The Magic of Going Against the Norm

Choose to do things differently!

Sometimes you have to go against the norm. 

A little bit more than 6 years ago I started my 1st business. I did the “normal” marketing for that kind of business. After 2 months of nothing substantial coming out of it, I was ready to throw in the towel. I was beyond frustrated; I had lost money in what was standard marketing for that kind of business & since I was self-funding the business, I saw my saving getting depleted every day. I felt very defeated, I doubted my decision to quit my job to start my own business, I felt overwhelmed and hopeless. 

One Saturday morning when I was at my wit's end; still in bed at 10 am, something crossed my mind; “Put an ad on Craigslist.” I didn’t reason it out. I immediately got my laptop, sat up in my bed, drafted my ad on a word document, cut and paste it onto craigslist, and didn’t give it any other thought. I felt a fresh new strength; I had done what I have heard to stay away from and I had no expectation but I had chosen a one-ditch effort. Long story short, the next day I got a call from someone across the country needing my kind of services for their parent, 2 days later I had the first big commitment client. That client and family referred other people and until today my business is mainly from word of mouth through clients that one way or another had a connection with my first client or friend of a friend of the 1st client.

The moral of the story; to first-time entrepreneurs, be open to working differently than the “norm.” There is where you might find your first client(s).