Page 149 - The $100 Startup_ Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love

initial fee of $250, she would evaluate marketing ideas and provide feedback on
ways to improve them. Nothing more, nothing less.

You might wonder how many people pay for this service (answer: a lot), and
whether it’s worth it (answer: keep reading). Naomi is originally from London,
Ontario, but I met her in London, England, where she was living near her
mother. While riding the tube around the city and wandering through an outdoor
clothing market, I asked for her advice on a situation in my business. She
listened for two minutes and asked a few clarifying questions. Then, without
much of a pause, she said, “Here’s what you should do,” and gave me a list of
specific actions and ideas while I frantically wrote them down. I took her advice
and spent a few hours applying it in my next project. As a result, I made at least
$15,000 more over the next year because of her action list. (I didn’t pay Naomi’s
fee of $250, but I hope she appreciates this extended testimonial.)

As she sharpened her message and connected with more people, the business
grew. At the end of her first full year, Naomi published a short video explaining
how she had earned almost $200,000 so far. This came as a big surprise to the
online world, because Naomi wasn’t known very well—she wasn’t an Internet
celebrity, she didn’t have a million followers—and in fact, a lot of people who
stumbled upon her website were immediately turned off by the coarse language
and her distinct “call it like I see it” style. Article titles included “What to Do
When You’re Scared Shitless” and “Moral of the Story: Topless Edition (with
Photos).” But Naomi’s audience wasn’t put off at all.

One of the things Naomi does well is continuously remind her clients about
the need for actually making money. This may sound simple, but busy
entrepreneurs can easily become overwhelmed with all kinds of projects and
tasks that have nothing to do with making money. Putting the focus on income
and cash flow—measuring everything else against those standards—ensures that
a business remains healthy. Here’s how Naomi explains it:

Remember that the goal of business is profit. It’s not being liked, or having
a huge social media presence, or having amazing products that nobody
buys. It is not having a beautiful website, or perfectly crafted email
newsletters, or an incredibly popular blog. In larger businesses, this is
called accountability to shareholders. Business is not a popularity contest.
The CEO doesn’t get away with saying, “But look at all these people who
like us on Facebook!” Shareholders will not accept that. You are the
majority shareholder in your business, and you have to protect your
investment. You have to make sure that your recurring activities are as
directly tied to making money as possible. There’s nothing wrong with