The Roadmap to Success

My philosophy, in a nutshell:

To succeed in business, add value to the world.

I strongly believe that businesses – or any endeavor, for that matter – aiming to make the world a better place by helping people – by adding value – will be rewarded with success. Naturally, there’s more to it than that, but I think you’ll see that many of the techniques I’ll recommend are specifically designed to add value.

You’ll see that phrase – “add value” – more than once.

What I’m doing

What you’re witnessing is the birth of a book… or at least the possible birth of a book. I’m using this approach – a sequence of posts here on Ask Leo! On Business – to lay the foundation for what may become a book. Depending on how it turns out, and depending on how it’s received, I’ll make a decision somewhere along the way.

For now, enjoy the posts.

Regardless of whether the book gets published or not, the information will be here. In a way, it’s an example of what I just stated: hopefully, I’ll be adding value to the world. 🙂

So here are a couple of “roadmaps”, if you will, of where this book – this series of posts – will be headed over the course of the next several weeks.

What’s a business?

One thing I do want to remind you of is my use of the term “business”.

It can mean anything you want it to mean. I’m using it as an umbrella term to mean:

• Brick and mortar businesses
• Online businesses
• Retail businesses
• Professional services
• Non-profit organizations
• Social movements and causes

… and much, much more. Essentially, anything that involves attracting and interacting with people.

I’m just using the word as an easy shorthand for all of that. Don’t worry if you don’t feel “business” applies to you; the concepts, tactics, and techniques I’ll cover still apply.

Mechanics

The mechanics underlying what’s coming includes:

• Your domain name
• Your web site
• Your email
• Your mailing list

Those are tools. Important tools, to be sure, but simply tools. They’re often where people get hung up, so I’ll be addressing each one of those, step by step, in upcoming posts.

But underlying all of my discussions about those tools will be strategic direction. In other words, why use those tools, how best to use them, and to what end.

That’s the real roadmap.

1. Be findable

As you might have gathered from preceding posts, I place a high degree of importance on being found.

That can mean ranking highly in the search engines for your name, your location, or the topics on which you have expertise. It can also mean being found on social media in the various, always-changing ways that businesses get found. It can mean having a great word-of-mouth reputation.

When it comes to business these days, if you’re not findable, you may as well not exist.

2. Have something to find

Naturally, the implication is that you provide something to find.

That’ll be your website, on your domain, with your message and information.

I place a lot of emphasis on everything being centered on your website, because that’s where you retain control: control of your brand, your information, and your message.

I’ll be spending a fair amount of time here, since this is often the technical stuff that gets in people’s way. Hint: it really doesn’t have to.

3. Have something to say

What is it that people will find?

I’m a strong believer in what’s called “content marketing”. It’s all the rage / buzzword these days, but don’t let that get in the way. It’s really an age-old and solid strategy.

The premise is very simple: have something to say that helps people solve problems, entertains them, or gets them engaged in a way that they get something out of.

You know – add value.

We’ll be looking at strategies on not just what to say, but how to say it, how to publish it, and how to present it in a way that not only helps get you found in the first place, but keeps people coming back.

4. Have something to give

And by “give”, I mean give stuff away.

For free.

One of the best ways to connect with people is to add value, and one way to add value to their lives is to give them your expertise, your knowledge, your advice, or your help … without expecting anything in return.

It builds relationships, and it builds trust.

Note that I’m not saying you need to give away everything. That doesn’t make sense. But you may find that, done properly, the more you give, the more you get in return.

5. Be engaging

Like any relationship, this isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of effort.

Sure, many parts of it will be, to a large degree, but after you’re “done” setting up the various parts of your online presence, you’ll want to continue to engage your customers, new and old, and maintain that relationship.

And you’ll do that by continuing to add value.

It’s all up to you

In the first post, I alluded to my reasons for starting Ask Leo! on Business: as a way to transform my frustration about the untapped online potential among my various and sundry friends and acquaintances into something positive. Rather than waiting for them to take the next step – whatever that next step might be – I decided to write up the whole process from start to finish.

My wife, on hearing all this, said, “Don’t be surprised if they don’t do anything with it.”

Indeed. And, to be honest, that’s fine.

They’ve done their part, for which I’m actually very grateful: their inaction has inspired me. What I’m putting together will help someone, without a doubt, even if it’s not one of the “instigators”.

Everyone has lives, priorities, and values that differ from my own. Not everyone needs, is ready for, or would be motivated by everything that I’ll be discussing. Where I see massive opportunity, they may see daunting work they don’t have time for, or they simply don’t believe is as important as I might.

And, of course, I could just be wrong about everything. Perhaps the old adage “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” is true … except that my “hammer” is the internet.

And, honestly, it’s a pretty amazing hammer.

I believe that there is massive opportunity for anyone who wants, or should want, an online presence.

Right or wrong, it will be what it will be.

In failing to help them, by putting all this together, I believe I’ll have helped others.

I hope that you’re one of them.

Table of Contents

Finally, here’s a roadmap of how the next several weeks of Ask Leo! On Business will play out.

Unsurprisingly, I call it a Table of Contents.

It’s almost like I’m planning a book or something.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 6:53 — 3.3MB)