Short Term Thinking Leads to Bad Decisions
As small business owners, we get to create our own rules. We don’t have to buy in to the aggressive, zero-sum tactics of “business.” We have the opportunity to get closer to our customers in ways that are difficult for larger businesses.
But we still have to make money. And in the rush to profitability, this eagerness can pervert the process. We’ve all been there. You’re impatient. I am too.
When we start to rush, we look for shortcuts. We start to just “go for the sale.” The customer begins to feel “pushed” and can sense our desperation. This puts more distance between us and our customers, robbing us of our key advantage as small businesses.
Look to slow down the process instead. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but in this week’s episode, I talk about some key business principles that I learned from content marketing:
- Community growth can’t be rushed.
- Get comfortable with not having control.
- Learn to relish the indirect benefits.
- And ultimately, play the long game.
Listen to Episode 96 here or subscribe directly in iTunes.
Show Notes
Here are the links to the other episodes I mentioned:
- Business Isn’t “Just Business” – We Can All Be Nice to One Another
- How Do You Measure Trust? – Getting Past ROI as a Primary Measure
- Respect Your Audience – They’ll Come to You… When They’re Ready
- The Service Disposition – We Exist to Serve Others
And (drum roll…) my first “ad read” in this episode, for my new online course called CreateBiz. Tell me honestly, how did I do? Please give me some honest feedback – I’m trying these out, but I really don’t want these to get in the way of your enjoyment.
I mentioned in the episode an introductory offer of 50% off for charter members – this offer expired at the end of July 2017. But here’s an exclusive offer for listeners of this podcast: 20% off the membership fee.
CreateBiz is a complete online course to help writers, musicians, and visual artists build a business around their creative work, focused on the most difficult part – marketing. Many creatives dread marketing, because it feels “icky” and self-promotional. Like this podcast, CreateBiz teaches a more soft-touch approach instead, which is more effective in growing a devoted following.
The course is 42 video modules, with dozens of worksheets, templates, and guided assignments. Here’s a preview of the complete course outline.
Lastly, subscribe here (and select podcast / every new post) if you’d like to be notified as soon as new episodes are published!
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