I’m about to share something top secret with you.
Not “top secret” because it’s classified, dangerous, or even mysterious.
This strategy is “top secret” because it isn’t something most business owners think about. Given a certain amount of time with their business, watching it grow and shrink, succeed and fail in small ways, almost every long-term business owner actually does engage this strategy.
Sometimes it’s too late though…
But not for you.
I’ll go ahead and let you know what this strategy is – the same strategy I used to grow a blog (my business) into the profitable-yet-fledgling website that it is today. It also helped me laser-focus my blog by figuring out my USP.
I still have a ways to go – I’m nowhere near where I want to be, but you can see from these examples that I’m definitely on track:
My subscriber growth
Now, if you know anything about me you’ll know that I’m not the kind of person who usually shares data like this (I’m not about the numbers, I’m about the connections and engagement).
But I wanted to use these examples from the standpoint of a “if I can do it, so can you”-type lesson. Seriously – I run a website that focuses on helping writers and creators achieve their dreams, and it’s certainly not as populated a niche as one like marketing or blogging.
So really – I believe that any blogger or business owner out there can truly benefit from this strategy. At the very least, it will absolutely help you find your ONE Person. Before we jump into it, though, here’s a quick rundown of what it’s not:
- Social Media Marketing
- Guest-Posting
- Advertising
- Joint Ventures
- Affiliate Marketing
Nope, it’s none of these tactics (although they are all great for certain aspects of your niche marketing strategy).
The “Secret” Strategy
Instead, this secret strategy is something that’s so fundamental – so basic – you’ll probably be upset with me for saying it out loud:
The secret to massive growth for your business or blog is: Asking the Right Questions.
That’s right – the real secrets to success online or offline lie in about asking the right questions.
Questions like “how can I make the most money from this product launch” or “what advertising platforms will position us best?” are the wrong questions (at least, until you’ve asked the right questions).
So, you ask, what are the right questions?
The Right Questions are the questions that you inherently know the answers to.
You’ve been online long enough to know what a legitimate offer looks like, and what’s a scam.
You’ve been around the block a few (dozen) times, so you understand the business you’re in better than most people.
You know the strategies, tactics, and “best practices” of your business and niche, and everything you read online either reinforces them or simply presents these facts in a new light.
Basically, you already know the right answers. It’s now time to ask the right questions.
The right questions aren’t easy to answer – even though you already know the answers.
If you’re launching a blog, you don’t just need to know about AdSense, Flickr, WordPress, and the usual tools and features available to you. You need to understand why you’re launching a blog in the first place.
These are questions that only you can answer. Questions that tug at your heart, your mind, and your soul, and keep you up at night.
They’re questions that resonate so deeply inside of you that you wonder if you’re asking questions or being cross-examined by a therapist.
They’re questions like:
- Why are you blogging (or running a business)?
- What makes you the right person for this job?
- What kind of commitment can you make?
Right-I know you’ve answered these questions before; maybe to a skeptical in-law or parent – but when was the last time you sat down and really asked yourself these questions?
When was the last time you had a heart-to-heart with yourself, and came clean with the underlying reasons you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing?
Asking the right questions leads to unbelievably raw answers.
You’ll know you’re asking the right questions when Google searches and reading blog posts stop providing answers. The Right Questions are those big, lofty, ridiculous questions that make us want to curl up in the corner and forget about the monster task of building a business.
But here’s the deal:
If you actually take the time to write out answers to these “right questions,” you’ll be amazed at the clarity and depth of understanding you have for your business – and yourself.
And when you’re finished asking these questions, you can easily turn the written answers into a full-fledged business plan.
The “Right Questions” can launch your business into stardom
Most business school-graduate entrepreneurs are trained into writing business plans and answering questions like these, but most of us aren’t graduates of programs like this.
Instead, we’re told to “follow our hearts,” and “pursue our passions” – both endearing and wonderful prescriptions – but when it comes down to brass tacks, we run out of core, fundamental answers to questions that we need to grow our business.
As an antidote to this common malady, and as a strategy that is guaranteed to grow your business, try asking the Right Questions.
I’ve outlined 101 “Right Questions” that can help business owners launch their business or blog, with the help of prolific bloggers and business owners such as your very own Mirasee founder Danny Iny, Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income, James Chartrand of Men With Pens, and others – and I want you to have it.
The questions are ordered in a way that force you to think about your business like you’ve never thought of it before – a part of your life.
It’s a sound plan for launching any business or blog, and it’s a great starting point for new entrepreneurs or seasoned veterans alike.
I’ve used the Right Questions approach to get to the bottom of why I want to blog as a business model, and how I’ll grow it along the way. I didn’t need to read more and more information about growth strategy, finding traffic sources, or advanced blogging techniques, either – on the contrary, I used the Right Questions approach to ask the fundamental questions that started me on this journey in the first place.
Writing the answers, I was overwhelmed by the clarity and specificity of the answers – answers I knew, not ones I found in other books or online – and I used these answers to get my business back on track.
This method works
It’s not a scam, because the answers you provide are yours – not mine, not Danny’s, not anyone else’s. There are no shortcuts to the method, either, meaning you won’t be able to find the “Right Answers” anywhere online.
In fact, the “Cheat Sheet” I created for you is not really a cheat sheet – it’s just the questions alone, without the additional commentary we’ve provided in the full book.
If you want to check it out, it’s available for FREE download on my site – and the book is available through Amazon (see my byline). I recommend at least checking out the cheat sheet and working through the questions. At the very least, you should be able to realize some important truths about why it is you’re doing whatever is you’re doing – and how to improve it.
While it’s written from the standpoint of bloggers, you can certainly glean insight from it as a business owner – whether or not you have a blog. The core marketing concepts we used in the creation of both the book and the cheat sheet are based on actual questions taught to business students and entrepreneurs before they “jump in” head first.
Your turn..
Check it out, and let me know what you think! I’m more than happy to answer any questions (no pun intended) about the book or cheat sheet, and I’m hoping you’ll get some great use out of them!
As well, leave a comment and let me know what you think of all of this – have you asked yourself the Right Questions before, or written them down? What were your answers?
