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    Wantrepreneur Wednesday! - (September 02, 2020) Entrepreneur

    September 02, 2020

    Wantrepreneur Wednesday! - (September 02, 2020) Entrepreneur

    Wantrepreneur Wednesday! - (September 02, 2020)

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 06:10 AM PDT

    Please use this thread to ask questions if you're new or even if you haven't started a business yet.

    Remember to search the sub first - the answers you need may be right at your fingertips.

    Since this thread can fill up quickly, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts.

    submitted by /u/AutoModerator
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    Whelp. I quit my Engineering job during a pandemic shutdown to be a full time blacksmith.

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 05:48 AM PDT

    And holy crap business is booming.

    Some may remember my post earlier this year about planning to quit my job to be a full time knifemaker in the spring of 2022 to have perfect positioning and blah blah blah. Well guess what? It doesn't work like that. When it's time to make the jump, it's f**king time.

    I left my job 2 weeks ago and have been working nonstop since then. It seems like every day I have a new email asking for quotes or someone buying stuff off my website. My biggest fear was having too little work to sustain me which is totally not happening. I'm already making more than I did at my old job with all the freedom in the world to set my own priorities. And since things are accelerating so quickly, I may need to hire employees sooner than I originally thought.

    A few quick advice bullets for anyone trying to go down a similar path:

    • Validate your business
      • Make sure people actually want your product and they're willing to pay you enough to sustain you. The key to this is having something Rare and Valuable (Thanks "The E-myth") Lots of jewelry makers do "valuable" work that's not rare or niche artists that make something unusual like Fairy houses that's rare, but not really valuable. Not a knock on them, but I continually see artists getting frustrated when their product just isn't very viable. I totally stumbled on this by mistake. People kept buying stuff so I kept making stuff and the more people bought, the more I charged until suddenly people were paying me several hundreds of dollars for a knife equivelent to a KAbar or heavy gerber
    • Understand your customer
      • This one is simple for me. My clients crave authenticity and individuality. My knives and myself are a conduit for which they can realize their self-perception. And to be clear, I am part of the product myself. By being friendly and kind and *authentic* I close the gap between lifeless steel and human spirit. I think this extends to a lot of things today- most people are starved for kindness and authenticity and folding that into any market can only help
    • build your infrastructure before you take the jump
      • If you're like me, I didn't have $25k in savings to live on if my business didn't make a profit. I spent 3 years growing my hobby/side hustle- buying equipment, building websites, going to festivals, and developing the skills. Once I decided to go full time, I spent a ton of time developing my own expense and revenue reports, quote generators, business plan, growth plan etc. You don't want to be dealing with that stuff once you're in it for real.

    And that's where I'm at now- full time and pulling in tons of revenue despite the COVID shutdown. Ask me anything below; but I may not respond immediately since I have lots to do in the forge today!

    submitted by /u/bes5318
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    A handy list of resources to help you improve your copywriting and persuasion skills

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 05:32 AM PDT

    Copywriting Books you must read If you're serious about improving your copywriting skills.

    Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples
    A classic written by advertising legend John Caples. Originally published in 1932, but all the copywriting principles Caples teaches are still relevant in 2020. Because as John Caples said: "Times change. People don't. Words like 'free' and 'new' are as potent as ever. Ads that appeal to a reader's self interest still work. People may disagree about what self improvement is important, but we all want to improve ourselves."

    The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells by Robert W. Bly
    This book is a good introduction to copywriting. Robert W. Bly reveals a bunch of useful copywriting techniques. These techniques can help you write better copy for different mediums. From print ads, direct mail, brochures, PR materials, commercials, email marketing and writing for the web.

    D&AD. The Copy Book
    A bible for copywriters and creative directors. This book features a selection of ads and essays by some of the World's most forward-thinking advertising professionals. Including copywriting legends like Barbara Nokes, David Abbott, Dan Wieden, Neil French or Lionel Hunt.

    Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
    Written by the Founder of one of the World's best advertising agencies Ogilvy & Mather. Ogilvy reveals:
    ‍
    • How to get a job in advertising
    • How to choose an agency for your product
    • The secrets behind advertising that works
    • How to write successful copy—and get people to read it
    • Eighteen miracles of research
    • What advertising can do for charities
    And much, much more.

    Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
    Another classic. Written by Claude Hopkins, the father of modern advertising. If you want to write copy to win awards, don't read this book. But if you want to learn the psychology principles behind ads and copy that sell, this is a must-read. But don't take my word for it, read what Ad legend David Ogilvy once said about this book, "Nobody should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he has read this book seven times. It changed the course of my life."

    Websites and blogs about advertising & copywriting

    Copy Blogger
    A handy online go-to resource for copywriting and content marketing tips.

    VeryGoodCopy
    Great blog & newsletter written by copywriter Eddie Shleyner. Eddie will teach you hundreds of proven copywriting principles & techniques.

    Ad Teachings
    Created by Suzanne Pope. Suzanne teaches advertising at Humber College in Toronto, Canada, and she's been writing ads for 30+ years. Here you'll find thousands of great examples of good vs. bad copywriting. And also interesting insights about how to create advertising that sells.

    The Gary Halbert Letter
    Possibly some of the best copywriting advice & techniques you can read on the Internet. Oh, and it's 100% free! Written by Gary C Halbert, one of the most successful copywriters of all time.

    Gary Bencivenga's Bullets
    Read 29 short essays written by "the Michelangelo of direct mail copywriting". Packed with insightful tips on how to improve your persuasion powers.

    The Rant
    Free & damn good insight, advice, cross-talk & mutterings from copywriting legend John Carlton.

    Tools every copywriter must use. So you can get rid of the fluff, write more impactful words, and save precious time when you write copy.

    Hemingway App
    The closest thing you'll find to a human editor. This little web app tells you how to simplify your copy, and how to "make your writing bold and clear".

    Nishi
    A directory of websites with pretty, pretty, prettttaaaay good...copywriting. (Disclaimer: Nishi was created by moi.)

    Swiped
    A handy online swipe file collection of "profitable marketing & rare copywriting examples."

    Thesaurus
    A super handy tool to help you with grammar checking and synonym suggestions.

    Urban Dictionary
    If you want to write persuasive copy you must use your customer's words, not yours. That's why I recommend using Urban Dictionary. Because it's a ridiculously fun tool to find charming colloquialisms & the latest slang terms, like "nuke the fridge" or "rat-licker".

    Copy Ipsum
    A landing page template that shows you how write unignorable web copy. (Disclaimer: Copy Ipsum was created by moi.)

    P.S. I'm not including any links here otherwise this post might get marked as spam by r/Entrepreneur bots. So If you're interested in checking out any of these resources, just Google them.

    submitted by /u/kervokian
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    Best Process To Charge / Bill Clients Monthly? Auto Bill Solutions?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 11:59 AM PDT

    Hello Everyone,

    Recently, I've been doing website design work where I have charged by each individual project. I've now changed my business model to charge my clients on an ongoing monthly basis instead.

    What recommendations do you have for me that I can charge these clients automatically? Say on the 1st or 15th of every month.

    I would like to have this process as easy for my clients as possible, where they do not have to think about the payment.

    Similar to a Netflix subscription, their payment would come out the same way for my services.

    Is there an efficient way to do this?

    Thanks for the insight! Cheers

    submitted by /u/adamuss
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    Made a Summary of The $100 Startup By Chris Guillebeau. Hope it's useful here...

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 09:17 AM PDT

    I made this into an animated video, if you'd like to watch it, here's a link: https://youtu.be/Cqa1LqahOLE

    ​

    If you're prefer to just read, here's the video script...

    ​

    The $100 Startup By Chris Guillebeau

    The Book's Main Idea

    "This book is for those who take action and those who provide the inspiration."

    Chris Guillebeau

    The $100 Startup is a business-centric book whose aim is to help prospective entrepreneurs become aware of the challenges that come with creating a successful small business that generates enough revenue to allow the entrepreneur to escape the 9-5 rat race and start living a 'rich' life.

    "The new reality is that working at a job may be the far riskier choice."

    Chris Guillebeau

    A look at the main ideas shared in the book

    The book shares the following main ideas:

    1: Passion + good business sense is the magic formula

    "The missing piece is that you usually don't get paid for your hobby itself; you get paid for helping other people pursue the hobby or for something indirectly related to it."

    Chris Guillebeau

    The secret to all success is simple really: capitalize on your passions but do so with good business sense by looking into how you can turn your skills (or passion) into a workable and successful product/or service.

    Aim to strike what Chris calls convergence, a state where your skills or passions are valuable in the sense that they intersect with the things/elements other people find useful. If you can strike this convergence and from it, package your passion/skills into a service or product a specific audience would find invaluably useful—in that it serves a purpose such as helping solve a problem—you will create a successful business because:

    "Passion or Skill + Usefulness = Success

    Or

    "(PASSION + SKILL) –> (PROBLEM + MARKETING) = OPPORTUNITY"

    Chris Guillebeau

    For someone starting out in entrepreneurship—perhaps starting with $100 or less—to aim for this convergence, ask yourself, "Which skills or passions can I package into a valuable service," or "what am I good at that I can offer to a ready audience?"

    "Ask three questions for every idea: a. How would I get paid with this idea? b. How much would I get paid from this idea? c. Is there a way I could get paid more than once?"

    Chris Guillebeau

    2: Where great business ideas come from

    If you have ever wondered where great ideas come from, Chris offers invaluable insight. He notes, "Great ideas are everywhere. They are seized opportunities from an emerging technology, or a solution to a hidden or glaring problem."

    To find a great business idea, aim for convergence of your passion and what is useful to others, but also cultivate a deep understanding of your target audience not based on conventional targeting wisdom—targeting audiences based on age, gender, income, etc.—but based on what matters the most to the people you intend to serve:

    "What do people really, really want? At the end of the day, they want to be happy, and businesses that help their customers be happy are well-positioned to succeed."

    Chris Guillebeau

    3: Your success depends on the actions you take

    Success—business or otherwise—is not that complicated really. All you truly need to do is take action; yes, spend time planning—because failing to plan is planning to fail—but more importantly, spend more time acting. This is the secret to small business success.

    "There's nothing wrong with planning. But you can spend a lifetime making a plan that never turns into action. In the battle between planning and action, action wins."

    Chris Guillebeau

    We are fortunate enough to live in an age where all the information we could ever need to succeed in our lives and businesses is readily available to us. At the click of a button, you can test business ideas, launch a microbusiness, and grow it into a thriving business. Without action, however, creating any sort of business success is impossible because:

    "Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work."

    Chris Guillebeau

    Being an entrepreneur or microbusiness owner calls for what Chris calls, "planning as you go" or "bias towards action." This means finding that convergence and then getting started with implementing your idea right away by creating and launching a prototype of your product/service. With the product/service in play, you can "learn and plan as you go" and scale your business.

    Conclusion

    All business success comes from action taken at the right time. As long as you can create something a specific audience will find valuable, you can create a low-startup cost business around it.

    If you liked this please consider subscribing.

    Thanks for reading, have a great day!

    submitted by /u/alwaysimproving95
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    Do you use nootropcis to boost your output?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 06:13 AM PDT

    I've been using nootropcis occasionally to help me get more done in less time for the last 8 months

    I've been working since 4am and I'm currently on my 10th hour straight. I've got more done today than I would in 3 normal days and I feel great (although it's now starting to wear off and I'm getting tired).

    My normal workday is between 4 and 6 hours and I'm normally pretty good for intense, focused work sessions. But every now and then (usually once a month), and when I have a lot to do, I have a nootropic day, tell my wife I'm not available for the day, get up early and work for 12 hours solid.

    Does anyone else use them? How do you find them? How do you use them?

    (I am not endorsing using nootropics to anyone. I use them at my own calculated risk and will not recommend any medications to anyone)

    submitted by /u/chalky87
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    How Do I Create An Artwork Submission Form?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 11:22 AM PDT

    Hey r/Entrepreneur,

    For a little side project I'm working on I'm building an authority site on Unicorns. I've started to build a community and have been featuring a lot of artists' work while giving credit of course. I want to create a page & Contact form of some kind that would allow people to submit their Unicorn artwork but I'm a bit confused about how best to go about this. I have a WordPress website.

    I'd also like to try and make it as resistant to spambots as possible. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    submitted by /u/Austiniuliano
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    How to Test Product

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 11:00 AM PDT

    Hey everyone! I've been lurking this page for awhile and finally decided to go ahead and test launch a product. I have started a Shopify store with my inventory and an IG/FB page.

    I saw a post the other day that said to see if the product would sell before putting it into production. I thought, hey, that's a great idea! That way I wouldn't be spending lots of money initially for a product that wouldn't sell, right?

    So now I need to figure out the best way to do that. The product is a candy supplement and I'm not sure how to put my product out there to advertise to see how many clicks it receives and selling capability.

    Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!!

    submitted by /u/uniq0rn_qlitter
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    TheGoodPoints company! Need help to validate our idea!

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 10:44 AM PDT

    A VC in Stockholm have challenged myself and fellow entrepreneurs to generate interest in a new company concept...in less than 24 hours!!

    I ask that you click on the link below and then sign up using a simple name. The company with the most people registered wins - simple as that!!

    And who nows...maybe this business gets built?!

    Thank you!!

    Note that no email address is required just a name (feel free to use your Reddit name or any name)

    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKmB2o7QAE8e2dvnFTzA17HUIhM_JiIlHfutRo3sw05FIx0A/viewform

    submitted by /u/maikgenx
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    No Applications/Interviews, Instant Job Start, Let Long-Term Work Find You

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 02:09 PM PDT

    Hey Everybody! I am currently building a freelance worksite that eliminates all the problems I've faced with places such as Upwork and Fiverr (I am a freelancer too).

    1. I do not have time to go through millions of job posts and write customized cover letters for each job I end up applying to, only to hear back from 1 out of 40 of the jobs I applied to.
    2. I do not want to have to apply to jobs that end up never getting filled by anyone so I wasted my connects but more importantly, my time.
    3. I want work to find me instead of having to find work (I know Fiverr does this but it's not perfect), I would prefer to get hired right on the spot at the rate specified instead of getting haggled down.
    4. I want more long-term work instead of one-off projects. Now that I have been through the freelance wringer, many of my long term clients keep me on a retainer and those clients refer other clients to me. I wish I had this when I first started years ago!
    5. If I find a job that I want to work on, I want to be able to start it immediately instead of having to send in an application, wait for a response to the application, then an invite to an interview, and then finally an interview (which is usually a waste of time since I have gotten the job in 99% of cases that went to interview). If I am qualified/certified to do the work, there should be no layover and I should be able to start working right away.

    I am beta testing something that solves all of this and was wondering if any freelancers/companies would be interested in beta testing it out when its ready to go?

    submitted by /u/Duct-LLC
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    Have you used Alibaba?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 01:17 PM PDT

    How was your experience ordering from Alibaba? Considering placing a large order but I'm a bit apprehensive.

    Is there a chance I'm gonna get scammed? Have you ever not gotten an order or gotten it in poor quality?

    submitted by /u/Uncledowntown
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    Is there any space left to become a successful video game blogger?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 01:01 PM PDT

    Ever since I was school I've been a writer. I love to write and I really believe I have a great voice in my writing. Video games are my favorite hobby, my #1 passion and lifestyle. I don't want to work a 9-5 for the rest of my life.

    Is there any space left in video games to start a successful blog that will raise enough money through affiliate marketing, ad revenue etc? I want to write, not make a YouTube channel. I want to niche down but there are no relevant sub-niches that excite me. I don't have any particular game I play every single day like WoW or CoD. I love Xbox and I listen to gaming podcasts daily. Regardless, I'm willing to learn and write about something that may not immediately grab me.

    Has anyone had any success? Can anyone help me out? Thanks in advance to all of you.

    submitted by /u/warlocklevel69
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    How much time does selling infoproducts take up each day?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 12:56 PM PDT

    Let me explain: a friend of mine has been talking about selling a video course because he's convinced this is a surefire route to a lifestyle of short working hours and plenty of time to dick around at home.

    I'm not an entrepreneur, but I have enough common sense to know that running a business like he's describing will probably involve as much day to day work as a 9 to 5, if not more. But he won't take my word for it so I thought I'd see if anyone here might back me up. Thank you in advance.

    submitted by /u/dornerstanXoX
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    What kind of functionality in a software package would make your life easier (but you can't find it anywhere)? Anything goes, even if niche.

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 12:56 PM PDT

    What kind of tools or functionalities would make running your business easier or more profitable?

    Either general functionality (such as an all purpose marketing tool) or niche (eg: a management tool for beekeeping) or just single feature (eg: connect to a certain API and extract data in a certain way that you need).

    The reason I'm asking is because I'm interested in providing solutions to some of these problems (by creating custom software for general or private use).

    (not trying to sell you anything, I just need to learn of these unsolved yet problems).

    submitted by /u/mistersumperduper
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    One Funnel Away Challenge for individuals who don't own a business or have product/service?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 12:48 PM PDT

    Hi I am learning Marketing - am interested in working in the Marketing space - and am considering doing the One Funnel Away Challenge. Has Anyone done it despite not having a product/service to market? What was your experiences?

    submitted by /u/vstefan
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    Question for more experienced entrepreneurs: how do I chose between these two business ideas?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 02:59 AM PDT

    Hi, I have two ideas for potential businesses.

    Idea A is a about something I'm good at, but it's also a topic I don't love - however, the product can be created quickly.

    Idea B is about something I love, but it requires more time (and research) before the product can be ready.

    I've done some market research, and there's demand for both, but of course I won't know which one can be more successful until I test them.

    My question is: should I launch business A and then business B, or should I go straight to business B?

    Business A could in theory provide me with some cashflow that would allow me not to have a full time job, but I'm worried that I'll end up spending all my time running it / promoting it (and therefore I'll just end up delaying business B even more).

    Has anyone here been in this situation? Do you have any advice in terms of how to make a decision?

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/carlomatteoscalzo
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    30 Buying triggers you will need to remember before crafting your marketing message ... (According to Joe Sugarman) .. Can you add more to the list ?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 12:16 PM PDT

    30 Buying triggers you will need to remember before crafting your marketing message:

    1. Honesty and Integrity
    2. Credibility
    3. Value and Proof of Value
    4. Justify the Purchase
    5. Customers' Greed
    6. Establish Authority
    7. Satisfaction Conviction
    8. Nature of Product
    9. Prospect Nature
    10. Current Fads
    11. Timing
    12. Linking
    13. Consistency
    14. Harmonize.
    15. Feeling of Involvement or Ownership
    16. Desire to Belong
    17. Desire to Collect
    18. Curiosity
    19. Sense of Urgency
    20. Fear
    21. Instant Gratification
    22. Exclusivity, Rarity or Uniqueness
    23. Simplicity
    24. Human Relationship
    25. Storytelling
    26. Mental Engagement
    27. Guilt
    28. Specificity
    29. Familiarity
    30. Hope
    submitted by /u/jaiga99
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    Need to create a website to sell my products online. Where do I start?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 11:50 AM PDT

    I have no experience in creating a website. How did you go about it and do you have any recommendations? I don't really want to hire a developer and spends lots of money at this point. I am thinking about using a company like Wix or Squarespace to walk me through it at a decent price. Please share your advice or experience! Do's and dont's - etc. Thanks!

    submitted by /u/brd549
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    Accidentally named my business something similar to another one in the same industry. Please help.

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 08:02 AM PDT

    A couple months ago I started a company. It is called "Flower Mowing". It is a landscaping company. Well come to find out there is a business called "Flower Landscaping Service", obviously in the same industry and in the same local area. They have been around longer, and their website says "Copyright 2020" on it.

    "Flower Mowing", my company, has been registered as a DBA, as that is not the LLC's original name. We have not trademarked our name or logo yet either.

    Now, I would have no issue changing the name, but we just made uniforms, business cards, signs, our website, etc. and don't have a lot of capital to remake all of that stuff. Much less pay to re-file a new DBA and get a new business tax receipt.

    What do you think I should do?

    (I've changed the names here for obvious reasons)

    submitted by /u/hippy-lane
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    Could I become a successful small business owner with a mild cognitive disability and an IQ of around 80?

    Posted: 01 Sep 2020 02:33 PM PDT

    I got tested officially by psychologist and the report said I had cognitive deficits and an IQ of around 80. Granted I never really paid attention in school so i'm sure I could've scored higher had I studied more academic subjects. I'm just wondering if I could still be a successful small business owner.

    submitted by /u/cinnabun8145
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    [USA]If dropshipping a product, one still needs an llc, correct?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 11:28 AM PDT

    Curious about the legal side of dropshipping. Does one still need to get an llc? What would you suggest?

    submitted by /u/A_solo_tripper
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    I don't feel good about partnering up with this person. Thoughts?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 11:08 AM PDT

    This person wants to partner up with me but he told me he's suffering from depression and his lack of enthusiasm really shows. He has a negative outlook on things, not necessarily with the startup, but just with things in general. On the flip side, he's done a lot of professional work and has quality work. When it comes to this I know I can depend on him. I feel like it'd just really kill the mood to work with a Debbie Downer. Should I partner up with this person or not?

    submitted by /u/A4_Ts
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    Pulling the trigger - Found a Dev, now what?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 11:02 AM PDT

    I'm venturing off into the tech space and going to attempt to bring my idea to life. I've gotten much feedback and people want it.

    I found a full stack dev who's portfolio looks promising and coincides with what I'm looking to have done.

    Before I hire them, what should I be doing maybe on a more legal paper work side.

    Should I be hiring an attorney to draft up an NDA and anything that he develops is proprietary to me? Not exactly sure how all this works and looking for some proper guidance

    submitted by /u/IDidReadTheSideBar
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    I have a project idea, but no experience in making it

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 10:48 AM PDT

    Hi,

    I would like to create a travel booking site like aviator or get your guide, but with a concept that doesn't exist yet. However, I have 0 experience in starting a business like that. I don't really know how the backend works, mostly about money and booking functionalities (booking on my website should show on other websites that have the same tour and vice-versa).

    Do you know where I could get some help to start my business?

    Thank you

    submitted by /u/Nic727
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    Should I buy resell products online as a teen? Is this a good idea?

    Posted: 02 Sep 2020 10:30 AM PDT

    Last night I thought of the most genius thing: I had my eye on a sewing machine I wanted for several months bc it's been on sale for $650 since covid started (sewing has become popular during lockdown apparently). Its original price is $370, and I was able to purchase one on a reliable website for $400 last night. This thing is sold out everywhere and it sold out on the website by the end of the day.

    Then it hit me- I can buy a few machines and resell them online for $600 and make $200 profit each. I have $13k in savings and could buy a few machines before Christmas time. I guess this is essentially dropshipping, but this is legal right? How would I include this in my taxes? I'm 17

    submitted by /u/I_LOVE_ACID_
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