So you want to start a business but you’re broke. You are exhausted, you are tired and you just can’t seem to find work. It seems that everywhere you turn there is a roadblock, a detour, a speed bump or a dead-end. You are tired of working for someone else.
Do not despair. There is a solution. It just means applying a bit of your noggin to the problem. The solution certainly is not a get rich quick scheme. You are on this planet to contribute. So let’s walk though this together.
Let’s begin with a story. That’s always the best place to start.
A lady in the Midwest was out of money and out of work. She lived in a modest house surrounded by a large prairie where loads of dust, coyotes, and tumbleweeds thrived.
What could I do to make money, she thought? She felt completely hopeless. She was broke and did not have a job. The bills were piling up. She felt desperate and alone. She had nowhere to turn for relief.
Daily she stared out her window watching as the billows of dust capriciously shoved tumbleweeds in erratic patterns. A stray coyote searched for food in stealth mode and always managed to capture his evening meal. The coyote was certainly thriving. Why can’t I make ends meet, she thought to herself?
She felt like the tumbleweed. She felt like an unseen hand was always shoving her about. What can I do, she asked? Boy, now there is a key question to ask. Somehow that question gets the ball rolling.
One day while outside in the usual rush of wind and dust, she worked herself up to a breaking point. She began shouting back at the wind, the dust, and even the scampering coyote- if he was listening. She was mad, real mad. What the hell can I do? I am miserable. Please help.
She shouted like this for a good hour with her fists all balled up, raging at the unseen. But not much really happened. Except, several stray tumbleweeds bounced past her feet roused by her onslaught into the wind.
She kept breathing long deep gulps of air, desperate for a reprieve. But still nothing. Suddenly the relentless wind roared back. A small tumbleweed emerged from the dust and flew though the air, smashing into her head. She was dazed by the impact. It was a Newtonian-apple moment, but in this case it was a tumbleweed that struck her head. It caused a shift in her perspective.
Plunk. The idea came.
I shall sell my tumbleweed, she shouted, pointing her index finger to the heavens. And that’s exactly what she did. She marched inside; leaving the lone coyote to his adventures and began to plan out her new business.
She quickly found a nifty self-website tool and slapped up her very own website and began selling her tumbleweed. She packaged the tumbleweed into small, medium and large boxes and began selling them on the Internet. She even began to make lampshades and branched out into all sorts of tumbleweed adaptations.
She bought ads in the Penny Saver and eventually learned to buy some keywords to drive more visitors to her website. She developed a capture page and learned to submit feature articles to an online site that syndicated her articles. This brought her more exposure. Wow. She became an overnight tumbleweed-selling success.
And today, people buy tumbleweeds from her online store. She even became a Subject Matter Expert on tumbleweeds and her counsel is sought worldwide.
Now that’s just a story, but if you Google “tumbleweeds” you may be surprised what you find. Enogg swears she made this story up.
But you get the picture.
There is a moral to the story. At first you may tumble around in despair. Actually, you have to pull weeds from your garden first. Sure it doesn’t feel good. Keep pulling weeds. Eventually, clear, clean dirt is the result of your labor. Pull weeds first, then plant your garden. Your tumbleweed is right in front of you.
Stay tuned for more posts on How To Build Your Business.
