I don’t think there is a bigger fear for a start-up entrepreneur than the fear of not having sales. While most entrepreneurs begin by doing something they already do as a hobby or for another business, you never know if it’s going to work.
But actually, you are selling even before the first product or service hits the market. As Dr. Paul E. Adams says in one ho his articles, “As an entrepreneur, you begin your sales career the moment you give birth to the idea of your company. You will need to sell your idea to your spouse, your sources of money, your suppliers, your landlord, and your new employees.”
So, what about selling your first product? Just be different and you will make sales. Here is what I’ve found out today while visiting the Museum of Natural History. At the entrance we had a big poster with the invitation to visit an exhibition about tropical fish for a modest fee. Being an amateur aquarist since few years now, we decided to visit the exhibition (that took place inside the Museum).
After visiting, near the exist, a guy introduced himself to us (was doing the same with everybody) and after a little chat about the exhibition, I found out that he has just started the aquariums business and he didn’t even have everything set for sales – he could accept orders for aquariums in about 2 weeks from now.
But what is so exceptional about this to make it a subject for a start-up blog? Well let’s think about it the other way around. What if he would have started his business in a regular way, opening a shop, build the stock and then wait for 6 months for some visitors to come? That would be a certain death for such a business.
He started differently. With an exhibition in a Museum where a lot of children come. And what children want? To have an aquarium. Where to ask about having an aquarium? Well, right there. So does he need to wait for the first sales? Nope. The first sales were right there, just because he did it differently.
Note: Dr. Adams is Professor of Business Administration Emeritus at Ramapo College where he was a founding faculty member and the creator and founder of the college’s business program. Adams has worked for large and small companies, all of which gives him a broad base of business experience.
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