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As an entrepreneur, sometimes it’s easy to get into the trap of focusing on making money rather than on delivering value.

Making money and delivering value are often confused because they often go together.

It’s important to remember that as entrepreneurs we get paid for bringing value to the market.

Sure it takes time to deliver value but here’s the catch – as entrepreneurs we don’t get paid for time. We only get paid for value.

If we deliver a huge amount of value to the marketplace, we get a huge payday.

If we flop, we make a loss.

That’s a risk most people aren’t willing to take. They want to get paid per hour worked.

They want to avoid loss at all costs. Making gain to them is a nice-to-have but their real objective is pain avoidance.

If nothing else that’s probably the one thing that distinguishes entrepreneurs from others – Entrepreneurs play to win. Most other people play not to lose.‍

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Bringing Value To The Market

The money we make as entrepreneurs is an automatic side effect of bringing value to the market.

If our focus is on bringing value to the market, this will stop us from making all kinds of foolish mistakes. We’ll treat customers with the long-term in mind rather than just making a quick buck.

The products we create or the services we deliver will not be half-baked. Focusing on the cause (value) rather than the effect (making money) will lead to much greater long-term success.

The more times we deliver value (i.e., get a customer), the more we get paid.

Don't Get Distracted By “Playing Business”

“Playing business” is when you do things that LOOK like you’re “busy” – but that aren’t producing the result that you want – which is getting customers.

Some examples of this include getting your business card perfect, tweaking the colors on your website, and checking your email and voicemail constantly. These are examples of “playing business.”

Instead of playing business, you must DO business.

Winning in business requires a “trick” that you must learn to do.

The trick involves continually bringing your focus back to the ONLY activities that deliver value.

These activities are innovation (aka creating products) and marketing.

Doing Business Is About Getting Customers

We don’t create products and do marketing just to do them.

Each of these activities is actually about an even more important activity: GETTING CUSTOMERS.

When you get customers, it means that you have sold something. It means that you have delivered enough value that someone is willing to pay you for it.

The “trick” of bringing your focus back to products and marketing is actually about getting you to continually do the things that bring you MORE CUSTOMERS.

The battle you must fight every day is a battle with distraction, interruption and “playing business.”

If you allow yourself to be distracted from your work to get customers, your business WILL FAIL!

What commonalities are we distracted by? Things that are more fun, more urgent or things that we think we’re supposed to be doing.

We are wired with a rationalization mechanism that rationalizes all the things that we do when we play business.

There are really only a few activities which you need to do every day to get customers, but you need to do them well instead of playing business.

Your view of time affects everything you do in your business.

For the entrepreneur, time is NOT money. Value is money. Time is just one of the inputs it takes to deliver value to the market.

What is an elevator pitch and is it something you should care about?

Absolutely. A good elevator pitch can be the difference between you getting a job or signing a new customer.

Unfortunately, the 30 seconds that follows "What do you do?" is one of the most commonly wasted marketing opportunities.

The retort is almost always self-focused, unclear and often nonsensical.

This is where many people reply with the most high sounding title they can get away with, as they feel the inquirer’s judgment of their worth will depend on the answer.

“I’m a waste management technician,” says the janitor.

While it’s true many shallow people judge a person’s worth by their job title or line of business, there’s a much better way to respond to this question. A way that doesn’t require you to raid a thesaurus in order to inflate or obfuscate what you really do.

As a business owner, being able to succinctly convey what problem you solve is a real art, especially if you are in a business that is complex.

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What Is An Elevator Pitch?

An elevator pitch is a succinct, well-rehearsed summary of your business and it’s value proposition. It should be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride, so roughly 30-90 seconds.

The elevator pitch is a powerful opportunity to convey your marketing message on a regular basis and in many different settings.

So at networking events, on Zoom calls, in the about section of your LinkedIn profile.

“What do you do?” is the perfect queue to deliver your “elevator pitch.”

Obviously you don’t want to come across as a pushy, obnoxious salesperson, so it’s important to structure your elevator pitch properly.

Need help crafting your elevator pitch. Check out these tips for writing better copy.

Pitching Your Elevator Speech - Why Most Fail

The problem with most elevator pitches is the same problem as overinflated job titles. It leaves the recipient confused or thinking “what a douchebag,” rather than the intended effect of impressing them.

I once asked a lady what she did for a living to which she replied, “I’m a senior event builder.” None the wiser about what she did, I continued probing until I finally came to understand that she arranges seating for concerts and large events in stadiums.

Bad marketing is highly product and self-focused.

Good marketing, especially direct response marketing is always customer and problem/solution focused.

And that’s exactly how we want our elevator pitch to be. We want to be remembered for what problem we solve rather than for some impressive but incomprehensible title or business.

When do you pitch your elevator speech?

You want to get comfortable with pitching yourself. So I'd encourage you to use your elevator pitch in any of these scenarios.

As a business owner, you might use your pitch when engaging with leads on LinkedIn, or networking at an industry event, even on your company website.

An effective elevator pitch can help you close a deal. For example, say you're selling a course, but your prospect is worried about the cost. You want to demonstrate the value your course offers. So while it might be $497, they could potentially reap their investment within the first three months. Everything thereafter is pure profit.

As a job hunter, you could use your pitch on your resume, during a job interview, or on your LinkedIn profile. Many organizations and recruiters now use LinkedIn to hunt for new employees. By clearly conveying why you're the best fit for their organization you could receive job offers without having to put any effort into the process.

A Good Elevator Pitch Structure

While this is an oversimplification, good marketing takes the structure of:

1. Problem
2. Solution
3. Proof

Your elevator pitch should be no different.

So how do you effectively communicate these three components in the space of 30 or so seconds?

3 Helpful Elevator Pitch Examples

The best formula I’ve found to date is:

You know [problem]? Well what we do is [solution]. In fact [proof].

Here’s a three strong elevator pitch examples:

Example 1: Insurance Sales

“You know how most people rarely review their insurance coverage when their circumstances change?

Well, what I do is help people have peace of mind by ensuring their insurance cover always matches their current circumstances.

In fact, just last week a client of mine was robbed, but he was able to recover the full cost of the items he’d lost because his insurance coverage was up to date."

Example 2: Electrical Engineering

“You know when there are power outages that bring down critical systems in large businesses?

Well, what I do is install backup power systems for companies that rely on having a continual supply of power for their operations.

In fact, I installed the system at XYZ Bank which has resulted in them having 100% uptime since the system was installed."

Example 3: Website Development

“You know how most company websites are out of date?

Well, what I do is install software that makes it easy for people to update their own websites, without the need to pay a web designer each time.

In fact, I installed the software for one of my clients recently and they saved $2,000 a year in web development costs."

This gives you a reliable formula to craft your elevator pitch while being customer/problem focused rather you/product focused.

My Best Elevator Pitch Tips

• Keep it short and succinct. So often my clients will send their best attempt at an elevator pitch, and it's always too long. Remember, no more than three sentences.
• Be clear. Don't assume that your audience understands what you're talking about. So avoid jargon-fueled language.
• Use persuasive language. Think of this as a sales pitch. What major achievements have you earned over your career? What could you say that would excite the person you're speaking to. Numbers are always compelling so don't be scared to throw in an impressive achievement. It could be you saved a company a million dollars in tax or you wrote an article that was featured in Forbes magazine.
• Write it down and practice it until you can say it in your sleep. Seems obvious, and yet, I've listened to more than one professional stumble through their elevator speech. This is not the time to ramble.
• Use the formula: problem, solution, proof.

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If you need help crafting your elevator pitch, download the worksheet now.

To many, personal development is all about motivation.

Its true motivation, which feeds action, is a large part of the success equation. However, the tired old “motivational speaker” cliché has run its course.

Genuine personal development begins with education, not motivation. If you take an idiot and motivate him, all you have is a motivated idiot!

Why is Education Important?

Education, especially self-education, is absolutely key to making progress, achieving success, and reaching your most daring goals.

It’s sad when people end their education after they leave school. They have effectively put a lid on their potential. With the accelerating pace of change, Jim Rohn’s classic quote has never been truer; “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”

Formal Education vs Self Education

Formal education trains you for a specific vocation, which is important, however, you can go through years of formal education in the form of school, college, etc. without ever learning even the basics needed to achieve a measure of business success.

A chiropractor can spend years in formal education learning how to whack and crack bad backs. But formal education fails to teach the basics of how to use marketing to get new customers or how to systemize a business so that he is able to leverage his time and expand.

This is the first reason why self-education is so valuable - it helps you fill in the gaps in your knowledge so that you are not caught off guard.

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The Answers Have Changed

The rapid rate of change is the other reason why self-education is so important. Many businesses suffer because they fail to anticipate changes in their industry. In other words, the way they currently do things is now out of date and they have not kept up with the latest trends, techniques, or market forces.

It's said that Albert Einstein was once giving an exam paper to a class. It turned out that it was the exact same exam he had given them the previous year. His teaching assistant, alarmed at what he saw and thinking it to be the result of the professor's absent-mindedness, alerted Einstein.

"Excuse me, sir," said the shy assistant, not quite sure how to tell the great man about his blunder.

"Yes?" said Einstein.

"Um, eh, it's about the test you just handed out." Einstein waited patiently.

"I'm not sure if you realize it, but this is the same test you gave out last year. In fact, it's identical."

Einstein paused to think for a moment, then said, "Yes, it is the same test but the answers have changed."

Just as the answers in physics change as new discoveries are made, so too do the answers in your business and in your industry. If you're still doing things in your business the same way you were doing them years ago, it's likely your business is, or will soon be, going backwards.

It's vital to be constantly improving your skills and understanding the new ways to run and market your business.

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

Ever heard that silly phrase “what you don’t know won’t hurt you”? Let's correct it!

The book you didn’t read could cost you a fortune. The seminar you didn’t attend could cost you your business. The advice you didn’t seek could cost you a relationship.

Don't be fooled; what you don’t know CAN hurt you.

Nothing will bring success easier and faster than continual self-education and the application of it in the form of action. The most successful people I know are all lifelong students and implementers. Self-education and action are an unbeatable formula for success.

One of the most disturbing trends I have seen over the past few years is people allowing technology to dominate their lives, waste their time, and allow themselves to effectively develop a learned attention deficit disorder.

Email has a special place in this discussion. People are treating email as a real-time communications tool, reacting to the email “ting” or visual cue with an almost Pavlovian response.

While email is a wonderful tool, it has become an absolute menace to productivity for at least two reasons: volume and incorrect usage.

Many email programs check for new messages every minute. That means in a 9-to-5 workday, you are giving people 480 opportunities to interrupt you—not including other methods of contact such as instant messaging, telephone calls, and chatty co-workers asking if you “have a minute.”

Here are two practical tips for getting this monster under control.

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‍‍1. Keep Your Email Program Closed By Default

Open your email program only a few designated times each day - preferably only once or twice per day if that's possible.

This will accomplish two things. Firstly and most importantly, it will allow you to have more focused and uninterrupted concentration on your most important tasks.

Secondly, it will reduce volume because people expecting immediate responses will stop sending you email and when they do it will be more thorough and to the point, as they know they will only hear back from you once or twice a day at most.

Don’t worry, if something is truly urgent, they will pick up the phone and call you (have you ever heard of someone emailing for an ambulance?).

2. Adopt A Productivity System

The simple fact is that most people don’t really know how to use their email.

Some treat it as a to-do list system, while others treat it as an archive for all of their communications. The simple fact is that your email is just an electronic version of your physical mailbox or in-tray.

What do you do when you collect mail from your mailbox? Remove it! You don’t store it there or leave it in the mailbox as a reminder of what to do later. You bring it in and (hopefully) handle it.

Your email handling process should be part of your overall productivity system. I personally use and highly recommend David Allen’s excellent Getting Things Done (GTD) system.

However, go with whatever system works for you. The important thing is to have a system which gives you clear rules on how to handle growing volumes of incoming information, whether this is in the form of email or anything else.

What are business systems and do they benefit your company? Starting, building and growing a business is exciting. But often things get out of control. Balls get dropped and what was once fun and exciting can become a dreary chore. Why? Because of a lack of business systems.

Many founders find themselves working longer and longer hours for little pay.

You might start wondering whatever possessed you to start a business. After all the goal was freedom, wealth and independence. But now it feels like you’re treading water and going nowhere. Sadly some owners end up throwing in the towel.

I don’t want this for you. That’s why I’m going to show you how systems can change your company for the better. It might be just what you need.

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What Is A Business System?

A business system is a series of interdependent tasks or documented procedures that outline exactly how to do something in an organization to achieve a business objective. Good business systems streamline workload, improve productivity and get results.

A business process (also known as a series of checklists) can be given to a new employee and implemented without training. Not only does it improve onboarding new people, it also massively improves customer service.

For example, a system could be a step-by-step guide to writing blog posts. Think of it as best practices for getting eyes on your content marketing.

Here's what that might look like:

• Step one, keyword research.
• Step two, review the top five blogs ranking for that keyword. Note down which questions are routinely answered.
• Step three, write the blog post.
• Step four, place the blog into SurferSEO for keyword optimization.
• Step five, submit the optimized blog for editing and approval.
• Step six, submit the approved blog post to the developer to place into the blog template.
• Step seven, add imagery, include alt text, a meta description, and internal linking.
• Step eight, take the blog live and submit it to Google Console to crawl.
• Step nine, share the blog post on your social media accounts.  

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Are business systems and business processes the same?

No. Business processes are what I like to call standard operating procedures. It's a series of linked tasks, checklists, and activities—business systems—that work towards a singular business goal.

Every business owner needs systems. So, now that you understand what a business system is, let’s look at the benefits of implementing business processes.

Why Are Systems Important In Business?

In my 1-Page Marketing Plan Course, I talk about the three E's of business systems—expansion, escape, and exit. Without systems, the "know-how" of running the business is siloed between a few select individuals' ears, and achieving the three E's is impossible.

What happens if you get sick, or a vital employee leaves, does your company stop functioning optimally?

Systems negate this, and I’m going to show you how.

Here are five major benefits of implementing a business system.

1. It builds a valuable asset. Investors can buy your company and know that they've got a committed customer base, a set way of doing things, a guaranteed annual income, that sort of stuff. Check out this article to see the types of assets you should be building.
2. You can leverage and scale your business more rapidly. Once you've got systems in place, you can focus your time on creating new products that cater to your different customer segments. So you increase your profit margins.
3. Consistency. Systems allow you to deliver a consistent experience, which is super powerful. It means whenever a customer interacts with your business, they get a world-class experience. And happy customers make for happy business owners. A business system can also be useful for managing multiple sites. By creating a documented procedure for each site, you can ensure consistency and quality across all locations. This is especially important if your business is expanding rapidly, as it can be difficult to maintain control without clear guidelines. With a system in place, you can easily onboard new employees and ensure that everyone is following the same processes, improving productivity and results.
4. Lower labor costs. You can reduce your staff number because technology can handle most of the more mundane and repetitive tasks.
5. It can improve efficiency. Your employees are more productive because they have a set way of doing things which really makes business activities a synch.

To recap, systems are essential for expanding your organization, improving business functions, adding new people and products, growing your revenue, improving profit margins, escaping your business and taking a well-deserved holiday, and potentially exiting your organization one day.

If you want to learn how you can find and hire great remote talent, check out this blog post.

Why You Need To Systemize Your Business?

If you're wondering why many small businesses don't adopt systems, it's because they're considered back-office functions or boring.

It's not something that requires your attention today, particularly when you're in the startup phase. You're so focused on building your company that there are other more pressing tasks that you need to deal with.

So there's a perceived lack of urgency.

Thing is, without business systems, you don't own a business – you ARE the business. If you want to double revenue, you need to double the hours you work. Since you only have so many hours in a day, that limits how fast and how big you grow.

By automating, delegating, and systemizing your business activities and business functions, you gain leverage, which is the key to creating and scaling a high growth organization.

Even if you're starting out, you need to get into a systems mindset long before hiring your first employee or subcontractor. It's the critical difference between being self-employed and being an entrepreneur.

Don't wait until your organization is in crisis mode and spinning out of control. It's much easier to begin creating your systems from the start than retrofit your business later.  

Are you building a coaching business? Click the link to learn how to start and scale your coaching business.

Getting Started With Systems

Before we can transition from self employed to entrepreneur, we first need to create a subtle but vital mindset shift. Self-employed people ARE the business, whereas entrepreneurs OWN the business.

If you’re ever going to experience financial freedom in your company, the key ingredient is leverage. If I had to pick only one thing that sets apart wealthy business owners from average ones, leverage would be it. You can find out more about The Best Kept Secret Of The Rich here.

Perhaps the only thing more important to an entrepreneur than financial success is freedom. Are you setting up your business in a way that facilitates that kind of freedom? You can read up on Why A Lack Of Systems Is Stunting Your Business Growth And Costing You A Fortune.

Building Your Systems So You Can Be Free

Now that you’ve made the mindset shift from self-employed to entrepreneur, it’s time to start actually building the business systems that are going to run your organization and set you free.

If we’re going to create the kind of speed that’s necessary for a high growth business, we need to eliminate all bottlenecks – starting with you.

You shouldn't be working non-stop, day and night. Build a team and delegate. Try these top time management strategies for better productivity.

What Are Examples Of Business Systems

One of the poster children for good systems is McDonald's.

McDonald's is a multibillion-dollar operation run by young teenagers who can't even be trusted to make their beds. How does that happen? It happens with business systems.

Their operation manuals cover everything from hiring to product delivery to customer interaction. What these systems do is allow McDonald's to provide a consistent experience.

You know that when you walk into a McDonald's, The Big Mac, the fries, the nuggets will always be the same. And it's because they've got those systems in place.

Whether you like the food or you don't, you always know that any McDonald's you go to will deliver a consistent experience.

How Many Types Of Business Systems Are There?

While virtually anything can be systematized, there are four main types of business systems that you need to build. Getting these running is like adding rocket fuel to your startup. I'm going to touch on these below, but you can find out more in this article: Products Make You Money, Systems Make You A Fortune, and you use this to generate a consistent flow of leads into the business.

1. There's your marketing system, and you use this to generate a consistent flow of leads into the business.
2. Then there's your sales system; this is what you use to nurture leads, follow up with them, and hopefully convert them into paying customers.
3. The third system is your fulfillment system, and this is the actual thing you do in exchange for the customer's money.
4. Lastly, there's your administration system, which encompasses accounts, reception, human resources, etc. It supports all the other business functions.

If you had to start with just one of these systems, the one which will give you the biggest returns on time and money would be your marketing system. Click here to learn how to build your marketing infrastructure and assets.

How To Write A Business System In 4 Easy Steps?

So now we're going to cover the best practices for writing a business system. I've built systems in all of my businesses. These are companies I eventually exited for a tidy profit so I like to think I'm qualified to share my expertise.

When you’re building systems there are three questions you need to think about:

1. Who is going to do it?
2. What are they going to do?
3. When are they going to do it?

Some processes will be handled by people, for example outreach to journalists, podcasts, responding to LinkedIn connections, website maintenance, writing emails, how to order equipment, etc. Some will be handled by technology and automation, so a CRM will send an automated series of emails, Google Analytics will track website visitors and opt-ins.

Knowing this early on is important because it influences the processes you create and how you write your business systems.

But before I get into writing your business processes or standard operating procedure, I want to focus on how you can document your systems.

• You can use text and imagery. For instance, you can use a Google or Word document to list the various steps that someone needs to follow. I like to add screen grabs to illustrate my point. So if I am writing a best practice document for writing a LinkedIn post, I'll take screen grabs of some of my top-performing posts. This graphically shows what emojis to include, how to write a question that draws attention, the position of hashtags, etc.
• You can use audio (where appropriate).
• Or you can document your system with an instructional video. I particularly like using a screen-sharing program like Loom to explain how to do something. I just hit record and can walk through the process step-by-step.

Now that you know how to document your business systems, it's time to map out your process or workflow. And really, there are four stages to writing a standard operating procedure.

Here is what I like to do:

Step 1: Come up with a process.

My team and I will get together, and we will try to define what the best method is. So what is the gold standard? During this brainstorming session, we want to identify who does what. Who is going to compile the data? Who will design the document? Who will film an instructional video? That sort of thing.

Step 2: Document It.

For instance, my copywriter will note down in a document exactly how to pitch media on Haro or Source Bottle. She'll write the process, taking screen grabs of each step. Then my designer might create visuals to illustrate each step. And my marketing assistant will take all of this information and compile it into a branded SOP document.

Step 3: Implement It.

Let's say my copywriter leaves, and I hire a new copywriter. They can take the media pitching business system, read it, and hit the ground running. I can also share it with my 1:1 clients, and they can implement the same process into their organization, so that becomes very powerful.

Step 4: Adjust when necessary.

So sometimes we find, "Hang on, there is a better way of doing it" and then we adjust and course correct.

For best results, show your employees and clients how to put a business system together, then let them do it. Make sure you watch them and provide guidance when needed.

Virtually everything in your business can and should be documented in a business process.

You might think that as a solopreneur you don't need to build systems. You'd be wrong. I show you how to start systemizing as a one person business here.

Four People Business Systems Are Valuable To

Now that you know how to put a business system together let's look at the strategic advantages it gives your organization and who values your systems.

A system is valuable to:

1. Business Owners Value Systems

A business system is valuable to you, the business owner, solopreneur or startup founder.  

• With systems, you're not reliant on people.
• You can expand and escape your business.
• You can franchise or license your company which is an additional cash injection that you can look forward to.

2. Employees & Incoming Staff Value Systems

You or management want to be able to pass something over to a recruit and say, “This is how we do it here, this is our checklist, this is our process, this is our procedure," and it’s very, very important that you're able to do that.

You don’t have to train employees up. All they need to do is follow the procedure outlined in the document. And because you’ve mapped it out, it’s easier to pick up and run with.

• This removes unnecessary frustration.
• It improves the quality of work delivered.
• And it means you’re not people reliant.

Someone can decide to leave, and your business won't stop functioning. The recruit can pick up where the last person left off, and that's a great place to be in.

3. Your Customers Value Systems

Customers want consistency. When you implement systems in your business, each process ensures you deliver consistent results with every interaction.

Your customers know what to expect, and that builds loyalty.

But you can also use your systems document as a byproduct which a coaching client, for example, can implement into their business.

So you’re not only advising your client, but you’re saying, “Look, this is how we’ve done this. It’s our gold standard. We’ve had great success using this methodology, and you can too.”

So that’s a big motivator for clients to choose you over a competitor.

4. Potential Investors Value Systems

They're not just buying the customer base, which is really a historical document, or the revenue, which again, is a historical metric. They're buying a system that generates new leads, prospects, and customers, and a process for delivering products and services. Now that makes the business dramatically more valuable to prospective purchases.

And this is your ultimate customer. It's the person who puts you out of business and writes you that big check that makes you leave and do something else.

Some of the biggest fortunes have been created when owners have sold or licensed their companies.  

But if management depends on you to be present to get things done, it’s really a self-made job and worthless to investors.

So Start With The End In Mind and remember, technology has created more millionaires and billionaires than anything else.

Click How Smart Entrepreneurs Use Technology to create value in your organization.

To Recap

Systems provide solutions for common organizational problems.

The startups and small businesses that win in marketing are the ones that do the simple things consistently. They get them done not because of willpower but because of a business system.

I want you to think of systems as your secret weapon—your Iron Man suit that will help you punch above your weight. Systems let you put much of the repetitive and tedious tasks on autopilot, and that's exciting because it frees up your time to focus on coming up with a new vision, a new way of doing things, a new market to serve, whatever.

So like Jim Rohn says, "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day. Failure is a few errors in judgment repeated every day."

Don't repeat your errors of judgment daily.

Just put in those few simple disciplines: start documenting your processes, start putting together your marketing system. Make sure you're using technology to reduce friction, create a more consistent experience for your clients, and deliver a wow experience.

Those systems will free you. They'll help you expand, escape, and eventually exit your SME and that, to me as an entrepreneur, is super exciting.

Every team needs business processes. And every entrepreneur needs a team. Learn why here.

The statistics vary on exactly what percentage of businesses fail within the first 5 years.

Some estimates put it as high as 90%. However, I've never seen this statistic being quoted at anything less than 50%.

That means that if we're being super-optimistic, you have a 50/50 chance of still having your doors open after 5 years.

However, here's where it really gets worse. The statistics only take into account businesses that completely cease trading.

They don't take into account the businesses that plateau at a low level and slowly kill or make the lives of their owners miserable.

Do You Want to Grow Your Business Rapidly?

Then you need to market it. But not just any marketing will do. In my new 1-Page Marketing Plan Course, I show you the exact techniques I've used to start, grow, and exit several multi-million dollar businesses, so you can too.

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Most Small Businesses Suck

Have you ever wondered why most small businesses plateau at a mediocre level?

At one end of the spectrum, there’s Pete the plumber who works 16 hour days, weekends and never takes holidays while barely making enough to keep his head above water.

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Joe who runs a plumbing company with 20 plumbers working for him. It seems like his primary business activity is counting the huge sums of money that keep rolling in.

It's very common for small businesses to never grow past the point at which they generate just enough profit for the owner(s) to make a modest living.

It seems that no matter how hard the owner(s) try, their efforts to get to the next level just lead to frustration. At this point, one of two things happen. Either they get disillusioned or they just accept their fate - that their business is nothing more than a low paid self-created job.

In fact, the reality is that many business owners would probably be better off just finding a job in their industry. They would likely work fewer hours, have less stress, and enjoy more benefits and more holiday time than in the prison they created for themselves.

On the flip side, there are a few business owners that just seem to have it all. They work reasonable hours, have a fantastic cash flow from their enterprise and enjoy continuous growth.

The Blame Game

Many business owners who are struggling blame their industry. While it's true some industries are in decline - examples such as bookstores or video rental stores immediately come to mind. If you are in one of these dead or dying industries it may be time to cut your losses and move on, rather than torture yourself to death financially. This may be particularly difficult if you have been in the industry for a long time.

However for the most part when people blame their industry they are just playing the blame game. Some of the most common industry complaints I hear are:

• It's too competitive
• The margins are too low
• Online discounters are taking customers away
• Advertising no longer works

However, it's rarely the industry that is truly to blame, after all there are others in that same industry that are doing very well. So the obvious question is what are they doing differently?

The Business Owner Versus The Technician

Many small business owners fall into the trap described in Michael Gerber’s classic book, The E-Myth. That is they are a technician e.g. plumber, hairdresser, dentist, etc. and they are good at what they do.

Naturally, they start to think to themselves, why should I work for this idiot boss of mine. I'm good at what I do - I'll start my own business.

This is THE major mistake made by most small business owners. They go from working for an idiot boss to becoming an idiot boss!

Here is the key point - just because you're good at the technical thing you do does not mean that you are good at the business of what you do.

So going back to our initial example, a good plumber is not necessarily the best person to run a plumbing business.

This is a vitally important distinction to note and is the key reason that most small businesses fail. The owner of the business may have excellent technical skills but it is the lack of business skills that will cause their business to fail.

This is not meant to discourage people from starting their own businesses. However, you must resolve to become good at the business of what you do - not just the technical part of it.

A business can be an amazing vehicle for achieving financial freedom and personal fulfillment - but only for those who understand and master this vital distinction.

One of the major things I have always concentrated on in all my businesses is creating systems.

After first reading Michael Gerber’s book – The E-Myth, I was hooked. The penny dropped inside the business part of my brain. Good thing too because I’ve done very well out of business systems.

In fact this is one thing that took me from struggling and broke in business to doing well and able to successfully exit multiple startups.

If you’re new to business systems or could use a quick refresher, I’d encourage you to read my two previous articles introducing the topic:

Why A Lack Of Systems Is Stunting Your Business Growth And Costing You A Fortune Eliminating The Bottleneck In Your Business – YOU

In this article, I want to take you on a bird’s-eye view of this vital part of your business success and the four major types of systems you’ll need to build within your business.

But before we dive into building your business systems, I want to remind you that you really need to have mapped out your marketing plan. This is the first step to business success.‍

Do You Want to Grow Your Business Rapidly?

Then you need to market it. But not just any marketing will do. In my new 1-Page Marketing Plan Course, I show you the exact techniques I've used to start, grow, and exit several multi-million dollar businesses, so you can too.

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Build Replicatable Systems

The most valuable business systems are those which are replicable. If your business relies on a genius or superstar talent at the center of it, then it’s difficult or impossible to replicate.

It also means that you're working all your time in the business, which leaves little free time to strategize ways to expand.

That’s one of the reasons inventor Warren Buffett only invests in “boring businesses” – ones he can understand, that deliver a staple product, that have solid management and generate a lot of cash – how boring!

Among his portfolio you won’t see any high-risk technology startups, highly speculative biotech companies or concepts you can’t understand. These often rely on one or two superstars that would kill the company should they leave. Instead you’ll see solid businesses that have systems which deliver excellent products consistently over a long period of time.

Systems allow mere mortals to run an extraordinary business. Here's how to build a systems as a solopreneur.

Just look at McDonalds – a highly successful multibillion-dollar business run by pimply teenagers who can’t be trusted to make their beds. This is business systems at work.

Once you have a business system that is replicable, people will want to pay you large sums of money for it. This will come in many forms but the most common are:

• Customers wanting to do business with you because you deliver consistent results
• Licensees wanting to license your system
• Franchisees who want to buy into your franchise system
• An investor or competitor wanting to buy out your business

The Four Business Systems

There are four main types of business systems you need to create regardless of what type of business you’re in. You’re almost guaranteed to make a fortune if you can create scalable and replicatable systems in these four areas of your business:

1. Marketing system – Generate a consistent flow of leads into the business.
2. Sales system – Lead nurturing, follow up and conversion.
3. Fulfillment system – The actual thing you do in exchange for the customer’s money.
4. Administration system – Accounts, reception, human resources, etc. Support of all the other business functions.

Regardless of what business you run, these four functions will be relevant to you.

Focus On The Systems That Make You Money

Many small businesses get bogged down with fulfillment and administration while neglecting their marketing and sales systems.

After all, no one is pressuring you with deadlines to get you to do more marketing. All the seemingly urgent issues generally fall into the fulfillment and administration functions.

This causes the common situation where the business is struggling, even though they might be offering excellent products and services.

The problem is that customers don’t find out how good your products and services are until they make a purchase. And if your marketing and sales systems aren’t in place, they will never buy in the first place and find out how good you are. It’s a vicious cycle.

Some rely on reputation and word of mouth. While these are great, it takes a very long time to generate enough leads and convert to customers purely on reputation.

Smart businesses, on the other hand, go to great lengths to perfect their marketing and sales systems. They build marketing infrastructures and craft clever direct response ads.

Very few business problems can’t be cured with more money coming in.

You may have heard of the term “cloud computing” – usually along with claims that it is set to revolutionize the way businesses use technology.

We're going to cover this trend and separate the hype from the reality.

Traditionally when you ran a business, you also needed to run a bunch of computer systems (called servers) to run business applications.

Depending on how big your business is, we could be talking about:

• accounting software
• an email and calendaring system
• customer relations management (CRM) system.

For a small business, this can be a huge cost and headache. The cost goes far beyond the initial, often expensive, purchase of hardware and software. It encompasses software and hardware upgrades, taking care of backups, and ensuring software is kept up-to-date.

Because many small businesses don’t have dedicated IT support on staff. This means downtime when something goes wrong.

As a business owner you have to go through a bunch of IT headaches to get the benefit that software applications gives you.

It was always just a cost of doing business.

Do You Want to Grow Your Business Rapidly?

Then you need to market it. But not just any marketing will do. In my new 1-Page Marketing Plan Course, I show you the exact techniques I've used to start, grow, and exit several multi-million dollar businesses, so you can too.

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‍‍Enter "Cloud Computing"

The idea behind “cloud computing” is to give you the benefit of these business applications without all the associated IT management responsibilities.

You then access these applications via the Internet.

Think of cloud computing in a similar way to electricity. To get the benefits of electricity you could run your own generator. Most people let their electricity service provider worry about the technical details of how electricity is generated and delivered.

We just want the benefits of electricity without all the hassles. So we pay them a monthly fee to take care of it.

Cloud computing is the same thing applied to business software applications. We just want the benefits of the software while letting someone else worry about managing the IT that runs it.

Understanding A Cloud Computing Model

Under the cloud computing model, we pay a service provider a monthly fee for letting us use applications that run on their computer infrastructure.

Some service providers might offer their applications for free in exchange for:

• showing you ads
• hoping you'll purchase a premium version of their service.

Contrary to popular belief cloud computing is not new.

“Cloud computing” is just a nonsense marketing term. It's also been called “network computing,” “hosted applications,” or “software as a service” (SaaS).

Other than the obvious cost advantages, another big benefit of cloud computing is the ability to access your applications from anywhere.

Because the application is delivered via the Internet, you are no longer tied down to your office.

This allows you to access your data from home or even on the go with smartphones and tablets such as the iPhone and iPad.

Example Applications

So what type of software applications can you purchase this way?

Pretty much anything.

In fact, as it stands I pretty much run my whole business “on the cloud.”

To give you an idea here’s just a few of the cloud-based applications that I use every day in my business:

• Email and calendaring: Google Workspace
• File storage: Dropbox
• CRM: Ontraport
• Email marketing: ActiveCampaign
• Web hosting: SiteGround

There are many more but time and space don’t permit and the above would cover the needs of most small businesses.

The Risks And Downsides Of Cloud Computing

The advantages of the cloud computing model are obvious – you don’t need to buy, maintain and upgrade hardware or software yourself.

However, as with anything, there are also risks and downsides.

With cloud computing, you're basically trusting an external third party to properly manage, backup, and secure your data.

And sure like any business relationship where you put your trust in a supplier, there are risks involved.

But the question I ask myself is – could I run this application better than, for example, Google’s army of thousands of Ph.D. propeller heads? Unlikely.

Just like I trust the bank to secure my money, I need to trust my cloud computing service provider to ensure my data is secure.

This makes it vital to deal with a reputable service provider.

Even if they don’t breach the security of your data, you don’t want to be left high and dry if they go out of business.

Closing Thoughts

Cloud computing dramatically reduces the barrier to entry for startups and small businesses – giving them access to applications that would have otherwise been cost prohibitive.

Smart use of technology is essential to running your business successfully and cloud computing is a great tool to that end.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy our article on Building Business Systems. It will help you to skyrocket your sales and attract investors.

What's your business story? Would anyone care?

Storytelling is something humans have been doing for thousands of years. What began as sand drawings on rock walls has evolved into high-definition, 3D movie marathons. It's the ability to transport a reader or listener somewhere else, or to make them feel something, and that's powerful.

Creating copy that sells is the master skill of marketing. It can easily set you apart from your competitors. So too can personality.

Over the years I’ve met many business owners who’s lively personalities were at odds with their stuffy and overly formal marketing collateral.

No customer walks away thinking what a professional advertisement. They turn the page or change channel, and you’ve lost a sale.

That's why I'm going to show you how to create powerful storytelling.

What is Storytelling?

Storytelling is the art of engaging the mind and capturing your audience's attention with words. It's sharing stories that entertain, educate, and elicit an emotion.

Some might say it's sitting around a fireplace listening to your granny recounting a moment in her life that she's carried with her for nearly seven decades.

Others might say it's watching a theatrical production or reading the news.

Stories create new worlds (think Star Wars, Comic Book heroes like Superman and Thor, J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.)

Brand Storytelling: Why sharing your business story is so important

People connect with brands that tell a story and create an emotional connection. This, of course, does not mean you should be afraid to change your company logo or anything like that.

For example, a children's brand will likely tug on your heart strings, a food brand like Nandos might make you laugh or an adventure brand can help you to experience freedom and thrills.

Facts tell, stories sell.

Consumers are wired for communicating and listening in story form. It's no wonder that so many influencers share personal stories. They know, it's what creates meaning connections and leads to meaningful conversations with their audience.

Also, the truth is we're more inclined to remember story.

Knowing how your brand got its start in life is pretty powerful. Facebook was launched to connect Harvard students. It now connects people across the world.

Uber was born when two friends couldn't find a taxi home. They wanted to give people a way to call a cab via your phone.

So think about your brand story. What emotion do you want to inspire? What do you want to be remembered for?

Learn how to implement storytelling in your marketing emails here.

Storytellers - Why you want to control the narrative

When you control the media, you control what gets published.

Now that’s a really powerful position to be in.

Just think how much easier it would be to get the word out about your brand or new product - not to mention the cost savings. Buying media space is expensive, but not when you own the channel.  

You also control the narrative.

Let’s face it; most of the media has an agenda. They’re not impartial. They’re spinning stories in their favor, and that’s why you need to think of yourself as a media company.

You want to reach your audience as directly as possible, and you want to control the narrative.

You could become the go-to person that people hire to get high yield returns. We’re seeing this a lot on TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, and LinkedIn right now.

Your average Joe is becoming an internet superstar overnight. And that’s because 4.7 billion people use social media everyday.

Half the world’s population.

In America alone, 82% of people consume social media content, and that’s why you need to have your content machine up and running.

Your customers are on these sites. They’re actively scrolling, looking for content that can solve their problems, entertain, and engage.

If you’re delivering value, if someone sees you and takes that advice, they’ll know who to call when they have a problem.

What makes good storytelling?

Have you ever asked a friend what they thought of a particular movie, and the response you got was, "the cinematography was incredible."

Effective storytelling understands that you don't need all these high-tech gadgets to tell a great story.

In marketing, you need these four key elements:

1. Relevance

Before sending anything ask yourself, "Is this relevant to my audience or customer?" If it has no relevance to their business or personal life, they're not going to read it.

That's a wasted marketing opportunity. You want to send content they'd care about. It needs to educate, entertain, and inspire.

2. Interesting

What is an interesting story? It all depends on your audience. If you don't understand what motivates them to buy, you might post the wrong type of content.

But often you can create interest by posting something outrageous or even clickbait.

It's all about hitting consumers' curiosity buttons. For example, numbers are compelling. If you posted an interesting stat about the number of business owners that close their doors in the first five years, that's something I'd be interested in.

So what can you share that would generate interest.

3. Controversial

Nothing can spark conversation quicker than a controversial opinion.

Think back to the time when Elon Musk raised concerns over bitcoin. Overnight the popular investment platform tanked.

Or the other day, when a CEO posted a photo of himself crying on LinkedIn, explaining how difficult it was for him to let three staff go.

That post went viral for all the wrong reasons. People were outraged that he'd wasted a chance to find good people a new job, instead using the opportunity as a pity party.

His story was featured on mainstream media like the New York Post, Market Watch, and Buzzfeed. It garnered thousands of comments, with some praising and others vilifying the CEO.

But if you're looking for an emotional and visceral reaction to your marketing story, consider sharing something controversial. Just be prepared for potential backlash.

4. Unexpected

Can you share something unexpected that will keep your audience glued to every word you say or email you send?

Maybe it's a limited offer, or a chance meeting. If you can surprise your audience, you can delight them.

Email is my preferred media for sharing stories. It's the car that drives my inbound marketing strategy.

Learn more about how I use email marketing in my business here.

An example of a successful brand narrative

After spending an evening with my parents-in-law (enough said), I was driving home, looking forward to a nice relaxing end to my Saturday night when I heard those dreaded words from my wife, "Let's stop off at the supermarket, I just need to pick up a couple of things."

I groaned and pulled into the car park.

Hating shopping more than almost anything else I tried my old classic line, "I'll wait for you in the car" - after all she was only picking up a couple of things and I could use that time productively on my iPhone to catapult some angry birds and complete that level I've been stuck on. But she would have none of it.

I finally found myself in the last aisle of the supermarket, holding a shopping basket heavy with the broken promise of "just a couple of things."

While my wife was busy deciding between grapefruit or coconut shampoo (that's a marketing lesson in itself), something caught my eye - a brilliant marketing ninja move, perfectly executed. Storytelling!

Can you see the huge difference between the two bottles of shower gel on the right versus the one on the left?

The two bottles on the right are one of the best uses of product packaging I've seen in a long time.

The one on the left is boring, safe and almost indistinguishable from the 100 others on the shelf.

Are you telling your backstory?

Here's the lesson - tell your audience about all the effort that goes into delivering your product or service.

In your sales copy and even in your packaging, give them the details of how you painstakingly prepare or manufacture your product.

This applies equally if you deliver services. Tell them about your skills, how you acquired them, all the checks and balances you have in place and how you train your staff.

The back story of your product or service is an absolutely essential part of your marketing. Don't let your efforts and skill go unnoticed.

It gives them an assurance that there is substance and quality behind your product. This is especially important if you are pitching a premium product or service.

Looking back at my photo of the shower gel above, you can see that the backstory here takes up the entire space on the bottle. There isn't even a logo or company name - very smart and very good use of prime real estate!

It will also help to build your brand.

Let's get real

The fact is, no one cares about your logo, company name or some dubious claim about being the leader in your industry. They want to know about what your product will do for them, and your backstory is essential to this.

So there you have it, I went from being an unwilling participant in a shopping trip to seeing a new twist on a valuable marketing principle - good things indeed come to those who wait.

Now back to assisting my avian allies topple those thieving pigs - they don't stand a chance!

If you enjoyed this article, check this valuable piece entitled, What is Direct Response Marketing? As a small business owner, it’s one of the brilliant ways to market your business.