Over the last several months I’ve been making some sweeping changes in my business.
Some obvious.
Others not-at-all obvious, that I write about in the upcoming April “Email Players” issue.
One of these changes is, I’ve been in the process of converting all my audio/video products to high-priced print books — with no digital component (PDF, audio, video, etc). Yes, I know this annoys a few people. And that’s perfectly okay with me if they are annoyed, I don’t hold their annoyance against them. In fact, one such annoyed person even said since I don’t offer my Copy Troll book in PDF, so the text can be enlarged, I am “discriminating” against my customers with vision impairment.
In reality, I’m not unsympathetic to his plight.
However, my business model is what it is for a reason.
Thus, people can choose to buy or not, but if I wanted to write my books in morse code, and only deliver them via a FAX plucked off the machine by an undead raven from Westeros I would, if it made sense for my goals and business plans.
Which brings me to something I heard the great Dan Kennedy once say:
“Build your business to suit your preferences.”
There are many (many) people who have created businesses who are miserable precisely because they tried to be all things to all people. Like, for example, introverted shut-ins who think they have to do Facebook livestreams and manage and interact with a Facebook group or on social media all day. Or people who love digital products who think they have to do print products, or people who love to write who think they have to do video or audio. Or people who would rather have their blood sucked out by leeches than talk to groups of people but who thing they have to do group coaching. Or people who go stark raving mad when alone for too long but who work from home away from people… and so on and so forth.
In my case, I despise digital products, for a plethora of reasons.
And, thus, I do print.
Anyway, do with this info what you will.
But there’s a lot of power in running your operation to suit your preferences.
Especially if you want to enjoy being in business, and not feel trapped by it.
Also, speaking of Dan Kennedy:
The April “Email Players” issue is all about something I heard him say 18 months ago that radically changed everything I do, has radically changed the number of sales my business gets, and, I believe, can radically do the same thing for your business, too.
It takes some guts to implement.
It also takes creative problem solving, too.
It’ll also very likely get you spurned, mocked, maybe even laughed at, and is not something you just see how I do it and blindly apply to your business. It takes deep thought, deep marketplace analysis, and a deep desire to see big changes in your business and not small changes.
To subscribe in time to get this issue, go here:
Ben Settle
