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Hi, Siwei here.
I am a contributor at several national and regional publications, some of them include:
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Why I Started This Site?
I started this site because of a frustrating coffeehouse conversation with a tech company.
The management team talked about their visions, their strategies for half an hour, then I asked “How’s that gonna help drive revenue? Let’s focus on getting Acme Corp as a customer instead.”
Management team: “Mm...You’re not helping.”
I was frustrated. Since when focusing on financial results wasn’t helping?
Conversations like that make me want to bang my head against the wall. Since then, I’ve been testing and sharing my learnings on this site.
We’ve heard too many “expert advice” to start and grow a business:
It sounds so simple as if you build a product, customers would magically appear and beg to give you their money.
If you’re looking for this kind of “magic bullets”, please leave NOW. You’ll save some time for both of us.
The management team talked about their visions, their strategies for half an hour, then I asked “How’s that gonna help drive revenue? Let’s focus on getting Acme Corp as a customer instead.”
Management team: “Mm...You’re not helping.”
I was frustrated. Since when focusing on financial results wasn’t helping?
Conversations like that make me want to bang my head against the wall. Since then, I’ve been testing and sharing my learnings on this site.
We’ve heard too many “expert advice” to start and grow a business:
- “Get on Facebook, start tweeting. Oh, don’t forget blogging!”,
- “You need SEO”, or
- “You need to re-design your website”
It sounds so simple as if you build a product, customers would magically appear and beg to give you their money.
If you’re looking for this kind of “magic bullets”, please leave NOW. You’ll save some time for both of us.
Problems With Those “Expert Advice”
Problem #1: You’re building fancy marketing strategies for customers only existing in your imagination.
Is it really necessary to build complex marketing strategies for the customers you don’t have?
Instead, you should focus on getting 1/10/100 customers first. Do you really need to spend 30 hours on social media to do that? Once you get X customers (it depends on your situation), you know that there’s a market for your product. Then you can try those fancy marketing strategies.
In a word: Don’t worry about the fancy strategies when you don’t have a customer yet.
Problem #2: They sound simple and easy to be crossed off your to-do list, but they often require 10 other sub-tasks you don’t understand.
For example, I have people offering me tons of SEO advice. But they always conveniently forgot to mention how long it takes for SEO to work. I’ve never bothered to think about SEO because I know I have more fundamental things to focus on right now.
Another example is social media.
In a word: Be alert of those high-level, generic advice.
What you should be doing: Get your 1/10/100 customers.
I will be explaining more details in my upcoming presentation at High Tech Rochester Launch Pad. If you don’t have access to it, sign up for my FREE private newsletter and you’ll receive some of the materials, including:
• Is your good idea a PROFITABLE idea?
• Taking it to the streets--You can’t do business sitting in your chair
• Detailed case studies and Q&As
Is it really necessary to build complex marketing strategies for the customers you don’t have?
Instead, you should focus on getting 1/10/100 customers first. Do you really need to spend 30 hours on social media to do that? Once you get X customers (it depends on your situation), you know that there’s a market for your product. Then you can try those fancy marketing strategies.
In a word: Don’t worry about the fancy strategies when you don’t have a customer yet.
Problem #2: They sound simple and easy to be crossed off your to-do list, but they often require 10 other sub-tasks you don’t understand.
For example, I have people offering me tons of SEO advice. But they always conveniently forgot to mention how long it takes for SEO to work. I’ve never bothered to think about SEO because I know I have more fundamental things to focus on right now.
Another example is social media.
In a word: Be alert of those high-level, generic advice.
What you should be doing: Get your 1/10/100 customers.
I will be explaining more details in my upcoming presentation at High Tech Rochester Launch Pad. If you don’t have access to it, sign up for my FREE private newsletter and you’ll receive some of the materials, including:
• Is your good idea a PROFITABLE idea?
• Taking it to the streets--You can’t do business sitting in your chair
• Detailed case studies and Q&As
Join other 200+ entrepreneurs on my email list.
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Look at the results people have gotten:
Finding Opportunities In A Declining Industry
Siwei and her expertise helped me figure out the opportunities and risks that existed in my new business. Siwei’s above and beyond approach helped me to be more confident and credible as a business owner.
Ashley Laughlin
CEO, Laughlin Design Studio Ltd.
CEO, Laughlin Design Studio Ltd.
Winning In An Unfavorable Situation
It was not a pre-planned issue, it just happened and led me into taking ACTION - which I believe your blog promotes to your readers.
- Dick R., private newsletter member
Groveland, NY
Groveland, NY