Category — success

One of the great benefits of the Internet is that small businesses focusing on a small niche stand a chance at success. That’s because, theoretically, it’s easier for them to find customers for their niche product, compared to, say, if they had a physical storefront in some small town. Or even a big city.

If their product is aimed at a relatively obscure market, then if the entire Internet-connected world is their potential customer base, it’s much easier to find enough customers. Enough to keep the business going, whereas a bricks-and-mortar equivalent might not make it.

How Many Customers Is Enough?

How many customers do you need, then? I can’t answer that and I won’t even try. But I will answer a related question. How many satisfied customers do you need to be successful on the Internet selling your product? Answer: 1,000. Or so says Kevin Kelly [via Business Opportunities, Performancing, Chris Garrett], in discussing how an artist can capitalize on the Long Tail phenomenon online. (That is, don’t try to please everyone. Focus on those who would appreciate your work the most.) [Read more →]

Think about it for a second: we live in the successes of those that came before us. Those of us that work for other people, even on a contract or project basis, do so because they’ve already achieved some level of success. If we’re employed by a company, it’s due to the success of the founders, who in turn could build on someone else’s success before them. It’s a chain of success.

So what happens to people who fail in an endeavor - even those surrounded by other people’s successes? What’s the missing ingredient? I don’t know. I believe myself to have the characteristics of a startup entrepreneur. But even after three or four failed startups, I don’t know what was lacking. My current business is doing okay, though this online work feels less stable than the offline consulting I used to do. But in most other ways, this is more enjoyable work. And I don’t have to deal with the negative peripheral factors: traffic jams, road rage by other drivers, backstabbing colleagues, bosses with personal agendas or even no discernible modus operandi.

Maybe that’s it. Even with all the entrepreneurial characteristics, including passion for the work I used to do, if there are other factors that negate the good, and if you cannot effectively deal with them, then success is unlikely. So my new theory is that happiness breeds success. Or at least, it’s a huge plus. I’m testing that theory this year.