Should you work for your employer of for yourself?

Dear friend,

Did you know that you, too, can become an entrepreneur?

There are literally MILLIONS of businesses in the world (I know, I've checked).

If every single one of them has figured it out, you can do it too.

Today, I'm going to tell you how you can do it in roughly 2 minutes.

Sounds ridiculous?

Perfect.

I've caught your attention.

Now it's up to you.

Spend the remaining 110 seconds (and a bit) to change the trajectory of your life, or swipe right and do something else like crypto or whatever people do these days to waste money.

Are you still here?

Good. Here's what you'll get if you read until the end:

• Why you are controlled by society

• Understanding the difference between you and your employer

• The free tools to figure out how to find customers

• Working as an employer vs. an employee

Society Controls You

What's your highest level of education?

Probably very different from that of your grandfather.

And the standard is ever-increasing.

Your grandchildren, in 50 years, will laugh at your Ph.D.

The reason is that society needs workers to get the job done.

They want you to be "a cog in the machine" - Daniel Priestley.

If you want a machine to function, you always need fresh cogs to replace the old ones.

But what if you led the machine instead of being an element in it?

The Difference Between You and Your Employer

When I talk about this, eyebrows start raising dramatically.

"How can I compare myself to my company?"

It's big.

It has money.

It has assets.

It has employees.

Sure, I get it.

But down to the main principle, there's one thing your company is doing right now:

Moving something from one place to another.

That "something" is value, and that "another" is a customer.

In case it wasn't clear, we're talking about a transaction here.

They sell your work (value) to people who care (customers).

So, in essence, you're the producer who creates value, and they're the mediator who finds customers.

How You Can Become Your Employer

Of course, there are quite a few caveats to that.

But we're still talking about basic principles.

And the main basic principle here is the following:

The way you lead the machine is by bypassing the mediator.

Yes.

Your employer's customers are, in fact, yours.

In essence, to do business, you need two things:

• Value

• Customers

Now...

Do you know how to create value?

Probably. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been hired in the first place.

The next step is only one.

And it is finding customers.

Let me repeat that again because this is what most people get wrong.

FINDING.

CUSTOMERS.

It's not building apps.

Not sitting around discussing fancy ideas.

Not getting investors and raising money.

It's finding customers.

You won't sell the app you've built if nobody is interested in it.

You won't implement your idea if nobody listens to you.

You won't find any investors if your service is not in demand.

Your company knows how to find customers very well.

This is the reason they're profitable and can pay for your salary.

They package your work nicely and connect with people who want to buy it.

How to Find Your Customers

Now that we've got the main point across, how do you go about finding your customers?

Well, this could take years of discussion.

And my favourite veg soup is on the stove, so I haven't got that much time.

For now, let's say that before packaging your product or service (whatever it might be), you want to get "signals" from the market that there are people interested in it.

A signal can be any form of interest from a potential prospect.

Back in the day, it could have been asking a friend if they'd like to get the house repainted or leaving business cards in the local restaurant.

Today, there are a gazillion ways you can collect signals, even for free, on the internet.

A form, an email address, a pre-purchase, a request for information, etc.

A signal is anything that can reasonably make you think that this person is interested in moving forward and making a bigger investment.

Tools to Collect Signals

How are we doing so far?

Nearly there, I promise.

Now it's the fun part that everyone likes: the tools.

I've mentioned before about signals.

I won't go into too many details about this, but again, all you need is a sign from your potential prospect.

What digital tools can you use for that?

Below is a non-comprehensive list of signal-collecting tools, including potential use cases.

For context, you do not need any technical skills to use any of those tools, and you can even get started today.

Assuming you were a personal trainer, here's how you could leverage them:

• Wix, Carrd: Build a landing page with no code to collect names and emails from potential fitness prospects in exchange for e-books or free advice.

• WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups: Gathering a group of people interested in fitness advice.

• Tally, Freeform: Creating a free survey for people to assess their basic fitness level.

• Calendly + Zoom: Organizing free fitness consultations.

These are just a few ideas.

But there's much more you can try.

In case you've missed the welcome email when you signed up, you can find a more comprehensive list of tools with related links HERE.

Working for Someone vs. Working for Yourself

Up until this point, it may seem that I'm trying to promote entrepreneurship at all costs.

But don't get me wrong.

We do need highly skilled workers in our society.

Doctors, for example, work their tails off for many years to earn qualifications that save our lives.

If you're one of them and truly like what you do, you have my respect and appreciation.

By any means, continue that way.

But luckily, the choice is yours.

You can decide who you want to be when you grow up.

So, if you feel you need something more, I'm telling you that there's no limit to what you can achieve.

And it's relatively simple to get started compared to the past.

Alright?

I'll see you next week.

Let me know how many signals you collect in the meantime.

Make me proud. ❤️

Yours truly,

Nick

Sent while sipping my favourite veg soup