Don’t be afraid to tip it on its head
A while ago I walked into a therapy clinic where a number of different therapists worked in various clinical rooms. As I walked through the door and there was a line of trifold leaflets in a row in a container attached to a wall and my heart dropped.
This can be a regular sight and it just chips away at my soul a little bit because it stands for everything that can frustrate me with being an entrepreneur.
I get it leaflets are cheap and easy to print. But they are also dull, unimaginative and completely lacking in any originality. In today’s business world, with the technology and apps that we have on our smartphone alone, there is no need to do what everyone else is doing.
In my work, I speak to so many women who run their own businesses the same way everyone else runs their businesses because they believe because others do it that way, that is how they must do it too. I work really hard with my clients to help them find ways to stand out and to enable them to play big. To take the industry that they work in and find ways to turn it on its head and to not be afraid do things differently.
Take a niche
Look at how our world has changed because people all through the ages have continually turned industries on their heads and dared to think it can be something different than it already is. Amazon changed the way we shop, Apple & Facebook changed the way we communicate and ultimately how we do business, Air BnB changed the way we travel, Netflix & YouTube changed the way and what we watch tv. And you can go back through the ages to the number of successful people who have turned industries on their heads.
Not everyone has to have Steve Job goals but it doesn’t mean, in your own way, that you have to follow the path of least resistance. You can do as much as anyone to turn your industry on its head.
Let’s take the Yoga route as it is very popular. Most Yoga teachers, I know, teach general classes, they teach everyone at every level, whether they are a beginner or they can turn themselves inside out. They all charge the same prices and therefore fight for the same clients.
What if a Yoga instructor taught for a very specific area? For example, on one issue, say Menopause, you could create a specific package for perimenopausal women and then a special package for women during menopause. You can then create special streams of income through products and partnerships related to the menopause. Your marketing can be very, very targeted, it can be quality, it can be different and not a trifold leaflet stuck outside a room.
Don’t be afraid to follow your own path, get help from a coach who can help you come up with ideas to take a new route and stand out from everyone else who has chosen to walk down the middle of the road.
So when you research your new business or the growth of your current business always ask yourself “How can I turn it upside down”.
