Staying Paid

The “V” Word You Need To Hear Over and Over Again Before You Start Your Business

Posted on April 9th, 2008 in Breaking Fear, Business, Creation Station, Empowerment, General, Marketing

We don’t talk about this word a lot. Oh, there’s a lot of “V” words we discuss: verification, volume, even vision. I have a feeling that if we discussed this “V” word a bit more often I’d probably see more people in the entrepreneur group. It’s that important, because without this particular “V” word, your business is going to suffer big time. The truth hurts, so if you’re squeamish, the following words may be best saved for another day.

Value is what I’m talking about. It’s one thing to create a business plan — in fact, I strongly encourage it to put yourself in the right mindset. However, value should be on your mind with each and every section of that plan.

Is this business going to generate value for others?

Is this business going to generate value for me and my family?

Even once you get started, the siren song of the new project is sure to ensnare you at least once. To ward off distraction, a reminder is needed: is what I’m working on right now going to create value for others?

Finding your value is probably one concept that’s definitely rooted in the soul searching part of this whole entrepreneurship thing — you have to find it. If you’re a writer, great — there’s all sorts of copy you can specialize in, right down to the niche (just saw a lady on the Warrior Forum who specializes in environmental-focused articles that marketers can buy and use for their niche sites) — it’s a great day to have value — so why not have value every day?

Are you more of a coach? Can you wow people with your advice? Start on a related forum with just your website signature. While not every forum will welcome a sales pitch, just about every forum will love having an “expert” on board with an informative website.

I created DeluxeGrrl.com because I saw a value in having good content focused on the experiences of plus size women and the fashion industry. No list, no marketing hocus-pocus — I just wrote. I eventually learned little things like good linking, how to approach webmasters about exchanges, and so on and so forth. The beginning started with a value that I could showcase to the world, and the rest (being invited to write on several websites, attracting major names in plus size fashion, etc.) is history.

Value is all around you, in everything you do. If you didn’t have value, you wouldn’t be here. Value is a strong tool, and it’s time you grabbed your share of the value pie — it’s a fun place and it’s ripe for the taking!

Keep in mind that value clings to those that manifest it. You are the sole authority at the end of the day as to whether or not your work has value. Believe constantly that you have it, and there’s nothing that you can’t do!