How to grow your business Archives

The title of this post was supposed read “Sorry, I haven’t written for a while”.

But I’m not sorry. Not at all.

Fact is, I didn’t have much to say. My heart wasn’t into writing another email about marketing, the internet, social media, or branding because It wasn’t going to do a damn bit of difference.

I’ve spent the last year and half traveling the country working with these privately held businesses. And in all that time I’ve learned one very important thing.

Marketing isn’t the reason why small and medium sized businesses (SMB) are struggling and in some cases failing.

The real reason they struggle is that owners or their “management teams” don’t know a thing about the “business of the business”.

In other words…

They can make the widget, but they don’t know how to manage the business. For that that you need an entirely different set of skills.

What’s worse is they think the long hours, constant struggle, and lack of financial security is a “badge of honor” to be shown off in front of other business owners, family, and friends. They’re convinced this is an entrepreneur’s way of life and there’s nothing they can do to change it.

But I don’t believe that for one minute!

So, I’ve decided to pivot. To focus my efforts on the “business of the business”. To help business owners develop the skills they need to actively manage “the businesses”. To show them they can hold their employees accountable and expect actual results.

And that’s why you’re getting this email.

I’m going to start sending emails again. But this time I’ll cover topics like…

The real forces behind the current state of your business.
The one thing you need to do to turn your employees into superstars.
Where to look for the holes that are leaking your profits.
How to make sure you’re never short of cash again.
And the #1 reason you should fire your accountant right now.

I have one request…

If you’re interested in any of what you’ve read so far then stick around. I suggest you join my email list. I’ll send you emails with my latest tips, techniques, insights, and tools that will help you get the most out of you business.

Roman Yako

Sometime after Google became a verb and Facebook became a thing, someone declared that the digital age has changed business forever.

They added “marketing” to words like search engine, content, social media, pay-per-click, email, video, and viral then declared that the “old rules” no longer apply. They put the word “traditional” in front of advertising and relegated things like radio, newspapers, and billboards too the scrap heap of history.

Now I don’t know who “they” are, but when I find them I’m going to kick their ass. They’re guilty of distracting small business from focusing on business fundamentals with their self serving hot mess they call digital marketing.

That’s not to say there isn’t a role for digital. But none of the tools I listed above will help you if you charge the wrong price, for the wrong product or service, and don’t deliver on the promise your customers think you made them.

Everyone is so busy worshiping at the altar of digital advertising masquerading as marketing that they’ve lost sight of the fundamental questions that have been at the core of business for centuries if not millennia: Customer, Product, Price, and Promotion.

If you’re familiar with the original 4P’s of marketing you’re probably wondering what happened to PLACE.

I’m a bit of a traditionalist and I like to keep things simple. So it’s natural for me to want to gravitate towards the original 4 P’s of marketing: Product, Price, Promotion, and Place.

But I’m also a realist and recognize that the digital age has changed the game a little.

The truth is that the internet has made geography a binary decision for you. You’re either exclusively selling to a local market or you’re not.

I also find that to the extent any of the traditional elements of “Place” are relevant they are usually covered as part of a well developed customer persona. And clearing defining who you are selling to is far more important today than it ever was.

I’ll be diving deeper in to each of these categories in future posts. Plus I’ll be sharing snippets from my upcoming book. So stay tuned.

Roman Yako

I’m back from the dead and have a request.

The Great Business Hoax of the 21st Century