This week’s newsletter is all about WHO, WHAT, WHY, and ABLS. I have to ask, were you there fighting over the Stanley Mugs at Target? Or, did your eyeballs roll into the back of your head so hard you’ve had a migraine for two days?
Meme: IYKYK
I don’t know about you, but when I started my business I way overshot my projections. I thought I had it all figured out. I thought I would unlock the doors on the first day and people would be running into the yoga studio like they fight for Stanley Cups at Target. I thought for sure they would post pictures at the studio like they do with their Starbucks drinks or dinner plates at restaurants….
Maybe you know this feeling….*deep sigh*
I’m sure you know each business needs a WHO, WHAT, and WHY.
WHO: Who are your customers? Who is buying your products?
WHAT: What are they buying? What have they done (membership, single product, buy a lot of stuff?)
WHY: Why are they buying? Why do customers make the decision to buy what they do, as in what are their needs?
Hopefully, I didn’t blow your mind with that one….
But seriously, I had all of those questions answered. I had my brand figured out. I had a logo. I had gorgeous photography and branding. I had a gorgeous space, well I still do have all of those things. No one came running in, and they still don’t. Finding leads and marketing my business, takes serious work - as I’m sure you probably know with yours.
Launch it and they will come, I read all over the internet. WRONG. You need to A-B-L-S, you need a marketing game plan, and you need time.
A - B - L - S
Always Be Launching Something
Not every entrepreneur is creative, we can save that for another email. Most likely though, you have a lot of ideas. What I’ve realized is that as entrepreneurs, we need to ABLS. Whether it’s as simple as a new playlist for group fitness classes, a podcast or newsletter to share your thoughts, or maybe a new color of mug to offer. You have to let your creativity out, but that doesn’t equal clients or cash money.
Did you know, the 10,000-step goal has no scientific backing and isn't real? It was thought to be created by a Japanese company that was selling pedometers in 1965. I-Min Lee, A professor of Epidemiology at Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, looked into the beginning of how this started, and she believes, after having conversations with Japanese researchers that the character of 10,000 looks similar to a man walking. Boom. Marketing on point for that company, they started a pedometer revolution. They got down to solving a problem, and honestly made it our problem with getting steps-in.
Did you know, the Stanley Cup went from $74 Million in 2019 to $750 Million in 2023? That’s a whole other f*cking zero added. They didn’t ABLS, Stanley used to only come in four colors, literally for 100 years they only made four colors. The Stanley Cup was originally used by pilots in World War II, and basically men who liked to do “outdoorsy” type things - omg they would DEF not like how I described them there, but you know what I mean.
Now, they ABLS, mostly new colors, and most recently, the partnership with Starbucks and Target that was absolute mayhem. They’ve totally changed their WHO, WHAT, and WHY.
So, how do we as small business owners, entrepreneurs, and go-getters be like those companies?
We match our values, authenticity, and uniqueness with our WHO, WHAT, and WHY. Then, take action on ABLS.
TAKE A REALITY INVENTORY:
Ask yourself this week: WHO, WHAT, and WHY for your business and then YOURSELF. Then, ask yourself what’s next for you to ABLS.
Ask for your business:
- WHO: Who is your customer, who is buying your product?
- WHAT: What are they buying? What have they done (membership, single product, buy a lot of stuff?)
- WHY: Why are they buying? Why do customers make the decision to buy what they do, as in what are their needs?
Ask for yourself, whether you are an entrepreneur, CEO, or SAHM (Stay At Home Mom)
- WHO: Who could do this task instead? - YOU ARE IN CHARGE, see this question as you are the customer and ask yourself, “how can you help her?”
- WHAT: What are you spending too much time doing, when you could be doing maybe something else? Are you full membership on not delegating a specific task? Or are you buying the product of getting your groceries delivered?
- WHY: What do YOU actually need this week? What is a problem that you are having that someone else can solve for you?
Then from there, you can formulate a game plan to start ABLS - maybe a towel folding training with your spouse or children, or go big and hire a virtual assistant! That will open you up to even more ABLS for your actual business!
I won’t lie, it’s hard to watch social media and people fighting for cups when you pour your blood, sweat, and tears into your business. But, we are bombarded with illusions of grandeur from social media, and sometimes from the outside it all seems so easy, “Launch it and they will come.”
Ask: WHO? WHAT? WHY? Then, start to ABLS - from self-care to new product offerings, and most importantly continue to take your reality inventory to keep your strategy for you and your company aligned.