Happy St. Patricks Day.
Now whether you are planning to drink a green beer or not today, MAY THE LUCK OF THE IRISH BE WITH YOU!
Being the son of Irish parents I have a close connection to the Irish culture.
Traditionally the McCarthy clan were Castle Builders and when I think about it I am living up to my family’s heritage.
The Marketers Club is all about helping small business owners learn how build their own castles.
I thought today it would fun to look at 3 fundamentals for building a castle (business) and give you a blueprint to help accelerate the building process.
When it comes to building your business castle you’ll need to consider important aspects such as:
- Foundations that need to be laid
- Design and structure
- Expert help you will need to put around you to achieve the task
- Ensure your castle is secure and can adequately protect you and your family.
As I started thinking about the building process I was reminded of a times when I have attempted to do some handy work (not my strong point).
I have cousins who are carpenters, electricians, builders etc. and when I would watch them build something they all make the task look so easy.
Yet when I attempt to do something similar the result is usually horrible.
On reflection, I discovered there were three key reasons the results I produced were so inferior to my cousins.
1. You need to have the right tools in your toolbox.
I have a limited range of tools and therefore I’m often forced to adapt a tool that is not designed for the task to attempt to do the job. As if the task wasn’t hard enough now I’m trying to do it with the wrong piece of equipment. It should be little wonder then that the finished product never looks as good as it could.
I see entrepreneurs frequently doing something similar with their marketing efforts. They are using inappropriate marketing tools or messages and then wonder why they don’t get great results. For example, putting together a home-made website is a common demonstration of entrepreneurs who are trying to build something that are not skilled at.
2. They are properly educated.
My cousins are all professionals who have studied and practised their chosen skills. They not only know what to do and how to do it, importantly they know the best sequence to do things in to get the best outcomes.
When it comes to marketing too many entrepreneurs have failed to study and develop their marketing skills. Therefore, they are operating with limited information and they almost certainly don’t know how to ensure they get the best possible outcome.
Continuing with the self-build website example, the entrepreneur may be able to get the sight to look reasonable but they will probably lack the skills and experience to get the site properly ranked so it can be found by anyone. Making the site close to useless.
3. They set realistic timeframes.
My cousin’s experience means they can look at a job and quickly access how long it will take to complete. They know if they will need to leave time for something to dry or set before they move on to the next phase and therefore can plan-out the job and keep things flowing.
Entrepreneurs need to do the same. You must understand that sometimes you need to allow time for things to resinate or penetrate the mind of the buyer before you apply the next layer of marketing.
It is also important to allow a realistic timeframe to get things done, rather than rushing and cramming too much into too little time.
Using your time wisely.
My advice is simple spend your time on the things you know you’re good at.
You will build your castle much faster if you focus on doing what you do well and then use the money you earn for your unique ability to employee who you need to do the other work (in my case handyman jobs), to ensure you achieve much better outcomes.
Ok I’m off to enjoy a Guinness!