Create-Build-Sell (CBS)
Establishing a website or getting any project off the ground as a solo-preneur is a relentless stream of tasks and actions. It requires commitment, knowledge, patience and persistence to keep doing the things that need to be done each and every day that keep the project moving forward in the right direction.
A method I’ve used is to make sure you do at least one each of these things each day:
Create |
Exercise the creative part of the brain and generate content or a product. Don’t just think about it, or plan it, or sketch it. CREATE IT! Make it available to your audience or your customers. Put it out there – Ship it! |
Build |
Use the logical part of your mind to; add a new feature to your site, solve a problem, improve a workflow. Do something that supports your project from the structural and strategic standpoint. |
Sell |
Apply your communication skills to get the message out, find a new customer, reach out to existing customers, communicate a marketing message – Talk to people to sell, not only what you have, but what you are creating. |
The CBS method has worked for me to ensure all aspects of the project keep progressing at somewhat the same pace. For example, it’s pointless spending 6 months building a web site without considering some meaningful content to go on it. Similarly, it’s pointless having a site with great content if you don’t push people to it and build an audience, or for that matter selling something that doesn’t exist.
Build
Building these departments of engineering, production and sales in your mind and carrying out their functions helps you to evolve the project and to metaphorically ‘build the bridge as you cross’ it.
With all three ‘departments’, you should primarily focus on your external audience of your customers, readers, subscribers or whatever, but don’t ignore your internal customers. Each of these departments, which today only exist in your mind and on your fragmented task list, but at a later stage will likely be undertaken by someone else. This might be an employee, a Virtual Assistant or just someone that helps you out from time to time.
Sell – Communicate
Create with selling and building in mind. For example if an article you are writing contains information about a potential customer – capture it. If an information product could benefit from a new web site feature, design it in.
Build with selling and creativity in mind. Maintain a common theme, brand and message, as this evolves, be prepared to back track and fix or remove out dated content.
Sell…just sell! The adage “nothing happens until somebody sells something” is true. Be clear what you are selling, and be clear who your market is. It’s true that in the early stage of some projects that this may not be obvious and in fact may not exist. But remember “selling” isn’t limited to monetary transactions of a product. Building a blog with regular, useful content is initially just selling a message, with little or no monetary gain. Be conscious of your evolving project and constantly seek new markets that fit your plan.
