Starting a business is hard. Responding to emails, phone calls and inquiries really quickly is easy. And it also happens to be one of the few things almost completely within your control.
Before you worry about the complex stuff that needs to happen, make a commitment to speed. Speed wins because most people don’t make it a priority. If you do, getting your business off the ground will be that much easier.
Ask any freelance copywriter or designer what they think of referral sites like elance.com and guru.com. One phrase you’ll probably hear a lot, with a bit of eye rolling, is “price shoppers.”
Both these sites offer an online marketplace of creative talent, connecting highly skilled labor with the companies and employers who need it. Yet, the very efficiency that makes these sites useful creates a serious problem for the freelancers who use them. Continue reading
Any reasonably responsible 12 year old can walk a dog. Your neighbor can pet sit your cats. Most people are qualified to properly feed and care for healthy, well behaved pets.
So why should anyone be willing to pay you $20 to take their dog out for a tinkle? Or over $60 to sleep over when they’re gone? If most people are physically competent to do the job, why the need for professional dog walkers and pet sitters?
Because we don’t sell dog walking, or feeding, or cleaning litter boxes. Continue reading
