I’ve been in business for myself for approximately 15 years and there’re things I still don’t know about business, creating success as a self-bosser, and being a profitable entrepreneur. Things like, “Why do people continue to spend SO MUCH MONEY on ads that they admit produce zero measurable return?” or “Why are people so tolerant of a business that is unprofitable for them?” =) Kidding… there’s — of course — a lot I don’t know. But, these 3 truths are unassailable. Read them. Embrace them. You can literally take them to the bank.
1) It is not the BEST in any industry that is the most profitable. It is the person best at marketing and selling that is the most profitable.
Perhaps you believe this SHOULDN’T be the way it is. I happen to agree. One of my pet peeves is seeing the incestuous “powers that be” passing clients back and forth, each commanding fees far above their actual impact when I watch so many very WORTHY business owners struggle for business. However, thinking it shouldn’t be this way, or wishing it wasn’t this way changes nothing. So, you might as well get on board and become a SERIOUS student of marketing and sales. Anything less is hubris. YES, your business TOO depends on how well you present, promote and sell whatever it is you sell.
2) Getting Your Name Out There is expensive and often futile. Getting your clients “in here” — to you– is profitable. Choose the latter. 
Yes, I said it and yes, I know it’s “business heresy.” Marketing is WRONGLY defined as “getting your name out there.” You make NOTHING when I “know your name.” So, instead of shouting your brand, slogan or “elevator pitch” or peppering the town with your business cards and flyers, grab the business-equivalent of a machete and start carving a smartly-designed and well-choreographed path to your door — be it virtual or “live.” To get started, think:
- Where are my ideal clients hanging out?
- How can I both 1) enter the conversation going on and 2) convince them to give me their contact information so I can continue to market to them?
- How can I convert their initial interest into 1) a trust-based relationship and 2) an initial sale?
Trust me, I’ve had private clients who have had weekly, national tv exposure for years and still struggled MIGHTILY to make a living, and I’ve had private clients who have NEVER had any exposure bring in each month more than what most American’s make in a year. “Getting your name out there” has VERY LITTLE to do with profit unless you know how to nurture and cultivate that exposure into sales.
3) REAL relationships are STILL the heartbeat of business.
Listen, there are a million and one ways (and counting) to reach the masses today. Social media and the internet have annihilated geographical borders. For this, I am very, very grateful. However, NOTHING replaces showing up…. relating to your market…. getting to know them…. engaging with them personally. Much has changed since before the Industrial Revolution — when most Americans enjoyed profitable self-employment — but relationships STILL trump “views,” “impressions,” “friends,” and “followers.” In fact, even for the online, digital marketers, TRUE, NURTURED relationships with your market can make these cold, digital measurements seem a bit silly.
