We plan to start a business by creating value for ourselves, even though we don’t see it that way at that point. Often, right because we don’t see it that way, we don’t do our best or we don’t know how to do it best because we don’t understand what we are dealing with. Creating real value is similar to being extremely talented. Doing something for the sake of doing it doesn’t mean it’s valuable to us, or to anyone else. Doing quality work doesn’t mean you are creating real value either, just like having a talent and not using it the best you can.
Creating value for yourself by starting a business implies creating value for others, too. What you do, how you do it, how you help them, what you give them, whether you care are all the things that could vaguely describe what value means, but it’s something you knew already and it hasen’t helped you much. Changing people’s lives for the better by initiating and inspiring is where you can start.
You see, it’s not about quality blog content, avoiding copying others, working long hours, using best materials, having a trendy bar or using social media. No, it’s not about that at all because through this is value, it might not be perceived as value most of the time. Those things are basic, substantial if you want to have a chance to be talked about, to have people come to you are try what you have. When you do more then substantial, you add to the whole process, but again, more doesn’t necessarily mean you are creating value. Doing many things, adjusting to everything, to trends or something third doesn’t put you in front of others; it can even throw you way back or end your business.
When you inspire someone to more to another country, when you initiate someone to persue extreme skiing (something that they wanted for a long time but never dared to do), when you help them have a life changing experience like climbing to Machu Micchu, opening a business or becoming healthy by eating raw food, whatever it is, you have created value. When you write a long email or have a conversation with someone helping them in such a way that they feel they couldn’t have done it without you, that’s creating value. When you send your customer a thank you card at their address, or a Christmas card months after they purchased something from you, telling them you appreciate them, that’s creating value by creating relationships. When you create a specially tailored product or when you talk to you audience like they were your friends – that’s value.
Creating value is reinvesting the money your customers gave you into new ones, into improving the experience or redefining quality that you give. Never forget about the power of feedback. If you treat your customers with respect and talk to them, they will tell you what they want, what’s good and what’s not. Feedback is for you to readjust and to try harder each time.
To get back to the initial idea with which I started this article, try to please yourself because if you are creating value for yourself, too, you should do it right. Money, though, is not the first value you will experience. Maybe it’s the joy, then the people you will have the chance to meet, the freedom, the things you will be able to experience. Value is what you set it to be before you start, so thing about it good.
Creating value is helping others to create value. Going that extra mile, and if you and your customers can feel that – that’s it.
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photo courtesy hugh
