Startup Spark

Are you a know it all?

by ShannonCherry on June 12th, 2008

A lot of us get really excited when we decide to start a business. It’s easy to be enthusiastic and a great business person should  be excited to do something they’re passionate about. But before you take the leap its very important to realize many of the misconceptions out there.

No matter what product you have or service you can provide, it’s easy to let your excitement get the best of you.

We’re bombarded with marketing messages telling us about all of these “get rich quick” stories and pounding out “how-to” books for every thing imaginable.

It’s important to understand that these are often not the case, and they are capitalizing on your enthusiasm.

And with all that excitement, many people miss the basics.

Last night I was teaching my Happy Holidays: Your Guide to Getting Free Year-End Publicity class. And I was stunned to learn that many people on the call still didn’t have a clue about who their target market really is.

Most we’re so general about it, I wasn’t surprised they were struggling to make a living! But still, they insisted they knew it all.

Knowing your target market is probably THE most important part of building a business. It’s important to understand that regardless of whom you think you customer is and what kind of market your selling to, there’s a good chance you don’t truly know.

This kind of thing comes with experience, and that’s something people don’t have when they are starting up a business.

My advice? Sit down with a professional, someone who can put to rest a lot of the assumptions you probably have. The enthusiasm is like a blindfold, and until you have someone take it off for you, you are blind to your business’s success.

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POSTED IN: Business Failure