How to Build a Business That People Take Seriously

May 28

Building a business has never been easier. The barriers to entry are lower than they’ve ever been. Anyone with an internet connection and a computer can purchase a domain name, build a drag-and-drop website, and begin selling products and services online – even if they don’t have their own products and services! The advent of affiliate marketing, dropshipping, and other savvy internet techniques has opened the door for anyone who wants to get a foot inside.

While there’s nothing wrong with low barriers to entry, the natural result of this “anyone can do it” atmosphere has watered down many industries with low-quality businesses that might look good on the outside but provide very little backend fulfillment. To put it another way, they’re hollow.

We have nothing against affiliate marketing or dropshipping, as there are plenty of highly successful companies that turn seven figures a year using these approaches. However, if you want to build a business that people take seriously, you need to take control of your business model and construct it from the ground up.

How to Build Your Biz Correctly From the Ground Up

There are no shortcuts in business. Facebook groups, YouTube videos, message boards, and blogs are full of “quick hacks” and other strategies that promise high returns for minimum input. But if you want to build your business correctly from the start, you have to invest in quality first. Here are a few ways to do that:

Develop a Thorough Brand

It’s easy to create a trendy name, logo, and catchphrase and think you’ve developed a brand. But if you’re serious about developing a brand that meets your customers’ needs and provides long-term value over many years, it has to go deeper than this.

The surface-level details of a brand are fun. But it’s the roots beneath the surface that are most important. These roots include things like your core values, brand voice, and other integral elements that support your ability to reach your customers with the right message at the appropriate time.

Understand Who Your Target Audience Is

Speaking of customers, a true business understands who its target audience is (rather than making assumptions). It’s highly recommended that you gather data, collect insights, and then develop rich customer profiles and personas.

Target customer personas are basically one-page resources that explain who each target customer is. (Your brand could have anywhere from one to five target customers.) These personas amount to “fictional” versions of your customers – complete with names, occupations, backstories, interests, hobbies, finances, etc.

Develop Quality Digital Experiences

Once you have your brand and audience figured out, it’s time to connect the dots by developing rich digital experiences – e.g. a website, social media profiles, etc. (Most brands make the mistake of prematurely developing these brand assets, which limits their efficacy.)

Your website is your digital home base. Choose a custom website or software development company to ensure your website is done properly the first time. It’s better to spend a little extra now to get it done right the first time around.

Invest in High-Value Content

Quality is far better than quantity. Don’t get caught up in the rush to produce thousands of words of copy every single day. Instead, look for opportunities to develop rich content that adds value to your audience. It’s better to post one high-quality post per week that actually gives your audience tangible value than to generate three or four thin posts that serve as nothing more than website filler.

Deliver...Then Ask

The final suggestion is more of a rule of thumb. Once you have your business up and running, there’s one key to ensure it never loses momentum. It’s as simple as this:

Find customers
Under-promise
Over-deliver
Gather proof
Use that proof to find more customers

If you just repeat this process over and over again, it’s a self-feeding cycle that will eventually transform your business into a powerful and lean machine.

Putting it All Together

There are plenty of attractive business growth hacks and shortcuts. Some of them provide a quick jolt of energy (and many don’t). But if you’re looking to build a business that people take seriously for years to come, you need a stronger foundation. Hopefully, this article has given you a few principles you can use to construct the right pillars to establish that foundation. From there, it’s all about growing in organic and sustainable ways that don’t violate the underlying mission of your business.