Take A Risk And Take A Risk On You!
Taking a risk is never easy, but it can be even trickier when you’re taking a risk on you.
We have a thing in marketing, or at least in my company, called OPM – other people’s money. We often work with our clients to help them find OPM to do some of the marketing work that will help them lift their brand - in terms of brand awareness, and connecting with their customers. If you can find someone else to pay for it, and it’s mutually beneficial to both parties, then what a great way to go, right?
It’s actually easier to take a risk when it’s other people’s money, but what happens when it’s you? What happens when it’s your reputation on the line?
Over the past year, I have started to invest in a new business concept. I’m a writer and have created a book for middle-grade readers, people aged 8-13. It’s a full-length novel, over 300 pages. When I started writing this book I spent some time surveying the young people in my world to understand my audience better. I was struck by what I saw. The younger gen in my world were mainly glued to their devices. Noses stuck in books? Not so much.
And this observation got me thinking - what would happen if I were able to create a multi-sensory book that scratched the digital itch? Something that had both visuals and music. I’m not against traditional books, quite the contrary. But, I do think it’s important to meet young people where they are, and today they’re on their digital devices.
Long story short, I’ve invested in this idea, and things are coming together. But it’s a risk, financially and otherwise. I’ve had to tamp down my ego and call in the troops, people smarter than me, to help me think this through.
Yes, I’m taking a risk on myself, but I believe it will pay dividends. And if I don’t take a chance, I’ll never know, right? I’m encouraging you to do the same thing. If you’ve got a great new idea or just a fun old idea, and you want to test it out, I’d say go for it. There are tools out there to help, so check out the following short list of resources.
Some tools to help you get going - whether you are launching a business or starting a creative project - if you’re a writer get ready to become a marketer too!
NameMesh - a great place to get help generating a name!
Canva - a hub for making design easy!
Trello - brings all your tasks, teammates and tools together!
Monday - another great organizational tool
Slack - an instant messaging tool that can keep everyone on the same page
Using Slack Actions, you can create tasks from your conversations with virtual assistants or employees to keep your business moving.
Hootsuite - social media management tool
Ahrefs - tool for making you’re SEO (search engine optimization) work for you!