Day 1: Sprout Your Business Organically

Last January, Jonathan Wondrusch and I launched our first paid product, a course called The Customer Love Machine, for people who want to create their own products. We got some good advice about big launches and we followed it.

Photo by Indy Charlie

But I was way over my head.

The day after we launched, I was in an ambulance to the emergency room with non-stop vomiting and sky-high blood pressure.

Now, I have an anxiety attack every time I think about selling. Oh, I do it (or try to) but it makes me sweat. Which doesn’t feel good. That’s why the idea behind #customerlove is so appealing, right? We get to sell our stuff by being nice to people – awesome!

How’s that working for you?

I was afraid of that. Turns out being nice to your potential customers, even loving them, isn’t enough. You still have to have something to offer them, something that will help them, something they will buy. And then you have to sell it to them.

It’s all so uncomfortable, isn’t it?

I think the problem for us so-not A-listers is that we’ve learned from the big kids how they do it – big-style – but we’re not big. Maybe you don’t want to be big. That’s okay. A sustainable business, one that supports what you want for your life, is all you need, right?

I believe it’s possible to have a sustainable business without winding up in the ER by doing high-anxiety, overwhelming launches over and over again. And so does my friend, Colin Beveridge.

Colin has this idea of sprouting your business like a vine instead of launching it like a rocket. You till the soil, fertilize and compost until it’s rich and loamy, then you plant your seeds, water and tend them lovingly, and watch them grow. Finally, you harvest the bounty – or pick the flowers and arrange them in a nice vase – and put them up for sale.

In tomorrow’s post, Colin will share his Business Sprouting Manifesto (or Sproutyfesto, as I prefer to call it) – and guess what? Sprouting is the theme of this challenge! Because we’ve decided that these challenges need themes, of course! Why didn’t I think of that before?

Big plans this challenge – take a look:

1. Co-host: Adorable-geek Colin is now my permanent co-host for the CustomerLove challenges – woot!
2. Co-host: And this month, we have another co-host, the fabulous Sandi Amorim of Deva Coaching – yay!
3. New “Coming Up!” events listing on the right – you’ll be able to see at a glance when and where the next several events will be.
4. Customer Love Skype calls: There will be two calls this challenge, on Thursday 11/3 and 11/17, hosted by Colin and Sandi.
5. Customer Love Results Lab: On Mondays & Fridays at 1pm Pacific, Colin and Kathleen Craig of The Good Girls’ Guide will be offering hotseat and action sessions on Skype – deets here!
6.  CustomerLove Town Square: And finally, we now have our own community site that I’m beta testing during November in hopes of integrating into this site after the challenge is over.
   Please join, introduce yourself, and take a look around. It looks a little lonely right now, so I hope you’ll help me get this party started!