Amongst all the doom and gloom of the past few years fuelled by Brexit, the COVID pandemic and challenges to democracy a fundamental paradigm shift has taken place: There has never been a better time to be a small business owner. Technology means you can create and launch new ideas, products and services quickly. There has never been a lower barrier entry for new businesses.
A generation ago if you wanted to start a business selling to consumers, you’d rent an office and warehouse, buy inventory, recruit staff, employ sales reps or agents, print brochures, attend exhibitions and find retailers. All before you made your first sale.
Today….
You’d set up a virtual office at home, build a website, hire a VA/bookkeeper, find a fulfilment house and start running some Facebook ads. All at a fraction of the cost. If you want to start a service business and sell your expertise you can literally bootstrap it.
You can create an e-commerce website for just a few pounds and start selling a niche product or your expertise. You can use your smartphone to film yourself teaching anything. You can turn your expertise and desire to help others into a business doing what you love. You can self-publish a book and become a bestselling author.
Then you can set up an advertising campaign and pay just pennies when someone clicks on your ad. You can live stream videos from your smartphone to social media and interact with thousands of like-minded people.
None of this was possible – even a few years ago – without first convincing and paying a gatekeeper. You needed a web agency, a videographer and video editor, a certification, a publisher, a radio channel and more…
This not only made it harder to get started, it made it impossible for micro-niche products (like how to build a relationship with your parrot – yes that is a real business!) to be profitable.
So what is stopping you?
Oh, you enjoy getting up early and commuting to work on cold mornings and being told what to do – and when – each day.
Seriously?
If the answer really is yes, then this email isn’t for you.
But if like thousands of others who have enjoyed some limited freedom during lockdown, or those fortunate to have been made redundant, you’re ready to start a business you love keep an eye on your inbox for my Journey into Freedom webinar coming soon.
My goal is to help as many solopreneurs and small business owners as possible succeed in 2021 — and beyond.
YOU provide the expertise and WE’LL provide the tools to create your own business plus the training you need to get all the customers you want.
Noel Guilford
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