Hey folks, back with another weekly update/business blog. Let’s jump in:
My last week in business
Another busy one in the books, but busy is usually a good thing as an entrepreneur. You should either be busy because there’s a lot of activity going on in your business (sales, growth, opportunities, etc.), or you should be busy working on the business to get it to a position to have all of the above (sales, opportunities, etc.).
A lot of times, it can be a combo of both. We’ve made some good progress in the last month or two, and expanding our b2b marketing, not just sales, has been a big focus of late.
I’ve started realizing that consistent, high quality marketing as a solopreneur can be far more effective than sales.
Why?
Sales is typically outbound – cold calling, emailing, attending networking events, etc. Of course this can be very effective, but you’re always chasing that next potential client.
Great marketing flips the switch (a bit), and instead, is meant to generate inbound leads. People who have heard or seen your product and are actively seeking it out. This is great because:
1) they’ve qualified themselves for you
2) it is far more scalable (than simply hiring a massive sales team)
So I’m very focused on marketing efforts to try and generate inbound leads, not just doing outbound sales.
What I’m thinking about
I’m thinking a little bit more about Covid than I have in previous months. Since last March when the pandemic started, I’ve been working from home. Ironically, I think it’s helped stay in “startup mode” aka just stay at home and work a lot.
In Canada, at least in Ontario where I live, we’re back in full lockdown. 13 months after this all started, we’re back in full lockdown.
I’m not thinking about it in a worried sense, more in a “when the heck is this going to be over?” sense, and what will the world look like when it is?
How will it affect buying decisions/habits? And travel? And real estate.
Thankfully we’re heading into summer, so even if we’re still locked down, we can go for a nice walk. And thankfully I’m naturally an introvert, so being locked inside all week isn’t the worst idea I’ve heard.
But what of the small businesses who rely on brick and mortar? What of the young children who can’t socialize with kids in person? What of the extroverts who thrive in social settings?
I guess only time will tell…
What I’m Reading
2 books to discuss this week:
As mentioned last week, I was rereading (and recently re-finished) The McKinsey Way. I usually only reread books if there’s a reason to, and once again I loved this one.
I’d recommend it highly if you:
- have any interest in being a consultant or learning about the industry
- have your own business or work in another business in somewhat of a leadership role
- want to improve your business/strategic thinking
- like quick-read type books in the business space
I also read “We Are All Weird: The Rise of Tribes and the End of Normal” by Seth Godin. I’d say it was good, and probably worth the read, but it wasn’t my favorite book.
My thinking is:
- I love Seth Godin, and the title drew me in. He’s a brilliant writer and speaker and I found it for cheap at a used book store
- I also read Tribes, another book of his, and like his writing style
- Most of his books are quite short and very easy reads
- Like Tribes, I enjoyed the book, but felt it somewhat repetitive and that I could’ve had the same amount of takeaways if it was half as many pages
Overall, my feelings are very similar to when I finished reading Tribes: it was a good book, it was quick and easy to read, it had a really strong and unique message – but it could have just as easily been a long blog post and been just as effective.
Just my thinking, still <3 you Seth.
That’s it for me, have a great week and keep grinding.
