In my last post I explained to you how you can start a business with no skills and in fact, with no investments. You can read that here.
Let’s make it more fun now. What if I tell you, you can learn JUST ONE skill before starting your own company and that will change things drastically? And better yet, what if that one skill that can change your life and career forever is, in fact, a very easy skill to learn? Forget Rocket, this skill is barely a science.
Don’t like suspense? Here it is. Digital Ad Campaigns! Google ad campaigns, facebook ad campaigns.. Nothing too fancy, nothing too complicated. Just learn how to learn ad campaigns.
How to start a business after learning this skill?
There was a time, yes, when you had to have a college degree and extensive training to get a mediocre job at a reasonably famous company. Today, niches make riches. If you are good (read GOOOOOD) at one tiny thread of something, like running ads, you are in for the riches.
Instead of “entry level marketing associate” you can be the Founder and CEO of “(Put your name) Ad agency” or something more creative.
Who will want your service? Here are three ideas
Local businesses
If you ever lived in a tier-2, 3 cities or even smaller towns, you will know there are streets specialized for certain specific things. Street for clothes, Street for gold jewelry, street for toys, street for automobiles, street for hospitals, street for books.. (And among those certainly one Gandhi Road.). You know just as much as I do that most of these stores sell excellent stuff but they do not have an online presence. And for the love of their life, they cannot fathom starting something digital on their own, nor do they know how to. This is a big gap and a great opportunity you can fill.
You do not even have to make a website for them. Just run some google ads or facebook ads with their phone number. You can even give them a landing page with 10 mins of effort and zero cost.
And Just like that, that cute little old couple who run a handloom store now have a digital presence. Thanks to YOU.
Think how many referrals you will get through them.
Other Marketing agencies
This might sound counterintuitive but you can be a smaller agency partnering with a bigger agency. You see, they have big clients and a lot of work that follows. Half their time is exhausted in meetings – Client meetings, Strategy meetings, employee meetings, Status updates, revamping the strategy, reports.. They can really really use some help. They can of course hire and train their own staff but they would much prefer if the responsibility is with someone else at the same cost. Simply because they have more important things to do and bigger fish to fry. This is by far the easiest business you can start with one skill and the easiest way to start that business. You gain much more experience and learn a lot about how to run your own agency. A little extra experience (good or bad) never hurts right?
Startups
Many startups do not have the bandwidth to do the ad campaigns on their own and they could really use the help. Of Course this requires that you give the quality they expect at a lower price point. And when you are just starting out, seek out these opportunities. Provide value to them. Who knows they might become the next Swiggy or Byju’s and they will definitely remember the team which gave them immense value exactly when they needed it. They grow and you WILL grow with them. Find these kinds of startups and provide services even if it is at a lower price point. After all, what you want to do right now is to start a business by yourself and with just one skillset. This is by far the easiest business you can start.
But do not stop there. Once you have a thriving business and a taste for success you can take it much much further! Expand from just the ads to a full fledged Digital marketing agency.While you do that, here are a few things you SHOULD keep in mind. There is always a right way and a wrong way to do things. And when you want to take the step and start a business (which is no small feat), you better learn all the good and bad ways to do things.
WANT TO BE A THRIVING DIGITAL MARKETER? THINK BIG
Imagine this for a minute. You want to get a product photoshoot done. You are looking for the best photographer. And then this guy comes in who has a lot to say about his work. You ask to see his photos and he says “I don’t have any coz I dont have any products to click photos of. But I have all my tools so let me just work with you”
What? Come again? You really literally don’t use products? Any products ?
That’s exactly how it sounds when a digital marketer comes in boasting that they can increase my company’s social media following when they hardly have 100 followers of their own. If you cannot work on YOURSELF, how can your client trust you with their brain-child(ren). Duh!
So to those of you who are thinking “This seems fair but I would much prefer a step by step guide on what I should do” I have just the thing right here.
A step by step guide on what you should do here is a framework
Easy business Step 1: Be wise enough to learn
Learn all the techniques with a reasonable level of expertise .. try out free versions of as many tools as possible. Decide which tool suits the needs best and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each. Be ready with top 2 of every category and your top 1 recommendation when asked. (This could also give an opportunity for your affiliate marketing). So genuinely Learn.
Here is a free resource for you. Digital Deepak has established himself as Digital marketing guru in India and he is giving away a lot of free learnings. https://digitaldeepak.com
Easy business Step 2: Experience is knowledge. All rest is information
Remember what I said about photography? Digital marketing is a field where the work speaks for itself. Your work is your resume.
We all have chipped in for the “How do we get work experience if you do not give me a chance to work?” debates enough times to understand what’s going on in your mind. BUT. You have a perfectly fine client right in front of you ( or in you). Market yourself as a digital marketer.
Easy business Step 3: More you share, More you have
Wouldn’t it be best if the potential clients contacted you. What would you like best – you going after clients or clients clamoring for YOUR attention? How awesome does the latter sound ; clients clamoring for you. It’s not too difficult to build that kind of trust. Just write and let all that expertise flow into articles.
When I made this suggestion to a friend, she asked “Well what would I write about? If I give away all the concepts then isn’t that counter productive? The clients might choose to do it all themselves?”
Um. really REALLY not.
The fact that entrepreneurs hire teams is not because they do not know how to do it themselves. It’s because that’s not where their value lies. And when they see someone who is articulate about the concepts, it’s easy to trust them. And just like that, you get yourself a loyal client and then some more.
Here is an example of my friend who is establishing automobiles and EVs as his niche. This is a good example of how he writes about it to make his mark. https://thenextpioneers.com/the-best-electric-car-in-india/
Easy business Step 4: Be the CEO of your own life
By this time you already have a great career in your basket. You then take it one more step further. Now you start your own Consulting agency! You are now a Founder CEO!
One more step further?
Easy business Step 5: A great mentor inspires
Yes there is more you can do. Become a mentor. Remember all the hurdles and challenges you went through as a young marketer. Use all those lessons to help another generation of wide-eyed anxious new marketing aspirants. The more value you add to the world, the bigger person you become.
There is more!
Easy business Step 6: In pursuit of usefulness
You could help, support and invest in many other entrepreneurs. At this point your value comes from supporting the next great idea and contributing to the startup ecosystem.
That’s how you should THINK BIG. Once you really really see this big dream, you will find the inspiration and drive to put in all the work needed right now.
By the way, if you have this one skill of digital marketing to an advanced level of expertise, here is a list of some more business ideas curated by my friend Twisha. Have a look! https://twishavarma.com/secret-revealed-how-to-earn-money-while-sleeping/
Let me know in the comments what your take away from this.
You can also DM me on Linkedin or comment here if you want me to talk about any specific questions you might have. Happy growing up!
Want ideas with require not even one skill? My previous post has just that. https://makeamillion.in/easy-business-ideas-for-people-with-no-skills/