The Giver Business Model
I'm a giver. In last week's post, I even said this year is "the year of giving," which is why I'm giving the proceeds from The Strong Inside Out Workout Videos to TWLOHA.That said, this post might be a bit biased...I wanted to take a sec to talk about business and finances today. I hear from quite a few Strongies that finances are a big worry, which worries me. I know you all want to do good for others; you wouldn't be reading Strong Inside Out if you didn't.I want to help you harness that drive to give, and start thriving financially from it. This post will be best applied for those who are starting or already running their own business or site. I'm hoping I can help boost your business by introducing a new perspective today...
Have you ever noticed that the most successful, talked-about businesses and people you'll meet seem to give more than they take?
Take Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income for example. He's always giving away his secrets. In fact, he creates easier ways for you to implement his secrets of online success in your own life with ridonkulously thought-out resources laid out in easy-to-digest formats... for FREE. And he's uber-successful. People go out of their way to make sure he is.Or looking at Tom's Shoes as another example. The first time I ever saw a pair of Tom's I thought to myself, "hideous." Silently, mind you. ;) But I would totally buy a pair just to support their one-for-one model (Tom's provides one pair of shoes to people in need for every pair of Tom's sold). Who wouldn't feel good about buying a unique pair of shoes for themselves that just screams "I don't care how I look; I'm helping people!"These guys make TONS of moolah. You know why? People want to fight for them and give them as much as they are given.Too many businesses are focused on taking, taking, taking; it's a turn-off.Here's a little wake up call: if you find yourself complaining about the competition stealing business away from you, you're probably just not giving enough to encourage people to choose you.If you're constantly trying to take, people are going to stop giving. [click to tweet]If you're truly focused on giving, the money will follow. People want to help you if you're going out of your way to help them.The fact is: the more you give, the more you'll make... to a point.This is where it gets tricky...We all know the people who give too much. They're always frazzled. They look like they haven't slept in days. They say "yes" to everything that comes their way regardless of how much they will benefit. They don't know how to take.This over-giver is the fear that lives at the back of our minds when we start focusing on giving. We don't want to turn into over-givers that never get anywhere! We want to be successful. We want to reap the benefits of the help we offer!Well, friends. Let me ease your worries here.
Enter The Giver Business Model
If you focus on doing good for others in creative, efficient ways, while also being able to take, you'll be golden.In order to be a successful giver, you must be able to keep sight of the above values while focusing on giving to those you help.Cool?
Go get 'em!
...Just kidding! Do you think I'd leave you with an overwhelming general goal like that without tips on how to get there?! No way José...Here are the fundamentals of The Giver Business Model, and tips to employ them...
Bottom Line: Give More, Get More
Never lose sight of the fact that the more you give to the people you're helping, the more you'll get in return. This applies to relationships as well as businesses.If you want to stand out in whatever field you're hoping to make more money in, put extreme emphasis on helping your target audience.
Identify Who You're Helping
So first thing's first: identify who that target audience is.Who do you help every day?This may sound like a silly question; we should all know who we help with our job every day, right?Not necessarily. This is one of the key issues for businesses; they have muddled messages and brands because they don't know who they're talking to. If you don't know who your peeps are, you won't know how to help them!Easy ways to get to know your community:
If you're virtual, send out a survey. I like to do this at least once a year like I did a couple weeks ago.
If you're an in-person kind of guy/gal, start talking to your customers. Whether it's on the phone or in-person, find out what leads them to you, why they choose you over other people who do what you do, and investigate (gently) into what their lives are like to get a feel for the kind of person you appeal to.
Use the twitters or the facebook! I see this all the time from my friends in the blogosphere: ask people what they're doing at certain times during the day. Ask people what they think about ideas you have, activities you're doing, or anything else you think might appeal to them. Find out from the peanut gallery exactly what they think!
What Is Their Biggest Struggle?
In the same vein as the step above, you want to find out what your audience's biggest struggle is so that you can help them fix it. This is where the big bucks get made.The people who are the most successful offer the best possible solution for those who are struggling.The thing about this is that there are so many different types of people out there, so the best possible solution is going to be different depending on WHO your audience is. That's why you took the previous step.To find out what people are struggling with, ask them. Include it in the survey you send out, ask them in person, or send it out via social media, just like the step above would have you do.Easy cheesy. Now you know who your crew is, and what they need help with.
Give Them The Best Possible Solution
Ok, now it's brainstorming time.How can you go above and beyond to give your peeps the best possible solution in a unique way?Take your talents, resources and personality into account. Don't forget about why your audience told you they choose to go with you over someone else. Start listing those out if it helps you brainstorm to see it all on paper.Constantly give your community free resources to help them solve this problem. This doesn't have to be elaborate. It can be a list of sites that address the issue, a pdf of your best tips, or a youtube channel you shoot weekly videos for, in which you talk about easy ways to start fixing the problem. It can be a print out of products that may ease their discomfort, a basket of coupons or freebies at the front desk, or even a knowledgeable front desk person who's passionate about your business.For example, in my personal training business, I give free "birthday workouts" to people every year. They dread/look forward to them all year because it's a fun, unique way for me to give them what I know they want: a really hard workout for free.
Always ask how you can give more every day.
In fact, print it out, frame it and post it somewhere you can see it every day. Here, I've put something easy together for you: click here for the free print-out!
Take what you're given!!!
Just as important as the rest of these steps, you must be able to take what YOU are given, otherwise you'll end up that frazzled over-giver who always feels taken advantage of.When people think about "taking," there's often a negative connotation that goes along with it. For that reason, we're going to start thinking about it as "accepting" instead.In order to be a successful business, you must accept kindness from others. If you don't, you won't make any money or be able to help more people!Know the good you're doing for others, and accept the kindness they express in return. This could come in the form of cash, yelp reviews and referrals, and social media love among many other things. Let people love you and what you do.Many of us here in the SIO community have a hard time accepting kindness from others. We feel like we may not be worth it, or we're not giving enough to warrant kindness in return.To which I would like to remind you that every single one of us is worthy of kindness and love. Embrace it. In life and in your business.If you conduct your business the way you aim to live your life–with kindness and love–you will be successful.How do you feel about it? Do you follow The Giver Business Model? Let's get the conversation going.
In the comments below, tell us one way you can give more to your peeps today.
Now, go get giving!With hope and fire,Amy