Getting people to like your stuff is hard
I’ve been running my own writing business for 8 years now. The hardest thing I had to deal with has been failure to deliver something that my client loves. But even that was easy to deal with compared with the difficulty of building something that is still intangible. How do you get people to like an Internet company that is just getting its feet wet?
I don’t know, but here’s what I’m trying.
Step 1. Test what you do.
Harry Chen was one of the first to challenge me after I pitched the business to him.
“Are you building the MVP?” asked Harry.
“Yeah,” I said while showing him the prototype and concept pieces.
“Try and build the business now, using existing tools like Slack and Excel. That way, you can see if there’s a demand.”
Excellent point. Why wait for the app before we build the business if I can start building the business now?
Step 2. Share what you do.
People like a good story. I know I do. Penelope Trunk is the best at telling you a great story (of her life) while teaching you things about business and relationships. Her transparency is what makes her stories so good.
Her pictures also help. So, what am I doing now?
Awake at 3 a.m. in my tiny humid Hong Kong apartment writing this post while juggling several other assignments.
Step 3. Keep improving steps 1 and 2.
See you tomorrow for this one.
