In the past months, I’ve seen a lot of business claiming to fail because of Covid-19, but that’s not entirely true. Of course, for most physical businesses, it can be hard to stay on the line, because we all have to respect the social distancing guidelines, but how about creatives?
Like many other people out there, I work in a highly creative field, and I was lucky enough to be able to continue working from the comfort of my living room. Still, I see many other creatives blaming their fall on Covid-19. I’ll go ahead and tell you everything that’s wrong with that in one moment.
Why Is Your Business Failing?
Because new times require new ways of marketing, it’s time for all of us to adapt to a new and improved world, of course, in online. And there’s a place for everyone. Of course, I’m mostly talking about online stores, blogs, photographers, web designers, photographers, content writers, and basically everything that can be done online.
Personally I never understood why I’d have to go to work if I can do everything from where I am. Why commute and spend time in an office full of people that will only distract me? Well, I guess people are different, but let’s take a look at the reasons why most businesses fail.
1. You Didn’t Plan Enough
When I say planning, I’m talking about having a purpose and working towards it. So if you’re a newly established business, you first need to know where you’re going. Set a goal for yourself. Maybe you want to be the best content writer in a specific niche, maybe you want to be the best photographer in a specific area, maybe you simply want to share your knowledge and have people knowing you for that.
Before you do anything else, you need a purpose and a plan, in order to achieve that purpose.
2. You’re Being Stubborn
And it’s perfectly understandable. We all have moments when we completely refuse to reason and listen to another point of view, but that’s NOT right. In general, feedback is good. I take a lot of feedback, I give a lot of feedback, and the people I work with usually share the same values.
There’s always at least one point of view you didn’t pay attention to, and it may be the breaking point of your business. Some time ago, for example, I was convinced that all this ‘managing my own business’ wasn’t for me, even though I have a bachelor in Marketing and I thought I knew everything and wasn’t capable of doing something. All until my dearest friend got me back on the ground and made me realize that I’m actually made for it.
Don’t be stubborn, and listen to everyone. You don’t have to do what they say, but someone may come with a very pertinent opinion. Even better, if you think someone may be able to help you, give them a message. Make some connections and help each other!
3. You Scale Too Fast
And this can be easily tied to the first point, where I talked about planning. Scaling too fast can mean anything, from increasing your prices to adding new products. You need to make sure that you’re ready for a change. Don’t hire too many people, don’t increase your prices too fast and don’t try to push more and more features to your existing customers. Selling is an art, so you need to know how to do it.
4. You’re Not Unique
In a world where we have everything we need one Google search away if you want to stand out, you got to be unique. And creatives can do that. Most people don’t choose who they work with based on skills alone, but on the idea they are projecting. It’s all part of your brand, so if you want your brand to be very professional, you need to maintain that appearance.
We are all looking for specifics. I like certain photographers because they don’t fit in the patterns and I like certain bloggers because they have the courage to speak their minds. And after all, everyone likes something different. The good part is that we all have the freedom to choose whatever we like.
5. Working With The Wrong People
And this happens way too often. Do you know what happens when you work with the wrong people? Nothing good. When you choose someone to work with, you don’t only look at the prices, you take a look at their process, their results, and how they are as people.
I’ve outsources some projects before and I was not happy, but that was just because I didn’t know how to choose my partners back then. Now I’m happily going forward with some incredible collaborations and I know that I can always count on those people.
What Can You Do If You’re Failing?
Take a moment and rethink. See what’s not working and how you can fix it. If you manage to identify the problem from the start, then you can save everything and take it in the right direction. Online businesses don’t just instantly fail!
Author: Andreea Juganaru
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