend who left management consulting and asked people what frustrated them, collecting 54 business ideas. He narrowed them to six using the book 100 Million Dollar Offers. A conversation with video editors on the speaker's team revealed that editing takes too long, and he built a Premiere Pro plugin, which the speaker says earns $19,000 a month.
Key points- A friend asked colleagues and others to complain, since complaints reveal problems
- He listed 54 ideas and used a book to narrow them to six
- Video editors spending hours chopping footage suggested a product to build
Define your ideal customer before selling
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #209
First-time founders should define an ideal customer persona rather than speaking to everyone at once.
The speaker, who says he learned this at Stanford Business School, argues that first-time business owners fail to define an ideal customer persona. A weight loss program aimed at everyone converts less than one built for a specific buyer, such as a mom juggling work, bills and family. The more specific the audience, the more likely a sale, according to the speaker.
Key points- A typical first-time founder says 'I can help you lose weight' to everyone
- A specific ideal customer persona lets you speak to one person's exact need
- The speaker says this is the first lesson he took from business school
Not earning often signals a small problem
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #151
Not making money usually means your problem is too small or your solution is not clearly tied to it.
The speaker says a business is not making money for one of two reasons. Either it is not solving a problem big enough that people will pay to fix, or the customer does not see how the solution fixes their problem. The speaker presents this as the core of business basics.
Key points- The problem must be big enough that people will pay to fix it
- Customers must clearly see that your solution fixes their specific problem
Set rejection goals, like 100 asks a week
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #143
Set rejection goals, such as 100 asks a week, since you will never sell anything without asking for what you want.
Summarizing the book Million Dollar Weekend, the speaker says most people wish for what they want instead of asking for it. The book suggests setting a rejection goal, such as 100 rejections a week, because some yeses will follow. After a no, it recommends asking why not, who else would like this, what would make it a no-brainer, and what the person would pay.
Key points- Quotes Noah's dad: collect rejections like treasure to find a few yeses
- Most people wish for what they want and drop hints instead of asking
- Reframe rejection as an exciting thing to collect, not a failure
Get paid for knowledge by serving a change
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #183
Anyone can get paid for their knowledge by serving a specific desired change for other people.
The speaker says anyone can earn money from knowledge by finding the combination of their skills, struggles, hobbies, vocation and passions. Success depends on focusing on what others want, namely their desired transformation, frustrations and limiting beliefs. He says you must learn marketing, provide value in advance, and prove you can help people by helping them.
Key points- Combine your skills, struggles, hobbies, vocation and passions into a unique mix
- Map your audience's desire, frustrations and limiting beliefs
- Marketing is unavoidable, or you become the typical starving artist
Selling Without Being Salesy: The Kind Way to Sell
Watch · youtube.com · Issue #143
Chris Do of The Futur argues that selling is not about pushing but about understanding, empathizing and providing value. Based on a talk at the RGD Conference in Toronto, the video covers how competition changes on projects above about $200,000, his account of doubling business revenue in one year, and sales for introverted designers. It also covers conversational selling and identifying client pain points.
How to Respond When a Client Says Your Price Is Too High
Watch · youtube.com · 13 min · Issue #116
A role play from The Futur channel with Chris Do and Mo Ismail, in which a vendor quotes $1,000 for a video and the client objects. Chris Do's minimum engagement for this kind of work is $4,000, and the video shows how he handles the gap in price. The description links to articles on negotiating with clients and on getting more clients.
Answer rudeness calmly and ask for respect
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #115
When a prospect is rude, answer calmly with your experience and a clear request for respect, and they will usually soften.
The speaker describes how to answer a rude comment in a first meeting or sales call, such as asking how long someone has been doing the job. Instead of ignoring it, state your experience and results, say you care about mutual respect more than the deal, and ask if that is fair. The speaker says the other person usually backs down and becomes friendlier.
Key points- Answer how long you have been doing this with your years and experience
- Say you do not mind whether they buy, but want mutual respect
- The speaker says the other person backtracks and gets friendlier once you stand up
Analogies make offers easier to picture
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #46
Using analogies on sales calls turns your offer into a picture the prospect understands, which is more persuasive than a bare answer.
A sales professional argues that analogies are among the most effective sales techniques because people think in pictures. When a prospect pushes for a price before discovery, the speaker compares it to asking a mechanic for a repair cost, since the mechanic must inspect the car first. The comparison moves the situation into a context the prospect already accepts.
Key points- Answer a price demand with a mechanic example: he needs to look under the bonnet first
- The speaker says the human brain thinks in pictures, so put your offer into images
- Turn your own scenarios into analogies the prospect already understands