Helping small business owners develop extraordinary businesses that really work for their customers, their employees, themselves and their families

Marketing IS the business

Probably the most common question people ask when they first meet someone is, “What do you do for a living?”

A business owner will commonly answer with the product or service the business does: “I’m an accountant.” “I’m a dog groomer.” “I’m a software engineer.” “I’m a chef.”

Business owners that believe it when they say this haven’t really created a business. They have created a job for themselves. (And they usually have a lousy employee and a worse boss!)

A business owner should be an entrepreneur, which means a person who creates businesses. The skills of creating a business are different from the skills of performing the service or producing the product the business delivers.

The core skill of the entrepreneur is marketing — building and nurturing a “herd” of customers who are raving fans and communicating with them to generate a steady stream of revenue.

Without customers and sales, there can be no business.

Businesses that reduce their marketing during a recession are committing suicide.

Most of the other functions of the business, even product development, can be outsourced, but marketing should always be the primary concern of the entrepreneur/business owner. The entrepreneur must be able to at least recognize good marketing when he or she sees it and implement it consistently.

Free Email Updates
Get the latest content first.
We respect your privacy.
Helping small business owners develop extraordinary businesses that really work for their customers, their employees, themselves and their families