The idea of low risk start ups is a brilliant one to preach because most of the books, articles and blogs I have read on the subject of start-ups and business (there have been plenty I assure you) rarely speak of the ideas behind this approach.  Instead, they have a chapter after chapter on  “How to raise funds” or “How to present to investors” and this information is great for companies that really do need that advice, and it certainly has its place in the entrepreneur’s arsenal of business tips but it is also leading some astray, myself included. 

I personally spent weeks writing a business plan and an investor proposal, do not get me wrong both of these are great things to piece together and honestly most of their value is in the process of creating them rather than the finished product.   It really provides you with an opportunity to dissect your idea to expose any point(s) of weakness or any strength for that matter.  It also forces you to think beyond the original “dreaming stage” and get it down on paper.  So I am not necessarily knocking the act of writing a business plan or an investor proposal but what I am saying is that I did not really make any progress on either plan or the proposal until I had my sales strategy complete and my service offerings mapped out. And guess what, with a sales strategy and a list of services you can start selling!  You are not in the game until you have a customer, and playing that game is when you are challenged and will learn the most.  

You and your business will progress much faster when you are not spending hours in front of your computer searching for your competition and performing detailed analysis of them.  That stuff is painful, and it is especially painful when you don’t have checks coming in.  Of course you do not want to just start selling something that you have not fine tuned but most services can be sold right away and if you are up for the challenge you can do really well.  As long as you deliver what you promise in a timely fashion they don’t care if you did not sleep for three days because you were preparing what you told them would. 

The way I look at it is, if someone else can do what you are promising your client then you can too.  If you have to learn a few things as you go, don’t be afraid to.  By simply dissecting the methods of those that have accomplished what you are promising your customer, you will be able to recreate those same results with your own creative spin.    Do not make promises you cannot keep but if you have faith in your abilities and you have the necessary resources then get out there and find some damn customers.  Treat them like gold and deliver on your promises. 

If you are well versed in what it is you are offering, selling it will not be a problem.   Once you start selling, your business model will take shape and you will have much more content for that business plan.  Your knowledge and level of expertise will shine and your sales pitch will be flawless after a few runs.  If they don’t buy into your pitch, get their objections.  Do not try to argue with them, simply write down their objections and correct course with your next prospect.   Clean up your pitch and it will get better every time. 

I found that preparing the business plan was pretty discouraging because there are so many “what ifs” and stumbling across a competitor you were previously unaware of that is kicking ass in your industry can be heartbreaking.  Often times I would question what I was thinking trying to take on such a project but once I started selling everything fell into place.  My confidence in the company grew and most importantly my confidence in myself grew.  With that confidence I was able to re-ignite the passion and motivation that had been sucked out of me after spending months in front of a computer getting overwhelmed with data, competition and market analysis.  Get out there and work out the kinks as you go.