Kamau's Business Blog Page - The World's 1st Black and Minority Business Blog!
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Use Your Special Experience...to Grant Yourself a Business Part 2
Don't forget other talents or knowledge you have to leverage to finance your business. In my first business after a recession, my partner and I were having a real tough time in keeping the business afloat. This was one of the most challenging, embarrassing, anxiety ridden points in my life. It was totally bleak. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, my contractors were giving me hell. My home landlord was ready to evict me. The businesses landlord was trying to shut me down. It was totally frustrating. I couldn't get any rest - it was hell. What a horror this period in my life was!
Then one day my partner and I went to see the artsy movie called "Daughters of the Dust" (just to keep our sanity). It was a story about the Sea Islands, and my partner was from that part of the country.
My partner was annoyed at the lack of accuracy of the film, in relation to the Sea Island's. I suggested that we sponsor a trip to the region since, the film was hot at the time. We would show and submerge people in the present day culture. We took our last bit of money, which we really needed to buy food, and had some flyers made up about a trip to the sea islands.
We then found out where all the movie theatres were where the film was playing. Plus we planned to pass out flyers at the end of the movie shows. We made a plan to be at all the shows at 2 places in the City where the movie was playing. We attended the movie theatre's where Daughters of the Dust was playing and passed out the flyers, receiving a warm response. Needless to say we were dogged tired, after a full day of walking throughout the City all - day passing out flyers. We went home totally exhausted but noticed our message machine was all lit up with messages. My partner started calling people back. Needless to say a few months later, we had sold about $30,000 dollars in travel sales re-invigorating the cash-flo in our business. Again this is an example of using pre-sales to grant yourself a business.
Then one day my partner and I went to see the artsy movie called "Daughters of the Dust" (just to keep our sanity). It was a story about the Sea Islands, and my partner was from that part of the country.
My partner was annoyed at the lack of accuracy of the film, in relation to the Sea Island's. I suggested that we sponsor a trip to the region since, the film was hot at the time. We would show and submerge people in the present day culture. We took our last bit of money, which we really needed to buy food, and had some flyers made up about a trip to the sea islands.
We then found out where all the movie theatres were where the film was playing. Plus we planned to pass out flyers at the end of the movie shows. We made a plan to be at all the shows at 2 places in the City where the movie was playing. We attended the movie theatre's where Daughters of the Dust was playing and passed out the flyers, receiving a warm response. Needless to say we were dogged tired, after a full day of walking throughout the City all - day passing out flyers. We went home totally exhausted but noticed our message machine was all lit up with messages. My partner started calling people back. Needless to say a few months later, we had sold about $30,000 dollars in travel sales re-invigorating the cash-flo in our business. Again this is an example of using pre-sales to grant yourself a business.
