Want to start a business? Start by helping people.
I will be turning 50.
Most of the time, I worked as a scientist in a laboratory. Currently, I am a forensic chemist. And although I enjoy the work, sometimes, I don’t.
Two months ago, I was informed that our laboratory is closing.
Although it’s not a death sentence like when a doctor tells you have cancer, and you will only live another year or something, it feels like a death sentence.
When you are dying, that’s where your priorities…
My urgent priority is to work again on my on-line business.
Working on my business…
In 2014, I was handed a pink slip.
The company I worked for went belly up. We were a start-up company that burned money without any product in the horizon.
I survived that, but in 2017, I lost my job again.
That’s when I decided to go to online business.
I was selling on Amazon, with products sourced from China. The business model is called Amazon FBA or Fulfilled by Amazon.
The business model in a nutshell is this: You provide the inventory; Amazon ships your product. You are responsible for listing your product and advertising.
I lost money.
So, in 2018, I hopped back to the workforce and continued another model of business, this time an affiliate marketer using Facebook as my platform to advertise.
Last year, my revenue was $120,000. But I still lost money.
Today, I reframe losing money not as a failure, but steppingstone towards success. Failure is part of success.
Today, I feel that I have the skills to advertise in Facebook, writing my copy and learned a lot about marketing.
I’m still not successful though.
If you can help people, you have a business…
I was watching a YouTube video of a local gym owner (Gym is called Gainesville Health and Fitness center, here in Gainesville, Florida).
The company is very successful. It was founded in 1978 and they will be celebrating their 45th anniversary this year.
The owner faced a lot of frustrations when he started. There were problems with cash flow and the bank won’t loan money.
There were problems with building permits and renting space. But in the end, he succeeded.
Today, when I looked at losing my own money, and banks denying my loans, I looked at these problems as growing pains now, just like how the owner of the gym looked at those problems at the very start.
In his hour-long YouTube video, there was one golden nugget that resonated with me so much (btw, the video was a welcome speech to his new employees).
In the middle of his talk, he mentioned that if you can help people, you have a business.
The message still rings in my head, and that’s I decided to apply that philosophy in my business.
