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    NooB Monday! - (August 31, 2020) Entrepreneur

    August 31, 2020

    NooB Monday! - (August 31, 2020) Entrepreneur

    NooB Monday! - (August 31, 2020)

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:12 AM PDT

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    #005: How This Ad Sold 1.5 Million Kodak Cameras In 1888

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:10 AM PDT

    005: How This Ad Sold 1.5 Million Kodak Cameras In 1888

    Image of Kodak Camera & Pictures

    In 1888, George Eastman began selling his Kodak camera.

    It was a small, black box that could be carried in a small case. This camera would take circular pictures, not the rectangular ones we know today. And it would have enough film for 100 pictures.

    Sold for $25 each ($600 today), it is estimated to have sold to 1,500,000 customers. In the 10 years after its debut.

    The estimated $37.5MM in sales would be equivalent to $1.1 Billion today.

    And that was made possible, in no small part, by the ad I'm going to break down with you today.

    In this article, I'll tell you the business decisions that led up to it, the exact ad he used and takeaways you can apply to your own copy and business.

    Humble Origins

    George Eastman was born on 12th July, 1854. He was born to George Washington Eastman and Maria Eastman on a 10-acre farm.

    He lost his father at the age of 8. And his mother had to take in boarders (and the housekeeping work that required) to make ends meet.

    A historian notes George felt bitter about his mother's struggles to feed him and his two older sisters. And that he promised to repay her efforts and sacrifices one day.

    At the age of 14, George finished his formal schooling and went out into the world.

    From his teens to his twenties, he worked as an office boy in an insurance company and later a junior officer at a bank.

    The bank job paid him quite well.

    And it's no surprise he worked at a bank. He was very exact about money, keeping a notebook of all his expenses to the penny.

    He was also unusually organized. George liked to travel. When traveling, he would divide his luggage in exactly equal weight. So that every pack animal carried the same load.

    His interest in photography was sparked by a friend from work.

    In 1877, George was planning a vacation trip to Santo Domingo.

    One of his colleagues had been a photographer on a trip to canyons at the Colorado River. He suggested that George also take some pictures of his upcoming trip as well.

    The thing is… one doesn't simply buy a camera and travel. In those days, you'd need a photographer and their equipment.

    There Has To Be A Better Way

    The biggest challenge at the time was that photos needed to be developed almost immediately after being taken. This means you would need a photographer, their camera equipment and a way to develop the picture on site.

    George thought that was a bit absurd.

    So absurd that he figured he could come up with something better.

    And that small thought grew.

    And it grew bigger.

    And bigger.

    And it became a full-on obsession.

    George's interest at that time was to develop a dry plate. A way of recording an image without needing to develop it immediately.

    He knew that being able to postpone the need to develop a photo immediately would open up photography to a HUGE number of people.

    About 3 years later, he had 3 things:

    • A dry plate and mass-production machine he had patented
    • About $3,000 ($70k today) in life savings
    • A business partner

    And on New Year's Day, 1881, the Eastman Dry Plate Company officially began business.

    From Plate to Film

    In 1883, George began working on developing film. He bought a few basic patents from others also working on making film.

    By 1884, he was ready to market. He patented the newest invention and renamed his company to the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company.

    But he still wasn't satisfied.

    While film was great for making photography more accessible, it wasn't enough.

    George had the idea that to create a mass market for photography, he'd need better film.

    And a better camera.

    At the time, cameras were still large, heavy and mounted on tripods. This made them very impractical to the average person.

    A few people were making box-shaped cameras. Like he did with dry plates and film, George thought he could do better.

    In 1888, he invented a better camera. He unveiled it to the world.

    And he did it with an ad we should all learn from.

    The Full Ad

    Image of Ad

    Wait, that's it? That's all?

    I know.

    After seeing the ad that sold $70 Million in English courses [Reddit], the ad that made deodorant a daily part of our lives [Reddit], and the ads that created a legend around Steinway pianos [Reddit]…

    You probably were expecting a full-page ad with long copy.

    But here's an important lesson about copywriting. It's not just about what's on the page. It's also about what's not on the page.

    This humble ad was edited out of much-longer copy.

    Couldn't find information who edited it.

    But I can safely guess this:

    How long was the long copy? Very long. Probably 10-15 times longer. Yet to meet an entrepreneur who couldn't speak about his business for less than half an hour.

    Who edited the short version? A good chance it wasn't Eastman himself.

    And the result of that edit is an ad that is simple, clear and even elegant.

    The Kodak Camera

    A lot of the value in this ad comes from the name of the product itself. George came up with the word 'Kodak' specifically for this camera.

    The story goes that 'K' is George's favourite letter, calling it a "strong, incisive sort of letter." So he knew he wanted a name that would start and end with K. And he knew that it should be:

    • Short
    • Vigorous
    • Difficult to misspell
    • Mean nothing (to satisfy trademark laws)

    With this criteria, he just started trying many combinations of letters and eventually settled on Kodak.

    Also, being first to the (mass) market, there wasn't any need for a headline to do more than just say what the product is.

    The Picture

    The saying goes that a picture can replace a thousand words. And this picture does an amazing job at one thing.

    It shows you how compact the camera is.

    Generally, there are 3 rules of thumb to pictures in copywriting:

    1. Show the product itself.
    2. Show the product in use.
    3. Show the benefit of the product.

    This picture falls somewhere between 2 and 3 for showing hands holding the camera. It immediately gives someone a sense that it is small and portable.

    Remember, this is a time when most people's idea of a camera was a big, heavy, tripod-mounted thing.

    The Kodak was that generation's camera phone.

    "You Press The Button, We Do The Rest"

    These eight words summarise the business model.

    This was George's plan with the Kodak.

    It would be a camera that comes loaded with 100 pieces of film. The average person would buy one and take pictures with it. When the 100 pictures were up, they would send back the camera.

    The Eastman company would develop the pictures and replace the 100 pieces of film. The customer would get back a camera ready to take 100 more pictures AND prints of the pictures they took.

    And it really minimizes the effort on the prospect. It reduces the process of getting your pictures NOT to owning the camera. NOT to learning an easier-to-use camera. NOT to mailing it back.

    But to just…

    Pressing.

    The.

    Button.

    Surely you can press a button, right?

    Body Copy

    The only camera that anybody can use without instructions. Send for the Primer, free.

    The Kodak is for sale by all Photo stock dealers.

    One thing to mention here.

    Repetition is a big thing in writing copy. Making the same point in different ways is a very important tool in crafting ads. Because saying the same thing differently makes your point stick better in your prospect's mind.

    So, the first sentence repeats the headline in different words.

    There is also an offer for a free Primer. What we call these days a lead magnet. This is important because the camera was $25 ($600 today) which means it wasn't an impulse buy.

    But in case anyone was indeed ready to immediately buy one, they could find it at all photo stock dealers. The ad told you where to find it.

    Remaining Copy

    We have 3 things here:

    • The company name
    • The product price
    • A distributor address

    To build credibility, mention a reputable name. The Eastman Company had already developed a reputation as far as Europe with their dry plates and film.

    To give credibility to this idea that there's a box that anyone can use to take pictures, they add their company name in large, bold font.

    The price is price. But note the words next to it: "Loaded for 100 pictures." A small note about the unique, added convenience of the Kodak.

    And lastly, we have a fallback address/ad of a reliable supplier of all Eastman products. So if, for whatever reason, someone's local photo stock dealer doesn't have it… the customer has somewhere they can go.

    Key Takeaways

    In your business…

    • Make something more accessible to the average person and you'll make millions. George made photography more accessible to the public with a portable camera that didn't need films to be developed immediately. He later made it even more accessible by selling a cheaper version of the camera. Today, there are entire businesses built on the idea of making something more accessible to the average person. An easy example is Squarespace for web design.

    • Spend some time thinking up names. While it certainly won't make or break a business, George was really onto something with the name Kodak. It just… sounds right. If you're coming up with a business or product name, it might be worth it to try copying George's process.

    • Hire a copywriter. George was absolutely amazing at making innovations that people wanted. But he, like most business owners, wasn't very good at saying the exact, precise thing to hit that sweet spot and nothing else. To do that, you need to call a copywriter. It's the difference between doing okay and doing great.

    In your copy…

    • Credibility matters. The more of a reputation you have, the less copy you need to convince your prospect to believe something. This ad likely wouldn't have worked as well if it was from a company with less/no recognition or presence in the photography world.
    • If your product is expensive, go for a 'partial sale.' A partial sale is what John Caples described as offering a free or low-priced information booklet (a.k.a a lead magnet). Don't let a potential prospect just walk away from your ad without at least offering some incentive to get in touch.
    • Sell your prospect on how EASY it all is. This ad communicates in multiple ways about how much easier using a camera is now. The image shows it is small and light. The sub-heading reduces it to pushing a button. The copy says anybody can use and they can use it without instructions. Anybody who showed further interest would learn they wouldn't have to develop the film.

    What's up guys? Victor from UnfairCopy.com here.

    This is the 5th post in a weekly series where I break down some of the most successful ads in history. In each breakdown, you will get 3 things:

    1. You will learn the business decisions that led up to it.
    2. You will learn the exact words and psychology that made the ad successful.
    3. You will get actionable takeaways to improve your business and your copy.

    In case you missed it, you can find previous posts (and their Reddit-hosted versions, if you prefer) here:

    1. How This Ad Sold 425 Million Camel Cigarettes [Reddit Link].
    2. How This Ad Sold $70 Million In English Courses [Reddit Link].
    3. How This Ad Made You Put On Deodorant This Morning [Reddit Link]
    4. How This Ad Increased A Piano Manufacturer's Net Profits by 1,616% [Reddit Link]
    5. How This Ad Sold 1.5 Million Kodak Cameras in 1888 [You Are Here]
    submitted by /u/AskACopywriter
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    Thinking of starting a side business, profitability will greatly depend on insurance cost. Where is a good source to figure out what insurance I need and get a quote?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:21 AM PDT

    I've always wanted to get into heavy equipment but couldn't justify buying it just for my personal use. Now I have money saved up and I'm interested in buying a machine or two and maybe a couple of trailers. Would like to do some odd jobs and also rent them out. Maybe $20k worth of equipment and operate from my house for now. I would try to find used equipment for a good price so if it don't work out I can resell and not loose a fortune. Also I'm a mechanic so I wouldn't be hit near as hard by repair bills.

    Anyways I have no clue what insurance cost and what type of coverage I need. Anyone think they can ball park estimate?

    submitted by /u/matt951207
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    Zero motivation to perform my 9-5 job

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 06:20 AM PDT

    I opened my own business back January and I've been juggling both jobs quite well until a few weeks ago. The pandemic took a toll on my 9-5 job, and I've been working from home since March.

    I probably lost my motivation because my business is growing and I see that my regular job is something that I have to do, rather than something I enjoy doing.

    I'm sure the pandemic is also playing a part in my motivation since I can't sell anything right now (I work with international students in my regular job).

    The company already informed us that they will have to reduce hours in the coming weeks, so I'm just wondering if this is the right time to jump ship or not. I don't want to pay myself in the first year of the business, so I'm struggling to decide if I keep working reduced hours or I take this opportunity to go all in and grow my business. I do have some money saved up and the missus is employed, so I will have some money available for now but eventually my personal expenses will eat up our savings if I don't start paying myself within a few months after I quit.

    submitted by /u/lucasnn
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    How COVID-19 destroyed my bar and restaurant. And what I plan to do about it.

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 08:12 AM PDT

    The past few months have been something.

    The best frame of reference I can think of - is that it's been like a car crash.

    On March 1, I was solely focused on preparing for a national college sporting event in our city. We had been anticipating this moment for years. Coronavirus was barely on my radar.

    By March 12, the sports event was officially cancelled, the NBA stopped their season, and I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be able to open the bar again.

    Our location is fed by travel (business, concerts, sporting events) more than residents. Things slow down drastically in November and don't recover until the middle of March (around St. Patrick's Day).

    Revenues can slow down drastically during this period, so you hold on to some money during the peek season and ride out the slow times.

    This college sports event was a particularly happy event for my wife and I, though.

    I put up my life savings and owner-financed to purchase the bar in 2017. We tried to be frugal. As an example, my wife and I married in 2018 at our home with less than 10 guests. Self-serve catering provided by Publix. We've never taken a honeymoon or any form of vacation since we've been together.

    We've been living small as we've paid back on the bar, working day and night to improve the place, no breaks, fighting with the landlord, building up our managers, taking out less than $25k/yr for our own salary (that's the total for BOTH of us), raised revenues each year, made improvements to the bar and the building...

    Basically, we had put our money on the line and were trying to pay our dues.

    And the revenues for March Madness were going to pay off the bar and pay us for all the work we had been putting into it. It was a major milestone for us.

    Looking back I want to kick myself for betting the house on a single event. Although expecting a multi-million dollar major sporting event to go on as planned was a pretty safe bet pre-March 2020.

    But as it turns out...

    I've lost my life savings.

    The way forgiveness was set up, PPP was not a good option for our particular situation. And I couldn't risk adding more debt onto the pile.

    I contacted the landlord in April to ask them if they would prefer I move everything out or try to sell the business.

    Here's what they told me:

    "What tragedy! We're devastated by your news. But we understand you perfectly as we're on the same boat and we want you to know just how much we appreciate you as our tenant for the past several years.

    That said, we will do whatever it takes to work with you regardless what option you decide to go for. Should you choose to sell your business, of course we will agree to renewing the lease.

    Please keep me posted and the best of luck to you!"

    Fast-forward to August and the landlord now demands ~$50,000 in back-rent in order to sign the lease over to a new buyer. EDIT: Maybe I should have expected this, but that was not what I expected given her tone in April. I thought she would have at least mentioned this. Out of courtesy, at least.

    "Again, this is capitalism. We don't take pleasure in any of this. " - Landlord

    Not only have I lost my life savings. I am in worse debt than I've ever been in my life. And that's *IF* the buyer finalizes the sale of the bar.

    BUT I'M NOT STOPPING!

    I'm going to use these experiences to get stronger and better.

    "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." - Genesis 50:20

    I don't know if I'll be saving any lives, but I do believe that God is working in my life through this.

    I'm making the claim right now: I'm going to come out of this better, stronger, and more wealthy. I'm gonna help people! I'm not gonna be ashamed!

    It's going to be hard work! There's going to be tears and bruising. There's going to be more fallout from COVID and the economy and the political strife and the social unrest...

    And I'm going to fight!

    I'm not going to give into bitterness or any other quitter mentality. I'll quit fighting when I'm dead!

    Honestly, I don't know why I was compelled to share this.

    Some people might think that I'm just trying to convince myself. Attempting to farm upvotes to keep my spirits up...

    But I think I was compelled to share my story because someone on this sub might need to read it.

    If this pandemic has crushed your business, hang in there. No matter how bad it gets, it's temporary. Spend this time working on your next move.

    Look, I was practically raised in a funeral home. I ran away from home at 16 and spent 2 years on the streets of one of the most dangerous areas of New Orleans in the 90's. I'm no stranger to adversity.

    But the way I've slipped into depression since March, I've hit some new lows. At 40 it's hard to watch everything you worked for, your plans and your dreams all get taken away from you overnight.

    No matter how old or young you are, hang in there. It's probably going to get worse before it gets better, but don't let others bring you down with them.

    You may slip into suicidal thoughts. You may already have. But that doesn't have to define you and you don't have to give in.

    Don't punish yourself for getting down. Just get back up.

    Fight this. Fight it with everything you have for however long it takes.

    This will pass. You will succeed.

    ​

    EDIT: Spelling, additional statement.

    submitted by /u/rexruther99
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    I want to work for myself- experience in the culinary/service industry but am tired of being a slave to a restaurant.

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 10:54 AM PDT

    I have a degree in culinary arts and have been working in restaurants for the last 13 years. I've worked mainly as BOH, line cook, sous chef positions, but have been a restaurant manager the last 4 years and miss having a creative outlet. Every job I've had the last 13 years I have worked 5-6 days a week and can take a week off at the most once or twice a year. I want to travel. I want to answer to myself. I don't want to own my own restaurant or have to be tied down to a specific city. I want to feel creatively fulfilled and reach my full potential.

    Any recommendations of jobs where I can work for myself and have some freedom finally?

    Currently have 35k in savings.

    submitted by /u/grandmas_beachouse
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    How would a local brick and mortar business get their first 100 customers?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 01:41 PM PDT

    If you're running a tech company, you could easily advertise and cold call/email until eventually you have enough people.

    But for a local brick and mortar business, you're quite limited as you can only reach out to your network so many times and you can only cold call/email a limited amount of people before you've called everyone in the town?

    So how would you do it?

    submitted by /u/Jackofspxdes
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    Are there any guides (step by step) for forming companies in places like Seychelles, Belize, etc.?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 01:16 PM PDT

    I know I can pay a "company formation" company, but I'm guessing it's much cheaper if I just file the paperwork myself.

    Thanks for your advice.

    submitted by /u/TuckerMcInnes
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    I can't do the corporate grind anymore... I've been saving money for 8 years waiting for the right opportunity to start my own business, and I think I finally found it. Only problem is I don't have experience in opening a mini convenience/grocery/essentials market. Am I naive to think I can do this?

    Posted: 30 Aug 2020 04:32 PM PDT

    I recently moved out of New York City to New Jersey and my neighborhood is essentially all new condos and apartment buildings (and they are building more). One thing I noticed almost immediately was that there was no bodega, pharmacy, or convenience store within A MILE of where we are. There are 7 buildings in the immediate vicinity with about 150-300 units a pop -- it's a essentially a mini-commuter town to NYC.

    I've only been here a month and i've already had to go two days without deodorant, cook without garlic, ran out of salt, multiple un-satiated sweet tooth cravings, no limes for tequila shots, no stevia for coffee, and the list goes on. Maybe it's because I'm used to NYC where I can get anything within a block radius at 3 am, but I have to think a specialty market in this area would absolutely kill it. I buy most of my stuff on Amazon, but there's always those things you forget to buy or just need immediate gratification. I have to think others are in the same boat (the few neighbors i've spoken to are in agreement).

    It so happens there's a 1,300 square foot retail location that is on the market and they are asking for roughly 7k/mo for the space (directly across the street from my building). The only two concerns I have with the space is the landlord does not want to vent it (which means we can't cook) and I know that obtaining a license to sell beer & wine is going to be a long shot.

    The concept:

    1. Sell quality products without the insane markup.
    2. Sell the essentials (soap, deodorant, toilet paper, shampoo, etc.)
    3. Groceries (limited produce, meats, eggs, milks, spices, etc.). I'd love to eventually source packages of produce locally -- apparently New Jersey has a vibrant farm to table industry.
    4. Milkshakes, juices, coffees
    5. Sandwiches. My mother makes amazing sandwiches, would offer a small menu.
    6. Pre-made meals. Have a cousin who is a chef and makes incredible delicious healthy meals.
    7. Artisan pet food (everyone here has a dog and the median income according to the census is 150k, looks like they treat these animals better than a child.)

    Additional info:

    1. My background is in marketing (on the technical side) for mega corporations and I have no experience in this type of business. That said, i'd like to think i'm business savy... I've been able to establish a successful consulting company (outside of the 9 to 5) and some other ventures that have done OK, however nothing that has been able to liberate me from my reliance on the corporate salary.
    2. Is there data out there to help people entering the grocery, mini-mart, convenience store market to help with figuring out what items sell best and where to source it?
    3. I've done some preliminary research on distributors and it looks like there's no shortage of them.

    Would love to hear feedback:

    1. Am I in over my head here?
    2. Has anyone else ever been in a similar situation where they successfully started a business unrelated to their background?
    3. Anyone with experience in this particular sector? Good or bad?
    submitted by /u/drqban
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    Does a simpler sales process make cold calls easy?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:17 PM PDT

    If you have a more straightforward sales process and you have a chance to do sold sales calls. Would you choose to do it? This is what I would do:

    If you don't have to cold call, don't do it. You might have to cold call. You're going to have to send some cold emails. Yes, of course. But don't do it unless you have to. See if there's someone who can introduce you. Now, if you have a client that you've done a fabulous job for and they love you.

    They are going to be an excellent reference for you. Referrals are going to make an introduction that will help you get the sale. Whenever possible, get a referral, get someone to make an introduction for you, and also to brag a little bit about you and what you did for them so that that person, that prospect is very interested.

    submitted by /u/Ampliz-Binge
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    Taking lower paying job to pursue my business

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 09:50 AM PDT

    I'm currently in the marketing industry and I absolutely hate it now. I dread work every morning and the moneys not all that great for all the work I do. I'm 22, still in college, and make around 30k at this job before taxes. I'm thinking of quitting and getting a waiting or bartender job to free up my time to peruse my own business. I've been building websites and doing SEO since highschool and really feel like I'd be cheating myself if I didn't try to make it my own thing. Especially since now this job takes up so much time and energy that by the end of the day I'm burnt out and don't have much motivation for my side hustles anymore.

    I have about $500 in bills a months and almost $10k saved. Any of you guys been in a similar situation?

    submitted by /u/taco-de-moto
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    Thinking of starting a dog "hiking" business

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 11:16 AM PDT

    I live in a mountain community that is very close to a major city and I am seriously entertaining the idea of starting a dog walking business - but instead of walking, we go hiking with dogs. We pick dogs up, take them to the mountains and hike with them for a few hours, then bring them home.There are some others who are currently doing this and charge between $60-$80 per dog.I've ran a catering company before and a brewery, so I am no stranger to business. I just wanted to put it out there in this community and see what others thought on scalability and if this sounds like a viable business. Startup costs would be a van for transport (could lease or finance), van wrap, dog crates, business logo, website, insurance, etc.

    submitted by /u/eagerdreams
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    I am in College and I have hit a crossroads. Please help me.

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 10:55 AM PDT

    Hi there, I am a college student and I am about to complete my Associate degree in Business Administration. I am wary to take on debt, as I like having extra money in my bank account, and I have done well to keep it that way during my two years at community college.

    I want to continue on and do a Master's eventually, but I cannot decide between Business Administration or switching paths into full on Computer Science. I feel that I have a decent amount of knowledge on growing a successful business and that if I am going to switch majors that now is the time to do it.

    I realized during my time at college that many successful businesses were built by harnessing new technologies, or at the very least were strongly aided by the internet/web.

    I know that to run a tech business does not necessarily mean that I have to be a Master of Computer Science but do you all think that having that type of degree would help, even if I did not want to start a tech company, or do you all think I should simply take some web design courses on the side.

    I figure that even if my entrepreneurial ventures fail having a technological background would be a good fallback in terms of a career.

    I hope that this post is relevant to this sub and also any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks!

    submitted by /u/crgaff112
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    I can’t focus on one thing and trying to do too many things at a time. How can I sort this mess that I have created for myself? Please help.

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 01:09 PM PDT

    Just a little background. I started doing digital marketing for my real estate business 2 years ago. I got really good at it especially PPC and Website building using Wix and WordPress. That is because I'm already highly tech savvy and creative.

    In the last few months, I learned WordPress in detail and made a website for my own business. Then I thought that why not make websites for other people because I'm really good at it. (Due to Covid my RE business took a bad hit, so I thought it will be a good alternative source of income for me)

    But when I started to learn more and more about digital marketing, I started doing a lot of things together. Then I learned about affiliate marketing and started building a blog first about real estate, then a second one about a totally unrelated niche. Then I started running PPC ads for two clients and making WP websites for 4 other clients (all different industries). I'm able to manage this by managing my time and the business is coming in so I'm not complaining.

    The problem is that I'm becoming a jack of all trades and master of none. I'm not able to focus on one niche. I really like making websites so I thought that I'll focus on it but when I started building a website for my Digital marketing business, I can't resist listing my other skills in it too.

    When I think about focusing on a niche lets say making websites only for Real Estate because thats my expertise, then I am limiting my scope and also there is conflict of interest with other realtors.

    So should I just focus on website designing for clients and my two affiliate blogs? Or do I start white labelling PPC and provide a full service Digital marketing solution to clients? Most of my clients are startups and small businesses.

    I'm totally lost and confused. What would be the best course of action for me?

    submitted by /u/AcceptRookies
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    I have some money available to help my business grow, but I’m not sure how.

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 09:10 AM PDT

    I have $20,000 available to grow my business, but no clear idea how to use it.

    I started a hot sauce business this year that kinda picked up and has had somewhat steady sales for a few months. Now I have access to some extra funds and I would like to help my business grow, but I don't have a clear business plan or idea on how to use the money to help it.

    I know $20k is not a lot of money so I want to use it wisely rather than blow right throw it.

    Any and all advice will be highly appreciated!

    submitted by /u/thatoneguyr
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    How are you marketing ?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:48 PM PDT

    Hey I just wanted to know what're your guys best marketing tactics to get your brand out there? ive looked over this whole thread but couldn't find a marketing thread and that's the most important thing for a business

    submitted by /u/XclusiveGaming-
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    Which website builder is better for my specific business?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:44 PM PDT

    We provide a very specific service to a very niche section of the market. I am looking for a couple of specific things in the website builder, and then some other things that would be nice but not needed.

    It most have;

    1 - After the client selects the service they want, they most fill a form. This form needs to be easy to customize and has to be mandatory (Otherwise we won't be able to provide the client with the service) it should appear after selecting the service, but before paying.

    2 - Coupon utility. (So that I can offer new and returning clients discounts without having to change their orders manually)

    3 - All the things mentioned above and below must be easily doable using in built tools, with no coding necessary (I must be able to do it myself)

    Things that would be nice;

    2 - In built payment provider. So I don't have to sign up with anyone else just to do this.

    3 - Clients being able to create an account, request the service, and getting updates about the service on their profile.

    4 - Work and management integration tools so I can see (Similar to the client) the state of services, who is currently doing what, and who is staying behind schedule (Services most be provided in a certain time frame)

    5 - Free retention tools (Like automatic emails to my clients that give them promotions, wish them well on special occasions, ask them for feedback, etc)

    ​

    I was thinking of square space, because presentation is everything in my business and I don't have that much money right now to pay an actual website developer. It needs to look clean, professional, simple and must be easy to change so that I can do it myself.

    ​

    I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and ideas.

    submitted by /u/VeniVidiLusii
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    Is there sub like this with more progress and action oriented?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:41 PM PDT

    Not ideas or rants or any shit like that.

    submitted by /u/mickey__
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    Grocery Delivery Business Idea Validation - Help me please!

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:35 PM PDT

    Hey all,

    I'm building a business plan for ethnic grocery delivery business where I will be selling ethnic grocery food to people through a website but the idea is that I'm only the middle man. So we list the grocery store's items online and have a small markup on it (0-10%), the items are actually just bought at the time of order from a nearby ethnic store and delivered to the customer's house.

    Currently how I think we can make money is through:

    1. Listing items (0-5)% above shops prices.
    2. Charging shops in the future after business thrive to subscribe with us. So if we do a lot of traffic through them, we'll start charging them a subscription fee.
    3. Charging a fixed low cost delivery.
      Note:Doing all the shopping and deliveries in a specific city as a start and doing it all on one day. So we cut delivery and marketing cost.

    So overall the customer will still be getting the service at a good price. Compared to:

    1. Buying physically in person will be cheaper but its a lot of effort since this ethnic food type isn't available everywhere, probably need to drive for like 30min+in some places outside of major hubs.
    2. Buying online at the moment is much more expensive than in person.

    I've done a survey in my local community and got some validation that this service will be very interesting, from about 50 responses, 80%+ said that if this is offered at a competitive price, they'll prefer it over going to the store in person as long as the same products and product quality is offered.

    However,I'm still struggling to find and estimate how to scale this in the future as my margins will be very low. For example, for a 30£ list, I'll be making 5-6£ in revenue. But then I (or the driver) will have to drive and pick up the items + fuel cost. As the main advantage here is pricing (I know my community likes a good service at a low price :D), how can I get this to become profitable?

    I've been thinking about this for a long time now and just can't figure it out and I feel that's one of the main things holding me back from starting and committing to it.

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/BONDOG_A-330
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    Failed entrepreneurs, what is your story?

    Posted: 30 Aug 2020 11:01 PM PDT

    I'm sure we would all love to know! Big failures or small, I'm curious!

    submitted by /u/TinTinandHaddock
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    Suggestions for web news platform with good e-commerce integrations

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:05 PM PDT

    I am looking at different platform options for news/blog website and need it to be able to handle a very large number of existing articles, and would like be able to have an integration for e-commerce /drop-shipping in the same platform (or an integrated platform). Does anyone have any experience with this or recommendations on what platforms to look at or avoid? Thanks!

    submitted by /u/thatdude391
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    Help with Facebook and LinkedIn ad spending

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:03 PM PDT

    Hey all, I'm working with a doctor who's trying to bring a new kind of customer into her practice. I'm looking into targeted Facebook and LinkedIn ads that speak to this new demographic she's wanting to bring in, but I don't have much experience with them at all. I know you can set as large or as small a budget as you want, but I want to come to her with a POV on the minimum amount of money she should budget for it to be worth her while. Anyone have any advice?

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/oopsie_dum_didley
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    Recently Launched MVP. Where do I find Early Adopters in Journalism/Blogging?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 11:58 AM PDT

    Hello, I've recently launched the MVP of my product that allows anyone to annotate online articles (news, blogs, articles, etc), build a subscriber base, and launching soon monetize that subscriber base similar to the way Substack does it (free + premium tier content).

    I'm having trouble finding people who are open to participating as an early adopter. My target audience, at least to begin with, are people who share a lot of news on Twitter/FB, journalists and bloggers that want a new form content creation/distribution/monetization.

    Everyone I reach out to thinks the idea is cool/interesting/useful but says it probably isn't something they personally need right now. I've also signed up for sites like BetaList/etc and they all takes months for approval. ProductHunt launch didn't get me anything.

    Thoughts? Am I targeting the right audience? Do they gather somewhere I don't know of?

    submitted by /u/RizzutosNOTAWORD
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    I don't understand - My Target Users LOVE the idea but my CUSTOMERS aren't interested!

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 11:07 AM PDT

    Hello

    I am a college student, first of all. I have decided to undertake entrepreneurship as I leave college because almost every source I've read says that now is the time to build a business. I have designed a product based on the needs of my peers. It is an education product that I want to sell to universities. I worked on it every day in my dorm prior to virtual learning, so I received feedback from users on my designs every day. Now that virtual learning has sprung in, I feel a bit lost. I have redesigned the product to work in virtual environments, and my peers are still excited about it. I have one person who researches academic technology products from my school who is loving the idea. But for some darn reason, I can't seem to sell anyone else on it. I want to have at least one guaranteed customer before I build anything. I am very bummed right now because I know that the people I designed this for (students) WANT the product but I can't seem to convince the universities to actually do something about it. Maybe start a petition? Not sure. Please help.

    ​

    Ryan

    submitted by /u/FatherOfReddit
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    I want to write a book of memoirs. Who do I introduce this idea to or submit a test chapter to see if it would gain interest?

    Posted: 31 Aug 2020 10:44 AM PDT

    I'm not anyone special or famous, but think I have some entertaining stories to tell that would appeal to a large demographic. Maybe not, who knows. How would I go about "pitching" my idea to someone to see if it would be worth my while?

    submitted by /u/grandmas_beachouse
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