THIS WEEK’S LESSON

📍Scaling Secrets: 5 Lessons I’ve Used to Build a Thriving Digital Business for Nearly a Decade

65-70% of businesses fail by Year 10.

This September, my business entered it’s 10th year. I don’t plan to fail.

I matched last year’s revenue in Q3 and have all of Q4 to set a new record in revenue and profit.

This image tells the story:

Today, I’ll teach you 5 lessons that have served me best and will help you succeed as well.

Let’s go …

Lesson #1: Embrace Different.

Better. Cheaper. Faster.

This is how most businesses compete.

But the secret to creating a legendary business is by embracing your different.

In the K12 education space there are a lot of coaches and groups that offer services to help school admin get better. In fact, I named podcast Better Leaders Better Schools. This was a HUGE mistake.

Better = incremental improvement.

Even with this blunder I was able to rebound because really all I’ve talked about tjelast ten years was this idea of Making a Ruckus. Simply put, that meant challenging the status quo and redesigning education.

This is what my audience was there for.

Why it works:

When you embrace your different you are able to stand out in a crowded marketplace. After all, if a school administrator identifies as a Ruckus Maker who wants to Do School Different, there is literally only one place they can go.

Lesson #2: Fall in Love with a Problem.

Market your solution and I think you want my money.

Market the problem and I think you can help me.

Most Former Educator Founders I speak to don’t understand marketing.

They say things like:

• “I hate posting all the time on all the channels.”

• “I’m sick of talking about my product all the time to sell it.”

• “Is it me, or does every post feel like I’m begging for attention?” This feels so fake.”

Most Former Educator Founders have been taught to post all the time and talk about what they have to sell and how it helps.

This is poor advice.

Now you can post frequently if you choose, but you don’t have to.

Instead, do this:

• Market the problem

• Market the problem

• Market the problem

And if you have time for other activities, help people.

In Category Design there is a concept of missionaries and mercenaries.

Mercenary founders have a scarcity mindset. There is only so much to go around and you must lose for me to win.

Missionary founders have an abundance mindset. They know there is plentiful opportunities out there. And they would solve the problem they fell in love with (whether they got paid to or not).

Of course we all love getting paid and you need to bring in revenue to keep the lights on. But from what point are you starting from?

Why it works:

When you create content that deeply explores a problem, your audience will think:

“If they know this much about what I suffer from, then they must have the answer too.”

Lesson #3: Identify the Size of Prize.

Size of prize is the size of your market.

For example, last I checked there are 91,000 school leaders in the USA and Canada alone. This is my niche.

Not all principals will consider themselves Ruckus Makers, but 1% (910) of these leaders is not out of the question.

If I sell a recurring product that helps these leaders at $25 a month, that would generate $22,750 a month or $273K a year (910 x $25 × 12= $273K). Could you live with that kind of revenue added to your bottom line?

I recently launched The Ruckus Maker Club. It’s a $100 a month product. When 1% of the Ruckus Makers in the USA and Canada join that community, that will add $1M to my bottom line. I’ll take it.

Why it works:

Understanding the audience size and what you might create for that market is a needed first step to see if your effort is even worth it.

Lesson #4: Craft a Compelling POV.

It took a while to arrive at the POV that resonates with my audience, but once I did it was a game changer.

In my K12 education business the POV goes like this:

Ruckus Makers Do School Different.

I can say just that and pause to see if someone I’m talking to wants to learn more. If they do, I keep going and do my “elevator pitch.”

If not, I wish them the best and move on.

Why it works:

A powerful POV quickly explains what you’re all about and saves you time. There’s nothing I hate more than wasting time — especially with prospects that will never buy.

The POV acts as a filter. If someone accepts how I view the world of education, great, let’s keep chatting.

If they don’t accept the POV, great. Both us can move on with our day.

I refuse to convince the unwilling because it never works.

Lesson #5: Deliver Results for 1 Person. Then Repeat.

One of the temptations growing a business is to think about all the money you can make by trying to scale too fast. When you do that you often deliver lower quality service, producing poor results.

Clients also feel ignored and none of this is good for business.

Remember when I mentioned mercenary and missionary founders?

When you focus on the one person in front of you and help them achieve remarkable results, guess what happens next …

They continue working with you and they tell their friends.

You’ve doubled your business, just like that.

Why it works:

We’re in the results business. All that matters is the person you’re working with. The one that’s in front of you.

If you want to scale, this is the path.