Be Your Own Consumer
I have a friend who started a natural products business. She was interested in it because she is very aware of what is going on on the planet in terms of contaminants and toxins, and she wanted to produce products that are not only healthy, but could even accelerate the bodies’ own ability to heal itself.
She specifically developed reciepes that would heal her own conditions. She researched them extensively, produced many prototypes, and finally settled on things that worked.
Because they worked on her, she was very comfortable marketing them to other people. Often people would come back to her and thank her for providing her with something that really worked.
What I found interesting, was one day when she was going through a tough spot in her life, and feeling that money was rather tight, the first thing I noticed she gave up on was consuming her own products. She went back to consuming the “cheaper” products to save money. And of course, her aches and pains flared up and her suffering increased. After I pointed this out to her she had an “aha” moment. She had forgotten and had switched into an old stand-by survival mode we have all experienced, and much of the wonderful things she had been manifesting in her life were put on hold. She switched it up and all of a sudden her physical pain was gone again, and she was able to focus on pursuing her passion again.
Generally speaking, the best ideas we get that are really going to help us full-fill our life purpose are for us first and foremost. Our secondary objective is to take that inspiration and turn it into something others can consume and enjoy as well.
Constantly Refine Your “Target Market”
If you are true to rule #1, then you will have no problem finding people to consume your product or service. You just have to find them.
When someone comes to you and says they do not like your product or service, first ask yourself, “did I drop the ball here? Was I having a bad day? Did something get omitted in the delivery?”. If you did not deliver your best performance, simply fess up to it and “make it right”. Most people are very understanding when things go a little wrong.
If, on the other hand, you are producing exactly what you had intended to produce and the customer is not happy, very quickly and pleasantly refund that customer and send them on their way. They are not your target market. Some people like broccoli, some people like asparagus. Do not try to add spices to broccoli to make it “taste better” when what the person wants is asparagus.
The customers you attract may not be exactly like you in many other ways, but in one way in particular, they want and can benefit from exactly what works for you.
There are millions of wines in the world. Not two people would have a collection of the exact same wines. We all have different palates. Generally speaking, if we find a wine-maker that we like, we will like a lot of what they produce – because we have similar palettes. This does not make that wine-maker more “right”, and other wine-makers more “wrong”. If means we like what they like when it comes to wine. They may drive a pick-up truck and live in overalls. You may drive a BMW and wear suits all the time. But you like the same wine.
Keep It Fresh
Always be expanding. Always be looking around for new inputs, new ideas. Think more like a child. Be open to new experiences, new adventures. Be willing to consider multiple perspectives. This is how we learn and grow.
This does not mean you have to take everything back with you and implement it all in your daily life. You do not have to marry everything you experience. You are here to play, have fun, and to expand.
Seek Out the Highest and Best
When you are bringing new ideas back into your own life to incorporate for the long time, develop some very stringent criteria for what you do or do not want. While it is fine and great to take “vacations” and have experiences outside your norm, what you bring home with you and live with are a completely different concept.
Once again, the key concept here is to be your own consumer. Would you pay for it? Does it add value? Are there better options?
Thoroughly research what you incorporate into your life and your business.
Stay Engaged
Be aware of what’s going on around you, what’s affecting you, and what you might need to “tweak” to stay on track.
We can get this feedback from monitoring ourselves, and we can also get this feedback from communicating with those experiences similar circumstances. Sometimes it is easier to solve someone else’s problem easier than it is to solve our own. But if we are having similar problems, it is a win-win to work on each other’s.
Discuss concepts, ideas, feelings about situations that affect you and your business in order to understand them better. And work out the best solutions that will keep you on track and take you to the next level.