Reddit reviews The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field
We found 4 Reddit comments about The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Portfolio Hardcover
Beyond "one that pays on time and never calls," this isn't really something anyone can answer for you, because what's ideal for me isn't necessarily ideal for you, isn't necessarily ideal for the next guy. It's going to boil down to what vertical you want to work in, what kinds of budgets you want to work with, how many users you guys can handle, etc. I would recommend picking up The Pumpkin Plan (I got my first copy of it from my local library, so check there) and running through the exercises in that book. It will help you identify who you have now that's a great fit and how to use your existing relationship with them to hone your business to appeal to more people just like them.
I've been running my own businesses since 2005, first with Inkling and now with Draft.
No matter what you do you'll encounter competition. There will always be someone bigger than you who has more money and who customers already use. How are you going to deal with that? How are you going to out innovate? How are you going to get them to switch?
The best books on this subject that have influenced what I've done are:
These books address how you can look at the current products and processes your potential customers have so you can begin innovating.
In a nutshell, start looking at process you or your customer is involved with. What steps are in that process? Now how can your product or service combine or eliminate those steps. There is where you're going to find innovation and a way to help people save money or time.
But, more importantly than these books, start making something this week that will help you. Take one of those ideas and figure out the quickest thing that will possibly help you or your customer. I recommend starting with yourself as the customer. It's so much easier.
Start with a spreadsheet or Wufoo form if you have to. Once you have the smallest thing that actually makes your life easier, now go try and sell it. Try and sell it to your friends. Email some people. Take out a Facebook/Google ad. Start teaching people on a blog and forming an audience. Get them to try and buy your thing.
I've been building Ruby on Rails applications for over 7 years. I'm very good with it. But I'll still try and start a new business by taking the smallest step possible. I'll start by selling a manual service before I build stuff, because the process helps me learn so much.
Before Draft, I was trying to see if I could create a tool to help people collect Beta users better. But instead of selling a tool, I sold a service: "Let me collect Beta users for you." And I sent people to a Wufoo form to pay me and add their info. And I got sales. With those initial customers I figured out what works and doesn't work when trying to get Beta users. And that data led me figure out I didn't want to be in the business after all. And I moved onto another project.
You need data about your ideas as fast as you can get it, so you don't waste your life on the junk.
You're thinking about it wrong. Go after bigger, better paying clients. If you're not getting better clients year after year, then you're doing something wrong.
Here's a good book on the philosophy: http://www.amazon.com/The-Pumpkin-Plan-Strategy-Remarkable/dp/1591844886.
If you don't want to read the book, which I highly recommend, check out this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk2PYZwLEc4
Then it definitely sounds like you should start placing bets. Place a few small bets and start doubling down on what works.
Simple, yet effective business book:
https://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Plan-Strategy-Remarkable-Business/dp/1591844886