The Only Business Idea You Need to Start Making Money

Google search “business ideas” will quickly overwhelm you with a variety of random suggestions. Although some of these ideas might be interesting, they miss the best and easiest way to make money as an entrepreneur.

You can use the skills that you already possess to become a professional service provider.

Are you sure that it is impossible? You might be wrong. You can make a living selling your skills to individuals and organizations if you have ever done well in any job.

You can avoid many of the risks that come with being an entrepreneur by following this process. It will help you avoid imposter Syndrome by doing something you are good at. And, since you have been paid in the past for these services, you know that there is a market.

You don’t need to look outside for business ideas. All you need to begin a business exists within you. These are the three steps to help you get started.

Your zone of genius

It’s time for you to start earning money. The first step is to identify your Zone of Genius. These are the tasks that you feel most qualified to do and love. This term is from the book The Big Leap Gay Hendricks, I’ll guide you through the process of finding yours.

We’ll begin by understanding the basic concepts of each area of competence.

Incompetence: These aren’t the things you’re good at and don’t know how to do them.

Competence: These tasks can be done by you, but it is possible for others to do them as well.

Excellence: Although these activities are extremely rewarding, they can be difficult to master.

Genius: These are the hobbies you love and would like to continue developing. These activities are endlessly fascinating and you will never be bored. This is the service that you offer your clients.

Next, open the spreadsheet. Note all the organizations that you have worked for in Column E. Once you’ve done that, list all the organizations you worked at in Column F.

Now, it’s time for you to assign these activities and tasks to different Zones of Competence. This is where you need to be completely honest with yourself. You should be able to do a few activities in your Zone of Genius and a few in your Zone of Excellence. Then, you can add more activities in the other zones.

The example can be viewed from your worksheet by clicking the link below.

This person could be a consultant to help organizations plan their Facebook advertising campaigns, as shown in the above example. We’ll go deeper into potential service offerings next.

Related: Five Steps to Get (Almost!) Anyone to Connect with You on LinkedIn

Determine which services you intend to sell

Once you have identified the skills that you wish to monetize, you can start creating services. I created the A.C.T.I.O.N. To help you quickly decide which services you want to offer, I created the A.C.T.I.O.N.

Audits

While they may seem scary when it comes to taxes, these are extremely useful if you offer them as an option for individuals and organizations. Based on your level of genius, this is how you will analyze a company and its processes. This is your main objective: to identify areas for improvement or opportunities.

Need help creating your audit? This video will show you how to create an audit.

Consulting

This means that you provide your opinion, analysis, and recommendations to people or organizations based upon your expertise. You can reuse the process you used for your audit.

Training

Your job is to help people or companies develop the skills they need to do their jobs. Although it is different to consulting, it is somewhat similar. Perhaps they discovered that they must start leveraging a new process during their audit or consulting. But they don’t know how. Here’s where you step in to help.

Implementation

This is where you assist your clients in implementing the tools or teams they need to reach their goals. This could involve selecting the right vendor or onboarding a tool.

Permanent Retainers

This is one way I love to make money. Retainers allow you to continue offering advice and services that are relevant to your expertise. You may not be working on a particular project. You are there to answer any questions that may arise. To ensure that you continue to generate revenue for your clients, I recommend that retainers be offered at the conclusion of every project.

New Opportunities

This is the part that can be the most flexible. Based on their goals, ideas and creativity, what creative solutions can you offer them to achieve their desired outcome.

Here’s an example. One of my business partners has asked me to make instructional videos about entrepreneurship. I presented them with a new opportunity. This is to set up an accountability system for all of their program participants. This aligns with my previous work. And They were open to the idea and made it their mission.

This is A.C.T.I.O.N. The business model for ideation. While you can choose any one of these options, I strongly recommend offering audits. This establishes the baseline for your other services.

Next we’ll discuss how to market your business.

Realted: How networking is necessary for effective entrepreneurialism

Ask your network for help in spreading the word about your company

I’ve interviewed hundreds 90% of the first clients of entrepreneurs came from their network. Before you post on social media asking strangers for work, make sure you are interacting with people you already trust and like.

You can think of 10-20 people that you know who will spread the word on your new venture. These people could be your former coworkers, close friends, or family members. These people should have access to a network that is relevant. This means that they might know people or organisations who could benefit from your services.

Next, reach out to them to ask for their assistance. Here is a template to help you get started.

Hey Omar,

All is well at your end.

This is my first attempt to reach you.

I help (target audience) (take this step) to (achieve a certain outcome)

Are there any people or companies who might be interested in this service, If you do, I would appreciate it if your could either introduce me or simply forward this email.

Thank you for your support!

This message can be sent via email or messaging. It all depends on the relationship.

Next steps

Although it can be difficult to become an entrepreneur, it doesn’t need to be complicated. This process will help you save time, make more money and avoid burnout.

If you don’t get any leads in the first 7 days, I suggest reaching out more people in your network by sending the same message. This is how most people get their first client. Keep at it.

I’m sure you have more questions.

• How much should I charge for my services?
• How can I get more people interested in my services?
• How can I make my clients happy?

Join my video course The Solopreneur’s Shortcut if you’re interested in getting help. Through a combination video, worksheets, and templates you’ll find the answers to these and many other questions.

Whatever your decision, I wish you all the best!