Speaker 1: 0:03

Well, hello. This is Kimberly Brock, and for over 20 years I've been running my own businesses that have not only been profitable but personally fulfilling to me. So now I'm on a mission to help other new business owners, just like you, make money doing what you love to. Now we're going to have some fun, so let's get started.

Speaker 3: 0:24

Well, hello, this is Kimberly it's episode 306, and I am so glad that you are here today because we're talking about how you can create something that is actually worth selling.

Speaker 2: 0:37

If you're a new business owner, this is for you. If you're someone that's already in business but you're not selling as much as you thought, or maybe you're trying to come up with something new, some new line, or expanding your business somehow, this is the time to be thinking about this. This is crucial for the success of your business. We're going to talk about this, okay, on how to create something worth selling, because I think some of you get started and I've seen this Some new small business owners get so excited and want to get their business started, but it's not something that people actually want to buy, and that breaks my heart. It absolutely breaks my heart. I don't want that to happen to you at all. So today we're gonna talk about it how to create something worth selling and I'm so excited that you're here. If you're new, welcome. I'm so glad that you found this podcast. I have no doubt it's going to help you along your business journey, whether you're in the idea stage, starting or growing.

Speaker 2: 1:26

I have something for you. I do. I have party favors, so all you have to do right now is scroll down in the show notes. I have free resources for you. So if you're starting a product business, a service business, a coaching business, whatever it is, this is for you. I mainly help online business owners. Like you're going to be selling online, maybe you don't have a brick and mortar. Now I have a lot of you here that are brick and mortar businesses. That's amazing. I'm glad you're here. All of these tips will help you. I just have never had a brick and mortar store, so can't give you total details on that, but I can definitely give you tips and strategies for business, okay, to help you build a successful business. So I'm so glad you're here.

Speaker 2: 2:06

Y'all scroll down in the show notes. I've got free downloads and then I have some workshops. You can get what's you know figure out your best business idea workshop. You can get my Just Getting Started Boot Camp. If you're actually starting your business right now. Then I have other programs for growing your business or starting a podcast.

Speaker 2: 2:23

I'm telling you y'all, podcasting is amazing. It's been one of the very best business decisions I've ever made, and I have a whole self-paced program you can go through to get your podcast up and running and make sure it actually is good and it grows your business, because the last thing we want is yet another hobby, which would be a podcast that doesn't actually grow your business. We need it too. So, if you are a loyal listener, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate so much all the reviews and kind words. If you have been listening to this podcast and you have never taken time to review this, would you be so kind to do that? If you have found value in this podcast, all you have to do is hit the five-star rating. If you're an Apple podcast and if you have 30 seconds to write a written review, that would be wonderful too. Okay, that's it On to the episode.

Speaker 3: 3:18

Well, hello friends. How are you? How's everything going with life?

Speaker 2: 3:22

and business. Are you having a good day? I sure hope so. If you're not, know that whatever's going on will end and you have the power to change it. Right now you can put a smile on your face, you can put a little pep in your step and you can say you know what. Everything is going to be okay. God has me, he is here, he is listening to you, he hears you, and I want you all to just be so grateful for the life that you have been given, because you have so much and you have this freedom to build a business doing what you love. How amazing is that? It is the most awesome thing that we get to do.

Speaker 2: 3:58

Now. I know a lot of you have full-time careers and you're starting your business on the side, which I think is so wonderful and so smart, because then you have time to like, get this thing up and running without spending a whole bunch of money and time you know put into it and you can shape it and mold it to be exactly what you want it to be and hopefully then maybe you can go part-time with your job or maybe even full-time with this business. How amazing would that be? Well, today we're talking about how to create something that's actually worth selling, and I talk about this today because I've seen with clients that some of you did not think through your product or service very well before you got started. You got all excited, which I actually love. Y'all know I commend people for taking action like like coming up with an idea and actually moving forward, and I want you to do that. But you have to make sure that what you're actually creating in that niche is something those people want to pay money for. Okay, it has to be a big enough audience that you're going to make enough money right to keep this going, so it's not just a hobby. So today we're going to talk about these three things.

Speaker 2: 5:10

I will tell you that I got this episode inspiration from Seth Godin, and I don't know if y'all know who Seth Godin is. He is an author. He's done TED Talks. He's amazing. He's everywhere. Author. He's done TED Talks. He's amazing everywhere. I first learned about him from a book called this Is Marketing. But that is a fabulous book, fabulous book. I read that right as I was starting this business, so, like 6 years ago, I think it came out in 2018.

Speaker 2: 5:37

He has got so many books about marketing and people who are freelancers and how to actually run a business out of it. And he's got a very famous blog that people love, seth's blog, and he was the inspiration for this episode because he's got so many great nuggets of information and I just love everything that that he talks about. It's all so very practical and simple to understand. And he's got a book, too that's called the Purple Cowl and it's basically how to stand out in your market. He's got all kinds of books, so you'll have to look him up, seth Godin. A lot of great books, but this Is Marketing is a great one for you if you like audiobooks or you want to read a book. Super, I loved it so much.

Speaker 2: 6:19

And today I'm going to talk about something he talks about, which is how to create something that's actually worth selling. I've molded it and applied it to you all. Okay, so I've taken his concept which I don't even know if he 100% came up with these concepts and he actually, you know, learned from someone else and molded them to his. What I'm finding out now more and more, y'all, there's actually no new ideas. Everybody is just learning from everyone else. But what is cool is when we're learning from other people or we find people that we like to learn from. It's because, however they explain it or however they share, it works for our brains, right? I noticed that, like I like Seth Godin, because it works for my brain. It's very simple and pragmatic and easy to understand and maybe that's why you listen here. There's something about this podcast, or the way that I explain things or teach things, that that is easy for you, right, and it's fun all at the same time, I hope. I hope you feel uplifted when you listen. I hope that you take all of these nuggets and know that, yes, there's things that I've learned from working with y'all that only I could learn because it's my certain niche, but a lot of my ideas are gained from all the authors out there and all the people that have gone before us and I'm sure others that have gone before us would say the exact same thing that they learned from people who have gone before them. So this is an episode that I hope really resonates with you and makes you think.

Speaker 2: 7:43

Over the coming days and weeks Again, you may be just starting your business, like. You may even just be in the idea stage and you're like OK, I like this and that Maybe you've done my IKIGAI guide. Some people call it, call it IKIGAI. I don't know how to pronounce it right. I say IKIGAI. Someone blasted me out somewhere that I couldn't pronounce it right and so I'm like you know, can't, can't win them all, can't be all things to all people. You know what I'm saying. I can't you'd say every word perfectly and I will say y'all a lot, because I'm from Texas and that's what we do. Okay, so today, how do you create something that is? So? Here's what to do.

Speaker 2: 8:31

If y'all are trying to figure out what to sell, first of all do my iKiGuy guide that I mentioned. You can go down below in the show notes there's a link to it. It's like a multi-page guide that's going to walk you through how to fill out this Venn diagram. That's about matching up your passions, your skills, your expertise and all that to find a business. That to find a business, or maybe you can use it just for like figuring out what kind of product you can kind of mold it as you're doing it what kind of product would work good for you to sell in the niche that you're already thinking, because my guess is you'll already have an idea of what you want to sell. Also, too, if you already have your business open, you're like I've done all this, I have my business open, I'm ahead of this.

Speaker 2: 9:11

Well, there will come a day that you want to create something new within your business. Take on a new angle. I actually have several clients that have started second businesses and they're doing something a little different than than the first business, whereas if y'all have been listening to me a while, you know, for 16 years, I had online gift boutiques and I had 2 businesses that were very similar. They were online gift boutiques, but slightly different niches, but I ran them the same. I did them both on Shopify. I had the same processes. It was super simple. So that's a way you can do it too.

Speaker 2: 9:41

But if you ever feel like branching off, this is a good way to go about it, and it is good for you to review your current offering and think about right now is this actually something people want to pay money for? Because that is key right now. So here's the first step. The first step is to really discover your people's problem. Well, it's more than one problem. Your people's problems is that. Did I say that right? Let's okay. Let me start that one over.

Speaker 2: 10:10

Let's think about the niche, the people that you want to serve. Do you know the problems that they are suffering? Do you know the problems that they are suffering and do you really know? Are you just guessing? Now, if you are basing your business on something that you've gone through, that you've discovered, that's worked for you, that you love, you have been through it and you had problems with this, and my guess is you're starting this business because you want to give people a better way, an easier way, a more fun way, a cheaper way, a more close-knit relationship type of way. Right, you want to help them at a deeper level than maybe you got.

Speaker 2: 10:51

So think about right now the problems that your people are suffering. What are they going through? What are they thinking? What are they doing? What are they feeling? What keeps them up at night? What are they trying to figure out? You have to know this. This is like literally the most important thing.

Speaker 2: 11:11

If you do not, right now, know the problems that your people are suffering, then you need to get on the phone. Do people do that now? Do y'all get on the phone and call people? Do you FaceTime people? Do you WhatsApp people? I don't know what you do. Do you Zoom people? Get on the phone Am I giving away my age? Pick up the phone and dial, smile and dial, call somebody. Start talking to people when you're out and about. Talk to people. If you find somebody that's in your niche, say, can I have 5 minutes of your time? I just have a few questions super quick. This will help me so much. You need to know the problems that people have. Okay, what are they suffering? What are their pain points? What is slowing them down? What is getting in their way? You have to know all of that. If you don't know, I'm going to give you a really good tip right now Alert alert, everyone listening. I don't know if you're driving, walking, doing wash Alert alert. Right now. I need like a little buzzer, need a buzzer button to alert you in case you kind of drifted off and aren't paying attention. But you can go to ChatGBT right now. Do you use ChatGBT? You need to.

Speaker 2: 12:32

I probably should like brain dumping onto ChatGBT and tell ChatGBT the kind of person you are, what you're trying to do, your niche, the business you're trying to start, and that you really are trying to delve into the problems that people have. And I would get ChatGBT to help you if you don't know. Here's the danger in that is that ChatGBT may not know your exact niche, may be able to give you some general problems. Yes, like right now. If I looked up problems new business owners have, it would be like financing a website, technical, doing taxes, and that is all fine and great. My clients do have those problems. But I actually solve different problems. I I solve problems where I'm helping them actually stay motivated and get past the mental side of things and the overthinking and the analysis, paralysis, and get them moving in the most simple form possible, because they don't even realize that they're complicating everything. There's a whole bunch of things that I do right and so it may be slightly different than what ChatGBT would spit back at me. So make sure you are really refining what you're saying. And here's another tip I use the microphone little icon thing so I don't have to type on ChatGBT. I just brain dump, I literally ramble on and on, and on, and on and on, and it records my voice and types it into ChatGBT. So I would do that.

Speaker 2: 13:53

Again, your best thing is to pick up the telephone, which is your cell phone. Pick up the phone and call people, talk to people everywhere you go and if someone is in your niche, ask them questions. You can send people emails, you can text them, you can do whatever you want, but you have got to know the problems that they have, ok, ok, so that's number one, because a lot of you don't actually take time to do this. Your problems that you had in in this situation getting solved may not be the same problems that the people that you serve have, so remember that they may not be the same problems.

Speaker 2: 14:27

For example, a lot of my clients get hung up on the tech and I'm kind of a little nerd over here and I love all the techie side of things. In fact, y'all know that I'm helping my daughter launch or relaunch my old business in this very room. She's doing it in like a micro, micro way with some select products that she's picking out, and I've had to get back on Shopify and I hadn't been on it in what 7 years? And so much has changed on it. I mean it's still the basic, basically the same, but man, my brain just let that all go and I'm having to relearn it all really quick. But I love it. I love doing the technical side and so it doesn't bother me. But some people, a lot of people that come to me, the tech like hangs them up really big time.

Speaker 2: 15:13

So you have to know that and you're like, what am I doing to help these people? So that's the first thing, right, okay? So discover the problems, know them, like your life depends on it, because your business does depend on it. Okay, okay, number two go ahead and, in your mind, create something. And you could even do it if you actually make something physical, like a, like a candle or jewelry or something you can go ahead and make like a prototype.

Speaker 2: 15:38

If you are thinking about offering services or coaching or a program, just map out like this is what I want to do to help people. This is how I want to do it. I want to do it by a course, I want to do it by a group program, I want to do one-on-one coaching and again, if you are a product maker, put something together and just kind of do the very quick version of it. If you don't have a sample product already, if you're not already selling, put something together. If you are selling and you have it, I want you to look at your product. I want you to literally look at it and ask yourself if it solves that problem that we said in number one. It needs to solve that problem.

Speaker 2: 16:13

So you're maybe you're saying I can't find candles that are non-toxic and smell really elegant. They're all. They're all kind of fruity that I smell and I'm going for this other vibe. I don't know y'all, I'm just talking off the cuff here. I don't know much about candles. I've never made a candle. Or maybe it's the containers. You want the containers to be different, something like that. Make sure, when you look at your candle, that it actually solves the problem.

Speaker 2: 16:38

Okay, if you don't want to go make a candle but you just want to do this exercise really quick, then write down the different attributes of the candles or the product that you think it should have. And if you're going to offer a service, program, coaching, what would be the attributes of that that could help people? Like, do you have a certain method that you're going to go through, do you have certain steps you're going to take them through? What is that? And I want you to look at it. That's the second step. Y'all, you have to dig deep. You have to actually have something to to think about, to look at that's tangible in some way. Okay, again, if you're a coach, a service provider, anything like that, write it down. Write down like how you're going to help somebody really quick, just in an outline. If you're a maker, grab a sample you've already made or if you already have them, look at it, look at it all over and go Okay, those problems that I just heard is this is this helping solve that problem? Okay, so that's the second thing. Okay, y'all ready for number three.

Speaker 2: 17:41

The third thing you're going to do to create something that people actually want to pay money for is to then ask yourself, if I was suffering this same problem right now, would I actually pull my credit card out and buy this? Why or why not? What would make me want to buy this? And I don't want you to say price, I really don't. I don't want you to be in the race to the bottom, to be like the lowest price. I don't want you to say, yeah, I would buy it if it was the lowest price. I want you to like think about it. If it was at a premium cost, if it was at a premium cost, more than everything else in the market, would this be worth it? Would you pull out your money? Would you actually buy it? Would you buy it? Maybe Would you be like, yes, this is a heck of a deal because. Or would you be like, I don't know, I'd have to do some more research.

Speaker 2: 18:44

Nothing is really standing out about it. You are going to have to be very, very honest with yourself right now. Like, think about the stuff that you buy. Like, think about the stuff that you buy, look at your product or service and go Would I actually spend money on this? Why, or why not? Or maybe there's some parameters, maybe, maybe, when you answer that question, you say, well, I would buy it if X, y, z Write it out, y'all. This little exercise will help you so much. It's going to help you so much.

Speaker 2: 19:19

Number one you're going to discover all the problems. You're going to know it and you will know it, and you have to know it almost like it's tattooed on you, like you know their problems. Right, this is what you're doing. You're serving people and you're helping them get past a problem. What is the problem? Okay, number two you need to create a mock-up, a sample already, have something in front of you that solves the problem and I want you to look at it and go. Does it actually solve the problem? Does this solve the problem that people just said that they had? If it doesn't, you're going to have to stop there and do not pass go. It's like the Monopoly game, like you literally are in business jail and you need to go back to the drawing board or do something that would make it solve the problem.

Speaker 2: 20:16

What is the problem that they have? Is this solving the problem? And then, number three you have to say OK, if this was me with those problems and I saw this product or service come before me. It came on my feed, someone told me about it. I found it somehow. I found the podcast. I found the YouTube and the person was there, youtube and the person was there. Would I buy it? Why, or why not? Why or why not? Would I pull out my credit card to buy what you sell? Y'all, we really have to think about this. Me too, all of us, all business owners, have to think about this. It has to solve a problem that people have.

Speaker 2: 20:55

For example, y'all know I do one-on-one coaching for new business owners, also new podcasters and those who are trying to like figure out how to grow their new business right, how to start showing up authentically and how do they sell without being icky? What do they do? How do they get reliable income? One of my solutions is one-on-one coaching, and it's not for everybody, but it's for the people that are like I want help now. I can't get any help. I'm sick of looking at YouTube videos and buying courses and doing all these things. I want someone to help me right this minute and I want to get this done and I want to get past my stumbling block and I want to get moving. I just need to get past this one thing in my business Y'all. It's massively helpful for people. I wish I could have had this and I actually wish more coaches did this, because I think most of the stuff that I see, for example, is group programs, which I love. I have GrowGetters, I have had podcasting programs. I love them.

Speaker 2: 21:56

I'm just saying I'm not talking about that, I'm just saying for coaching, like someone who wants help immediately, today, this week, there needs to be a solution, and to me, one-on-one coaching is that Now it is priced at a premium I think I could go even higher, right, because people need it now. It's just like when your air conditioning goes out. You need someone here quick or you'll sweat to death here in Texas, right? So what is it that people need right now? You have to be thinking about that. I have to be thinking about that. I have other programs as well where people can do self-study, like courses right, I have them where you can do that too, because there's some people who are like I'm working full-time, I just want to be able to do this on my own. A lot of those are more, less expensive than coaching, and that fits a certain niche, right. So I'm only explaining this to you so you understand, like, how I've crafted my offers and how you have to craft yours.

Speaker 2: 22:58

Your business may be nothing like mine. You may have products you may have who knows? I don't, I don't even know. Maybe you're a guest speaker, maybe you run events, maybe you have a mobile booth somewhere, maybe you do some kind of delivery, some kind of service, right? You have to ask yourself again number one what are the problems that they are actually suffering? Number two create something that does actually solve that problem. But then, number three, so that you are positioned well and so people actually want to buy, you have to say, would I actually pull out my money for this and buy it? Why or why not? What does a competition look like? What would I be thinking if I saw this? Would I be inspired by it and be excited to buy now and be like, finally? Or would I be like, oh, that's cute, and keep walking? Be honest with yourself. Today, y'all this is going to help you create something that's worth selling. I'm so excited for y'all. Thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 2: 23:56

If you have any comments or questions about this podcast episode, you're welcome to DM me on Instagram. My handle is StartWithKimberlyBrock. I know sometimes some of you want to leave comments and most of you listen in Apple Podcasts and that is not something they do right now as habit where you can leave comments on the episodes. But I would love to hear from you. If you just have something you want to say, good or bad, I can take it. I would just love to hear any feedback that you have and any any way that maybe you've gone through this quick little process and if it helped you I hope it does. I'm so happy for you and your business.

Speaker 2: 24:30

Again, if you need one-on-one coaching, if you, if you are stuck right now on something, maybe you're a service provider, maybe you're a coach and you're like I'm just trying to get this together and how do I get my business growing, like what do I need to do? Y'all know I teach like a five step method to help you do that. Or I can help you get past, just like if you have a certain roadblock with your offer like what your product is, what your method is, how you're selling it we can go through that for starting a podcast, etc. I would love to help you. I'd be honored. My whole being wants to get you moving and so I will work very hard in our time together to help get past any roadblocks and get you moving. So that's it, y'all. Have a great day Until next time.

Speaker 3: 25:15

Now this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here. Head on over to KimberlyBrockcom and, yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey and you know what. You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help you. Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye.