Posts Tagged ‘custom made business owner’

Turning entrepreneur is a definitive move for sure and deciding to launch your own business might not be the easiest decision.  But staying in business and keeping the faith can be a little tricky and difficult particularly when things don’t seem to be going your way.

Here is some food for thought to help you along the way…

Don’t be Afraid to Work Hard

I find that the harder I work the more luck I seem to have.  (Thomas Jefferson)

Be Prepared to Struggle

He who finds diamonds must grapple in mud and mire because diamonds are not found in polished stones they are made.  (Henry B Wilson)

Forget About Security

There is no security on this earth only opportunity.  (Douglas Macarthur)

Be Open to Experimentation

Never be afraid to do something new.  Remember, amateurs built the Ark; professionals built the Titanic (Anonymous)

What’s that they Say about Attitude?

There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.  (William J Bennett)

The real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better.  (Barbara Pletcher)

A custom made business provides buyers with unique, one of a kind products, services or experiences that cannot be replicated or are difficult to replicate.  Contrary to common belief you don’t have to be a genius to establish a custom made business.

Almost every product can be customized to suit the needs and requirements as well as budget of an individual buyer.  Make no mistake ideas and inspirations are not the only driving forces of a custom made business.  It takes a lot of hard work to become a successful entrepreneur and this holds true in case of managing a custom made business.

Here a few important questions you need to ask yourself to determine whether you are ready to become a custom made business owner…

Have You Identified a Niche?

The allure of a customized product lies in the fact that it is “like no other”.  There’s just one or a few (in case of limited edition pieces) of custom made products and that is really why people opt for them.  The thing with standardized products is that you will find many “just like that” and owning one will certainly not make you stand out in a crowd. 

So have you found your niche?  Are you game for a custom made product or service in food, fashion, lifestyle, advertising, photography, accessories, apparel or footwear?  Let’s say you want to enter the food business then what is it that you would like to make your niche?  Exclusive wedding cakes, divorce cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes or just bread? 

Sharpen your focus first and find your niche!

What’s Your Target Market?

Successful marketing is all about defining customer needs.  But the fact is…how will you define customer needs if you don’t know who your customers are? 

Customer profiling should be the first thing you do after zeroing in on a business idea.  Ask the all important question…who is my customer?  A focused approach towards customers will help you determine whether or not your product will find takers and if you do who they will be.

Great Ideas Are Nothing without Buyers.  That’s why you need to work on a customer profile…

Who is your customer?

Define in terms of gender, age, income, occupation, lifestyle choices, liabilities, assets and so on. 

Are You A Good Listener?

As a person who creates products or services that are made to order, you have to be a good listener.  A customized business involves creating a one of a kind product that is tailor made for just one person.  This is precisely why you have to be a good listener.

You have to be willing to listen to what the customer wants, needs and expects instead of imposing your own views on him or her.  If you are a hair dresser you need to talk to a client about his lifestyle, tastes, preferences, perceptions and ability to maintain a particular look.

You don’t simply give him a hair cut which looks good on a model in an advertisement and which the client thinks will look good on him.  You should take time to talk to him and explain that his face and the models’ face are different and that’s why what he thinks is best for him might not be a good idea.

Help clients to look at things practically, inform them about trends and styles but do this gently and listen first!

What’s Your Support System?

When you start off your entrepreneurial journey you might have to play “the one man army” and do most things all by yourself.  But as your business grows you will need a good support system in place and by this I don’t mean family and friends to support you and perk you up when you are feeling low.

A support system refers to your employees and linkages that you need to establish to get your product from your workshop or factory to your customer.  Let’s say you are a fashion designer your support system will comprise of suppliers (fabric accessories, etc), embroiderers, tailors, master cutters, sales staff and courier services. 

Researching and establishing contacts with reliable people to partner with is a good idea and is in fact the first step in building your support system 

Are You Determined to Persevere? 

Setting out to service a niche market with a customized product or service in particular is a move that calls for lots of perseverance and self-belief.  Driven by the determination that each time you launch a product or deliver a service you can do it in a better and varied manner so that no element of repetition comes in…isn’t that a firmness that just a few mavericks have?

When everyone else doubts that there is light at the end of the tunnel a custom made business owner is spurred on by self-belief.  It is only when you believe in your ideas that other people will believe in you. 

If you are game to set up your own custom made business TheOneOfAKindPreneur brings you a free e-book “The Stuff Custom Made Business Owners Are Made Of” to keep you stay on track with your entrepreneurial journey.

I have also launched an email consultancy program “Mentoring for Custom Made Business Owners” to help you refine, define, focus and brand your custom made business.  Please fill up the contact form on this site to get in touch with me for further details. 

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