Starting and Running a Business #1: Introduction & Part 1 - The Dirty Lies of Starting a Business

Love it.

I often get questions about woodworking professionally. The first thing that I stress is that woodworking is not the business, business is the business.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

This sounds like the beginning of great stuff. Keep it coming.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

I am looking forward to more.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Great start on an interesting subject!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Hello Bill;
—-very good read!
Now I’m off to the land of shut-eye since my day starts early on Monday….no, don’t ask. One comment at this time, but I will also print this article out and read two more times before dreamland takes over and so I will sleep on this one, so there may be more comments coming.

Comment…., ”Are You The Right Person To Start / Own A Business? (You Must Have 3 Distinct Personalities to Succeed) Yes, You Must be Schizophrenic or You Will Fail”....
—-yes, I only could add that I thought there were 4-5 different personalities needed.
—-come to think of it, was Einstein a declared schizophrenic….? Einstein wrote a formula for ‘success’ as follows:
”If A equals success, then the formula is: A = X + Y + Z, X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut.”

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

Bill, thanks so much for taking the time to help others benefit from your knowledge; I will certainly be watching this blog!

Thanks, so much!

-- http://newmissionworkshop.com

Thanks for the kick off, Bill. Started sounding a little like Rod Serling at first, but good info. This is not the first time that I’ve heard that being in business is the business. I’ve talked to folks that say the marketing is more work than anything, but I’m sure you’ll get to that. Keep ‘em coming.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Go get em Bill.
I doubt anybody will listen to you until they have failed once or twice. <g>

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Some of the most successful and happy people I know are entrepreneurs who created a business that’s in perfect synchronicity with what they want out of life. If you do what you love, you’ll work harder, better and more happily.

So true! So true! Looking forward to your next post.

looks like a great start to me, I look forward to seeing what follows.

-- www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.darrylmasterson.etsy.com

Bill,

You are off to a great start here. I don’t know that I will ever start my own business but this is an interesting subject.

Thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Thank you for the comments-
———
Tenotim – A – Marketing is the EASY part – it seems difficult because people overthink it and make it confusing for all the wrong reason. We market everyday of our lives when we sell our opinions, ideas and needs to family, bosses, co-workers, and strangers.
I will show in a future part of the series how easy and cheap it can be, and how cheap it can be.

-- Bill - - Ad-Marketing Guy, Ramsey NJ

Thanks Bill for a great article I will be waiting for more. I am one of those in the planning stage of opening a business, I am still working on my business plan. being a career carpenter and woodworker I have already worked thur some of them lies and started a businesses based on them and struggled, although it failed , it wasn’t because of not doing the business, it was because of a personal injury. but the first couple of years taught me a lot about myself and business. More than college ever did. The one thing I did notice is I spent more time at doing the business of my business then I did doing carpentry some days and for a craftsman this can be a hard compromise, so if thinking fast on your feet and dealing with problems on a daily basis is not your thing its better to just work for someone else and let them do it.
can’t wait for more thanks again for the info

-- Joey~~Sabina, Ohio http://sleepydogwoodworking.blogspot.com/

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Joey – A - Thanks, You are exactly the type of person who should benefit from this series…...Let me offer this, Forget the Business Plan you learned in college, those are given to Professors who in most cases are book experienced people, who have never stepped into the business and competitive arena. Hopefully, I can give you a small bit of insight that will transcend that college course “real world applications” for real world problems. Failing in an attempt is a great teacher not in why you failed but in getting back on your feet and trying it again——-shows character, determination and the “heart of a winner” Now, lets work on the brain of a businessman!
I think you observation about spending more time in your business is correct – but we will show you the solution!

Stay Tuned!

-- Bill - - Ad-Marketing Guy, Ramsey NJ

I love incidental typos. Like, when I read ”We Will Attempt to Cover in This Bog’s Future Episodes …” I thought back to the earlier statement, ”I hope not to bore you …” and got a bit of a chuckle.

Aside from my private chuckle, this is good stuff. I am constantly looking for information and insight in starting and running a business because you can never know too much. Eventually, I’d like to finance my life with my own endeavor, but until then I don’t want to be the guy who said, “I working on my fourth million … the first three didn’t quite workout.”

You can bet I’ll be reading future installments.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

HERE LIES ANOTHER LESSON

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Russell – A – Thanks -Your reading is great and with excellent acuity you picked up on the Bog misuse in a header! – In advertising we always add 2 to 3 hooks when doing a focus group. Hooks are always different -It does a few things mainly defines certain members of the group, secondly defines how many actually read verbatim——There is 2 more of these——We call it ”Looking for Waldo”!

Many people pick it up and do not respond some do (we call this group the passive audience)...In either case due to your message, people will now take a careful reread! Very good “word-slip” wouldn’t you say? – Nice job Russell – THANKS, it allowed me to make the point but read more for the lesson!

It is always important for people to get the initial message and check through to find Waldo! The objective is to get people engaged!

Just like Tenontim’s reference to Rod Serling, again defines the audience and gets the “reread” people involved and they say “Oh Yeah, cool”- but they reread! Right!

LJ’s we have a VERY insightful Group here!

Maybe NOW you are seeing the results on how to advertise and start assessing your audience, first you engage them, get to know them and then tailor a strategic message – It is Important to have them say “Oh Yeah I See” – This is critical in getting an audience message –

Lesson KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE-—-

Your webpaged must have a tailored message on the TOP LEFT or CENTER First Page or Landing Pages (people read left to right) to engage and capture the reader in 3.5 seconds or less – You message must be tailored to your audience not your ego! Too many webpages are about you and not about them——they came looking for their needs not your needs! This mistake is done all over the internet – People talk about themselves on the first page of their website——visitors came to your site- give them a reason to stay…they have a need——fulfill it ASAP. Make your landing page about why they came not and about them, not you.

You CANNOT do this unless you know who comprises your audience. * You must engage them in those few seconds , otherwise they backclick right out – the same is said of print media.

We will talk about this more in the future.

-- Bill - - Ad-Marketing Guy, Ramsey NJ

Oh great! Now I’m an object lesson. ;-)

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Don’t feel bad, Russel. I got the dunce hat first.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Okay Professor, I’m thinking about the Waldo technique and I can see a certain value there. And, if I’m reading you right, your use of bog instead of blog was intentional which brings me to my question. If Waldo is a reference to something readers can identify with, then the hook draws them in. However, if the hook is a misuse of a word or phrase, or a typo, doesn’t that undermine the credibility of the article? After all, how much stock can you put into something by somebody who doesn’t take the time to check his work? Depending on the context, I get a chuckle out of such things, knowing full well my own knack for inadvertent errors. Yet, if a stranger is attempting to speak with authority, what weight is accuracy?

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

*Russell – A -

The “Where is Waldo technique is is commonly used in focus groups to figure and gage audience demographics, perceptions, attendance, and quite often ability to notice simple flaws. It is never given to the focus group, only the case study. I gave the answers to the test in my explanation. Where is Waldo, Find Waldo is a game known the world over! Sorry, it is unknown to you – I would suggest you Google “Where is Waldo” and get an idea of where the terminology is derived, and then apply the concept to the application as used in the prior post.

NOW- You missed the purpose of the theoretical root to be made in relationship to the entire Blog – Namely, if no one picked it up and spoke, it would simply remain unnoticed. Alternately, if it was picked and noted people would be required to read again to find simply find Waldo! Goal: making people re-read – I thought I explained this in a previous post

As far as you, putting validity in anything offered it is entirely your choice. I personally have no gain or loss from what you take away from the board. I am truly sorry you find it in “your world” to miss the entire purpose of this Blog. Re-read the title of the Blog and go from there.

NOW my REAL Point:
Please refrain from the word “professor”, it downgrades the purpose of what is to be accomplished, speaks volumes of someone trying to apply one ups-man-ship. The tones of your post are without merit other than try and show me up. Since I will not waste my time, your time, or the time of this Blog to get into a war of words and get off message. You find no validity, accuracy, or message no one is holding you feet to the fire to read, simply do not. Please pardon me if your posts go unanswered.

WHY AM I UPSET? I sent you a PM giving you a “heads-up”and pure courtesy. You responded and all was good. THEN, you blindside and confront me in an open Blog post, using a condescending tone – I consider this tasteless, childish, and petty. Not to mention anal retentive (which by the way is the box we normally check when someone finds the type Waldo as you did)!

If the start of this Blog goes further OFF message, because of your post and this response, I will simply end the Blog now. The good, fun, and worth I was hoping to provide leave me with a very bad taste in my mouth.

-- Bill - - Ad-Marketing Guy, Ramsey NJ

there is no point in battling such trivial things, what I have found in lurking and commenting in more forums that I can possibly recall is that all to often, people feel the need to comment for the wrong reason, whether the guy is a professor, an ad marketing specialist, expert, or just someone with an opinion, he decided to share something he is passionate about. The above thread has some very interesting subject matter on the verge of being presented, and given the various personalities here, it also has several leap off points for battles. Battles are all around us each and every day, we need to be selective in those that we take part in, valid information comes from a variety of intellects and personalities, in my own experiences, I have found that many times, although I may not like an individuals presentation, the subject matter is of quality, and worth “the price of admission” if someone is willing to stand up and take the lead role in presenting a concept, in that situation, he is the current expert, through constructive dialog, everyone will be able to decide for themselves if such subject matter is of importance to them in the format its presented.
personally, this particular topic is of interest to me, and I would like to see it continue, I dont think we need to intentionally stray into tangentially related distillations of the purpose of focus groups, most of us are willing to overlook a typo here or there without assigning diminished credibility, in time, the content will speak for itself.
informative stuff, please continue.

Bill, no offense intended. The term “Professor” was used in the context of student to teacher, hardly snide. You teach, I learn. The use of the term in a social context such as this is not atypical as a recognition of respect.

I have no interest in a war of words, simply a curiosity as to the application of the Waldo technique. References to shared cultural knowledge seem to be a good hook. My question was, can intentional misuse of a word accomplish the same thing, or will it undermine the credibility of the author?

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Answer to Your Above Post – ONLY to the anal-retentive mind that just does not seem to get IT. You seem to find more integrity in discounting the use, purpose, and reason of this blog. You have chose to use it for your own childish, self-centered, lack of importance, small world thought process. You seem to find some delight in pumping your chest at your keyboard and monitor, well it worked. For what, one will never know.

I have a business partner who just entered my office and had a few other thoughts; unfortunately, those remarks do not meet the rules of civility. I just lost a dinner bet to him, he bet this would end in a joke!

With that said and off my chest – -

The wind has gone out of my sail, I cannot and will not continue this Blog with the nature in which it was started and presented. I offered my experience, time, and passion knowing it would have provided enjoyment for me and hopefully insight for others. For those who were looking for some assistance, please drop me a PM, I will try to make certain that it is provided on a direct and more personal basis.

PS: Russell we (staff) just viewed your website, we suggest you spend less time in the Forums and a little more time working on IT!
Who knows (???) you may have gotten that help free through the Blog you destroyed. I would have bet on it. BLOG END

-- Bill - - Ad-Marketing Guy, Ramsey NJ

Hi Bill

My wife and I wish to thank you for what you were trying to do! We appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts and vast knowlege in the advertising field with us. We do not blame you in the least for what you have done.

God Bless
tom & ruth
.

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

The most interesting posts around here are sabotaged because you grown men must spend time picking each other apart. If you were 5 you would be in time-out. I have seen this time and again in different posts here. I have not posted much, I mainly ‘lurk’. I am just here to learn and possibly make friends. I do not need to come to a web site to be berated or made to feel stupid. Some of the people around me do that quite nicely, thank you. This is why I do not post much. It is also why I am not here much.

-- Berta in NC

Yeah. This is a bummer.

Maybe I’m thicker-skinned than most, or maybe just thicker. But I didn’t see what was so offensive about Russel’s replies and questions. In a format like this where you can’t actually be sure what tone a person is taking, it seemed like his questions could be legitimate, and I find it’s always best to give someone the benefit of the doubt.

-- johnjoiner