Get Customers for any Business Idea in Under 15 Minutes

Summary

In this video, the host demonstrates live strategies for acquiring initial customers across various business ideas, emphasizing specificity in offerings and leveraging platforms like LinkedIn and social media. The focus is on identifying potential customers, reaching out directly, and using a customer-first mindset to validate business concepts without initial investment. The host shares practical tips, such as creating spreadsheets for tracking and engaging with dog owners for a dog face mask business, and suggests pre-selling products to gauge interest and secure funding for development.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Start by identifying your target customers for your business idea, and approach them with a specific offering rather than a broad one.
• 📝 Be specific about what you are offering; for example, if you are a work-from-home consultant, specify whether you are setting up desk environments or teaching new apps.
• 💼 Utilize LinkedIn to find potential clients who might need your services, such as therapists or salespeople who are transitioning to online work.
• 📲 Reach out to potential customers directly through various channels like text messages, phone calls, or emails for better real-time results.
• 🤝 Get referrals from people who might not need your service, but know others who could benefit from it.
• 🛍 Consider your current service providers as potential customers, especially if you have a history of financial transactions with them.
• 📈 Use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to find and connect with potential customers who share common interests related to your product.
• 📋 Create a list of friends or acquaintances who might be interested in your product and reach out to them directly via text or social media messages.
• 📈 Before creating a product, gauge interest by asking for pre-orders or direct sales to validate demand and secure initial revenue.
• 📈 Use cost analysis to determine the appropriate pricing for your product by researching similar items on platforms like AliExpress or Amazon.
• 🚀 Embrace the idea of pre-selling products or services without having them fully developed, as it can help validate the business idea and secure funding for production.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to demonstrate how to acquire the first customers for any business idea without spending money, by using specific strategies and leveraging existing networks.

What is the first business idea discussed in the video?

The first business idea discussed is a 'work from home office consultant,' which the video suggests should be made more specific to offer value to potential customers.

Why is being specific important for a 'work from home office consultant'?

Being specific is important because it clarifies the services offered, making it easier to target the right audience and demonstrate the value of the service to potential customers.

Which platform is suggested for finding potential customers for the 'work from home office consultant' business idea?

LinkedIn is suggested as the platform to find potential customers for the 'work from home office consultant' business idea, as it is a professional network where one can identify people who might need such services.

What is the strategy for reaching out to potential customers on LinkedIn?

The strategy involves searching for first connections who might need the service, sending them a direct message, and also considering reaching out via other direct channels like text messages, phone calls, or emails for better immediate results.

What is the second business idea mentioned in the video?

The second business idea mentioned is 'fresh smash for dogs,' which seems to refer to some sort of product or service related to dogs, possibly a type of food or treat.

How does the video suggest finding customers for the 'fresh smash for dogs' idea?

The video suggests creating a list of friends who own dogs, reaching out to them directly via text messages, and also posting on social media platforms to gauge interest and find potential customers.

What is the importance of pre-selling a product before creating it, as mentioned in the video?

Pre-selling a product before creating it is important because it validates the demand for the product, allows for funds to be collected for production, and ensures that there is a market for the product before investing time and resources into its creation.

What is the 'million dollar weekend' concept mentioned in the video?

The 'million dollar weekend' concept is about starting a business and finding the first customers within a 48-hour span over a weekend. It emphasizes the importance of quick action and leveraging existing networks to validate a business idea.

Why does the video recommend not spending money when starting a business?

The video recommends not spending money when starting a business because the focus should be on validating the business idea with customers first. It suggests that resources like courses, books, and domains are not necessary in the initial stages of customer acquisition.

What is the final business idea discussed in the video?

The final business idea discussed is a 'spice rack meets keurig' machine, which is a device that helps select spices more easily, possibly for cooking purposes.

How can one find customers for a product that doesn't exist yet, like the 'spice rack meets keurig' machine?

One can find customers for a non-existent product by creating a diagram or prototype, reaching out to friends or potential customers who might be interested, and pre-selling the product to validate the idea and gather funds for production.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Targeting Specific Customer Groups for Business Success

The speaker outlines a strategy for acquiring the first customers for various business ideas by focusing on specificity and direct outreach. They suggest identifying a niche within a broad business concept like a 'work from home office consultant' and leveraging platforms like LinkedIn to find potential clients. The importance of personalizing the pitch and using direct communication methods, such as text messages or phone calls, is emphasized. Additionally, the speaker highlights the value of referrals and networking with current service providers and previous employers to find customers who need specific solutions.

05:00

🐕 Engaging Dog Owners with Customized Products

The speaker discusses the process of finding customers for a niche product like face masks for dogs. They recommend starting with personal connections, such as friends who own dogs, and using social media platforms for broader outreach. The speaker illustrates how to create a list of potential customers, engage them through direct messaging, and explore the possibility of starting a newsletter to maintain interest and gather customer insights. They also stress the importance of understanding market pricing and calculating costs to ensure profitability.

10:00

🚴‍♂️ Identifying and Pre-Selling Solutions to Specific Problems

The speaker shares a method for identifying customers for a product like AirPod wind covers, which cater to a specific need of cyclists. They suggest using platforms like WhatsApp, Strava, and Instagram to find and engage with potential customers who share the same interest. The approach includes creating a visual representation of the product, reaching out to friends within the target audience, and considering pre-selling the product to validate demand. The speaker also draws a parallel with Tesla's pre-selling strategy for the Model 3, emphasizing the effectiveness of securing customer interest before product delivery.

🌮 Marketing Keto Taco Shells to Health-Conscious Consumers

The speaker explores strategies for marketing keto taco shells to a health-conscious audience. They recommend using Facebook groups and Instagram to identify friends and potential customers who are interested in keto diets or tacos. The approach involves direct messaging, posting in relevant groups, and leveraging friends' interests to gauge product interest. The speaker also advises on calculating costs and setting prices to ensure profitability, emphasizing the importance of not spending money on starting a business and focusing on acquiring customers first.

☕️ Conceptualizing and Validating a Kitchen Innovation

The speaker introduces a concept for a kitchen appliance that combines the functionality of a spice rack and a Keurig coffee machine. They propose using free tools to create diagrams and prototypes to share with potential customers, such as chefs, to gather feedback. The speaker also suggests looking for customers who have purchased similar kitchen equipment and reaching out to them with the new product idea. The emphasis is on validating the concept with customers before investing in development and on the importance of starting businesses over a weekend to maintain momentum and focus.

Keywords

💡Customer Acquisition

Customer acquisition refers to the process of attracting and gaining new customers for a business. In the video's context, it is the central theme where the speaker demonstrates strategies to obtain the first customers for various business ideas. The script provides practical examples such as reaching out on LinkedIn for a work-from-home office consultant business, showcasing how customer acquisition is tailored to specific business models.

💡Work-from-Home Office Consultant

A work-from-home office consultant is a professional who offers services to help others set up and optimize their home office environments, including the use of productivity apps. The video emphasizes the need for specificity in service offerings, using this role as an example to illustrate targeting potential clients on LinkedIn, such as therapists who might need help transitioning to online services.

💡LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform used widely for business connections, job searches, and professional development. In the video, it is highlighted as a strategic tool for identifying and reaching out to potential clients who might need the services of a work-from-home office consultant, leveraging the platform's search and connection features.

💡Direct Outreach

Direct outreach involves contacting potential customers or clients personally, often through personalized messages, calls, or emails. The script emphasizes the importance of direct outreach over passive methods like posting on social media, exemplified by the speaker's approach to contacting potential clients via LinkedIn messages and suggesting text messages or calls for better engagement.

💡Referrals

Referrals in a business context are instances where existing customers recommend a service or product to others. The video script mentions leveraging referrals as a method for expanding the customer base, suggesting that after providing a service, one should ask clients if they know others who might need similar help, thus illustrating a word-of-mouth marketing strategy.

💡Service Providers

In the video, service providers are individuals or businesses that offer services to clients, such as an accountant or a lawyer. The speaker suggests looking to one's own service providers as potential customers for a work-from-home office consultant business, reasoning that if they pay for services for themselves, they might be willing to pay for services that could benefit their clients.

💡Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices focused on human use for comfort and efficiency. The script uses the example of an ergonomic optimization provided by a previous employer to illustrate the potential value of a work-from-home office consultant's services, showing how such a consultant could help improve home office setups for comfort and productivity.

💡Pre-Selling

Pre-selling is the practice of selling a product or service before it is available or fully developed. The video discusses the concept of pre-selling as a way to validate a business idea, using the example of airpod wind covers, where the speaker suggests asking for pre-orders to gauge interest and secure funding for production without upfront costs.

💡Strava

Strava is a social network for athletes, primarily used by runners and cyclists to track their activities and connect with others. In the script, Strava is mentioned as a platform where the speaker would post updates to find potential customers for airpod wind covers, demonstrating the use of niche communities for targeted marketing.

💡Keto Taco Shells

Keto Taco Shells refer to a specific product idea within the video, which are taco shells designed to fit within the dietary guidelines of the ketogenic diet. The term is used to illustrate the process of finding customers for a niche product by searching for and engaging with communities that might have an interest in keto-friendly food options, such as keto-focused Facebook groups.

💡Sous Vide Machine

A sous vide machine is a culinary device used for vacuum-sealing food and cooking it in a water bath at a precise temperature. The script mentions sous vide machines as an example of a comparable kitchen item that someone interested in a spice rack meets keurig concept might also be interested in, indicating a strategy for identifying potential customers based on their past interests or purchases.

💡Million Dollar Weekends

Million Dollar Weekends is a concept introduced in the video that encourages starting a business and acquiring the first customers within a weekend timeframe. The term encapsulates the video's overarching message of rapid action and validation of business ideas without significant upfront investment, as demonstrated through the various examples provided.

Highlights

The video demonstrates how to acquire your first customer for any business idea through live examples.

The importance of specificity in defining your service offering, illustrated with the example of a 'work from home office consultant'.

Using LinkedIn to identify potential clients who might need help setting up their home office environment.

The strategy of reaching out to your first-degree connections on LinkedIn for business opportunities.

The value of direct communication like text messages or phone calls over LinkedIn messages for immediate results.

Leveraging referrals from satisfied clients to expand your customer base.

Targeting current service providers as potential customers for a 'work from home office consultant'.

Reaching out to previous employers for business opportunities based on their potential ergonomic needs.

Creating a Google spreadsheet to list friends who own dogs as potential customers for a dog face mask business.

Utilizing social media platforms like Facebook to gauge interest and find customers for niche products.

The concept of pre-selling products, like airpod wind covers, to validate demand before production.

Using platforms like Strava to find potential customers who might need solutions for specific problems, such as cycling.

The strategy of posting in niche groups on Facebook to find customers interested in keto products.

Finding customers for a unique product like keto taco shells by searching for keto-related interests on social media.

The idea of creating a prototype or diagram for a product concept like a spice rack Keurig to attract early customers.

Targeting individuals who have purchased similar kitchen equipment as potential customers for a new product.

The 'Million Dollar Weekend' concept of starting a business with three customers within a 48-hour period without spending money.

Emphasizing the importance of not spending money at the start of a business and utilizing free resources.

Encouraging viewers to subscribe for exclusive content and the motivation behind starting a business over a weekend.

Transcripts

in this video i'm going to show you live

how to get your first customer no matter

what business idea you have

so i asked the audience aka you on

instagram to say give me all the

business ideas you have

and i'm going to show you live how to

get a customer for them

number one work from home office

consultant number two

fresh smash for dogs number three

air pod wind covers number four

keto taco shells and number five a spice

racks mix a keurig

let's go make some sales so the first

problem that you guys are saying is work

from home office consultant

so first off that is a way too broad of

an offering what does a work from home

office consultant actually mean

so be specific in what you're actually

offering people i'm going to set up your

desk environment i'm going to teach you

new apps like notion and coda or rome

whatever that is but let's just say you

were looking for people working from

home where is a place online that

tells people where they work

linkedin so let's go over to linkedin

and what i would try to think about is

who are the people that would really

need help and then what can i pitch

these these specific people so first off

i would think about my aunt

she's a therapist who's not super tech

savvy sorry aunt ronda but she probably

wants to go online she's probably using

zoom maybe wants to get her home office

set up a little bit more effectively and

so on linkedin you can literally go and

look a list of like maybe i'll look up

therapists

think about people who are actually

doing sales things doing meetings or

doing things online

that would actually need your help and

so from here you can literally see

all the people that you are connected to

first connection

that are actually probably needing your

service and then all you have to do is

send them a message saying

hey i'd like to be doing work from home

consulting for you it's a hundred

dollars and i'm going to be offering you

a death setup or i'm going to be

recommending tools for you i'll help you

get your practice online

this would be the first place i would

start considering you can go on linkedin

search your first connections as you can

see on the screen

and make a list of all these people here

and then just start going reaching out

to them

one thing that's really important as

you're reaching out and getting

customers is that i don't like just

sending one message on linkedin

i like going into the people

specifically looking up their contact

info

and sending a text message or phone call

or an email the more that you can do

something that's direct in real time

the better you're gonna get results

right away so you're not waiting around

for things while you're in linkedin or

while you're on any of these places

get referrals because if you start doing

this and they're like hey i don't need

your help

then you could say one what do you need

my help on or two

who is someone else that you know that i

should be talking with the other thing

that you can do as a work from home

office consultant let's say you're just

doing desk stuff

the best people to ask money for are

people you've also given money to

your current service providers so if you

have like for me

we use bkd that's uh our accounting firm

so i'm gonna go on bkda and up hi

stephanie

hi kim so that's something that you can

really be thinking about is that do you

have a lawyer do you have an accountant

do you have a dentist do you have

bookkeepers or book men and women

whatever you want to call them

so look up your current service

providers number three

look up your previous employers so i

worked at intel

i don't know how many people are still

there uh but they have

over a hundred thousand employees i'm

not sure if people are still working

there that i know

um let me see if there's anyone still on

linkedin that i know oh actually abby

and a few of these other guys are still

there

so i would be hitting up these people

i'm sure they have some ergonomic

budgets i know when i was at intel

they actually gave us like a full

ergonomic optimization once we got the

job because they're like oh you're going

to die here so we want to make it feel

good

hey abby oh [ __ ] oh i sent it

i'm just going to send it so you'll see

i hope you're awesome

special

[Music]

all right i just sent it so you can see

that i just set the message live i hope

abby doesn't mind me sending a referral

request

all right next up what is the next

business video that you guys were asking

me for

face masks for dogs so again i think

what you're going to start noticing as

i'm doing

all showing you how to get customers no

matter what business idea you have is

work backwards with the customer first

mindset that is the most important thing

and so if i was looking about face mask

for dogs i would say friends who own

dogs so i'm making a google spreadsheet

this is all free and i still haven't

spent any money yet

so maybe name email dog

name and just start creating a list of

the people you know so who do

i know that has a dog anton has a dog i

think my friend brian cutler has a dog

i'll put him in here and i put their

emails in so anton

brian and now let me actually show you

i'm gonna message them

uh normally what i like to do on

messaging is that i like to do it as

fast as possible

so i'm gonna do it via text message so

you can see it on my phone i go into my

text message

um i'm asking anton and i'm just gonna

message him right

now hey man uh wild question

that's it i know you guys are looking

for magic and secrets and stuff like

this and what a lot of times what i

think people like about my process and

what's worked for me and

appsumo and our team and what i've

recommended to thousands of people is

just go for the customer don't worry

about the ideas

and guess what if they don't want it

let's find something they do want so

number two let's go find a list of all

the friends of ours who have dogs so i'm

gonna go on facebook

what you could do is you can post on

your social media so i will post it here

so i'm posting on my social media way

that you can actually post in your

social medias you can be very direct

with some of your requests which is like

hey for a hundred dollars i'm making

this thing is anyone interested leave a

comment below

the second way that i've actually found

a lot of success from it is kind of

doing it a little bit lighter of an ask

where you say

hey which are you gorgeous people or

which you people have dogs or which

people are interested in this

and then you can actually open up the

conversation about dogs and so then you

could sell them the

face mask for dogs or you can actually

find something else that they'd be

interested in so i'm gonna post this on

my facebook you will actually be able to

see this on my facebook that i posted it

so what i would do is then go in groups

and say hey do any of you friends

just posted it in another whatsapp group

you can do this in slack

and if you're thinking no i don't want

to sell face masks i don't do all this

stuff i don't know what you want but

anyways you could always just start a

newsletter and say

hey if you're interested in dogs or

thinking about dogs if i'm gonna start a

newsletter on cinefox.com

and each week i'm gonna send one tip

about something you can do better with

your dog

or maybe some of you weird ass cat

people you have a newsletter around that

a lot of you are probably asking then

well no how much do i charge for it

what i would simply do is i'd go on

aliexpress i'd go on amazon and see what

a normal face mask is going for

i would create a google spreadsheet so

on the spreadsheet here you can see like

dog cost so you know it'd basically be

like revenue

cost profit i mean i know this is really

simple but you're looking for something

really complicated

so what is the cost of a normal face

mask it's probably like 25 cents how

much i think i could probably get them

for

or someone for maybe a dollar and then

i'd be making 75 cents

a lot of you are then saying well no how

do i actually find the manufacturer

that's the whole juice once you actually

get the customers once you actually get

the money the resourcefulness of

actually being able to build and find

these things

is really secondary and not as important

because you'll be able to do that

because now you have the money don't be

that person that's like oh i built a

website let me find people or i built

these face masks now let me go find dogs

my father always said to me is that it's

so much better to be chased for money

than to chase for money uh and i think

what that's saying is that he's kind of

he was a questionable businessman but i

think there's some wisdom in that is

that once you have the money and you

know that people want something of yours

it's so much easier to go deliver it

then the other way around

don't go and say all right i brought a

solution to the problem find people who

have problems

and money and then you could easily

bring them the solutions i hope you

follow this advice and start a business

if you do and copy this in any of the

businesses we go over or businesses that

you're thinking about

leave a comment below i'd love to hear

about it

uh airpod wind covers yes i am a cyclist

and it is really hard for me to use my

earpods when i'm trying to make calls on

the bike

by the way i probably shouldn't be

making calls on the bike anyways so the

first thought that comes to mind is who

else do i know that's a cyclist because

maybe they have that problem

so what i would do is i would go on

whatsapp i would message some friends

who love cycle

secondly i would go on strava that's

where a lot of cyclists live i would

post an update saying

hey do any of you have problems making

phone calls while you're cycling

i look for the customers first and then

i really go where are they and then i

say

what problem do they have that i can

actually help with which is the airpod

wind covers and it's also a lot more

motivating than building it

and then praying that you can finally

find a customer oh god please bring one

number three i would probably be

searching instagram to see if there's

any friends of mine who likes cycling

uh so you can search tags or you can

search different things around cycling

let's see if any of my friends are also

following so when you actually go look

up on instagram

you can see other friends so my friend

george hincapi is like this crazy famous

writer

i can see people that follow cyclists or

cycling topics and i can reach out to

them in the same vein

so now how to actually create those

things or what do you actually show them

you could show them a diagram

you could tell them the solution that

you're offering and say hey it's

probably going to be around 50 bucks do

you mind pre-ordering it i'm looking for

three people

to know that i can actually invest and

take it seriously if i don't have any

results in a week or two

i'll just give you your money back and

most people if they know you

will actually say yes to it so that is

how i would do airpod wind covers and i

hope one of you actually solves it and i

can give you money for that i will be

one of your beta pre-order customers

one thing i want to highlight think

about this with tesla.com when they

launched the model 3

they had over half a million orders at

500 each 2.5 billion dollars i believe

and they didn't even deliver a car for

two years so i know you're thinking well

no i don't want to pre-sell anything i

think we can definitely copy and learn

from them

the first thing that i thought of in

terms of finding customers for this uh

was i'm in a facebook group called

healthy sexy mofo so it's a bunch of

workout people

the first thing i would do is post in

this group there's only 26 people but i

only need to find three customers in 48

hours that's my law for getting million

dollar business starting the weekend

three customers

48 hours trying to make at least 100 so

i would be posting

in this group saying hey y'all i'm

creating keto taco shells are any of you

guys interested

probably not that's a weird ass business

but maybe they'll be interested um

by the way you can see on the screen

people are already starting to comment

with all their dog pictures

so i actually have a good amount of

people who are dog owners and i can

start asking them directly

hey do you guys want these face masks

they're going to be really about a

dollar per mask and you can use them for

a week for your dog

uh so number one with keto taco shells a

few things that you can do to think

about that is you can search keto and

facebook

and if you're i'm not keto no i'm not on

facebook maybe you should try to get in

some of these things

you can actually see if there's any of

your friends who are talking about it so

what i would do personally is go look up

places on instagram

or on facebook or online and see if any

of your friends like it so if you go to

like the taco deli which is some of the

best tacos in austin

i can actually see that 12 of my friends

like taco deli

so paul park and all these people i can

just reach out to them directly and say

hey i'm creating taco

keto taco shells they're ten dollars for

a pack is this something that you'd be

interested in

let me know here's my venmore and my

paypal so you're probably asking well

how much do i charge for these tacos how

much should they send me

in another video i'm going to show you

how appsumo makes money and how i use a

spreadsheet to help figure out our

business

in your spreadsheet you should do some

basic economics of how much is water

how much is the keto flower how much is

it going to be annoying because you're

going to talk about keto

and then what that cost looks like and

what you need to charge to make a little

bit of profit you

should make a profit it's a business not

a non-profit

uh and lastly this is one that my team

actually did not want me to do which is

the spice rack

meets keurig so if you guys know what

kerg it's where you take the coffee pod

and you put it in you hit the thing and

it outputs

coffee so i think what it's helping is

figuring out what spices someone needs

when they're getting it and this is a

machine so you're like oh no there's no

way you can get customers without

building it

yes we can so what i would do recommend

for that is draw a diagram you can use

this

you can use canva.com you can use google

slides or google doc those are all free

all usable instantly today

and then i would reach out to friends

who are chefs and say hey here's a

diagram of something i'm building and

prototyping

it'll basically help you pick your

spices a lot easier the other thing that

you might want to consider to find

customers

about any other business idea around the

kitchen is look for someone who bought a

comparable item

so did they buy a sous vide machine have

you had any friends that have talked to

you about sous vide machines

or knives or any type of kitchen

equipment that they've talked about in

the past or you can see items that

they've liked maybe i can go reach out

to them and actually see if there's

something else in the kitchen that i can

build for these people

key things on million dollar weekends

and getting customers no matter what

business idea you have is that you

should be aiming for three customers why

one and two is kind of easy and three if

it's hard it's only going to get harder

but i found three is kind of the sweet

spot and getting a business started

number two you should not be spending

any single money on getting a business

started you don't need more courses

you don't need more books you don't need

no domains and number three i really

found for myself and for a lot of other

people is do it in the weekend the 48

hour span

monday tuesday saturday sunday is

perfect the more time you give yourself

is the more time you're gonna take on

getting these businesses started

if you've liked this video and it's been

interesting for you about how to get

customers no matter what business idea

and this really can apply to any

technical business any dog business any

food business

website business you can do the exact

same things that i've taught in this

video

check out the million dollar weekend if

you want to have even more examples of

getting business started which you don't

need more examples you just need to get

started

or this custom playlist right here and

make sure to subscribe somewhere below

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and i like seeing subscribers it makes

me really happy i hope you have an

amazing day i love you and i'll see you

out there