Three Acts of “Consistency” to Get Through Year One in Business
Your first year in business will make or break you. You will make mistakes in your first year, but the act of being consistent can’t be one of them. Being inconsistent will kill your business for sure. So in year one don’t attempt to do too much until you can master these three things:
1. Consistently deliver a quality product or service
Don’t make the mistake of offering too many products or services in year one of your business. Ideally, only offer one!
Think of the plates spinning analogy, before you start spinning the next plate, you must first make sure the first plate is spinning properly. After you start spinning the next plate, you still must go back and consistently check on the previously started plates to make sure they are still spinning correctly.
Check out this video to see how it’s done.
Spinning multiple plates is not for the faint of heart. So in your first year of business, focus on the act of consistently spinning one plate instead of focusing on the act of spinning multiple plates.
2. Consistently deliver a quality experience
Experience is not about what you do, it’s about how you do it. A consistent experience is how you build repeat customers who are willing to refer you to their friends. A consistent experience must include how you market and tell the story of your product, provide customer service, package your product, and gather customer feedback.
A consistent experience defines your brand. If you market your product as being upscale, charge upscale prices, but then go cheap on your packaging and customer service you failed. In year one of your business, do everything you can to nail how your customers experience your brand promise and then consistently maintain it and protect it like your life depends on it.
3. Consistently educate your customers on your unique selling proposition
Educate your customers not sell to your customers. I’m not saying don’t sell them, but sell them by educating them.
Educate them on the specific reasons “why” they would pick you over your competition. This “why” is your unique selling proposition.
For example, if you are a coffee shop that offers a specific type of coffee bean from a specific country in Africa, farmed a specific way, then your website and other marketing materials should be updated on a consistent basis with news and information about that coffee bean, about that specific location, and about that farming method.
In doing this, you will carve out a unique position in your industry and create your own PR engine. You will also provide your customers with the ammunition they need to help you go viral using word of mouth and social media. What’s more, by keeping your website updated with educational material related to your “why”, you will earn the trust of Google’s search algorithm and increase your search engine ranking for the key words that drive traffic to your business.