Hot Business Start Tips in 2010: The Apache Guerilla Warfare Business Model

Hot Business Start Tips in 2010: The Apache Guerilla Warfare Business Model

GIGONOMICS AND THE APACHE GUERILLA WARFARE BUSINESS MODEL

Gigonomics

2010 marks the beginning of a new business start era in America. An entrepreneurial spirit prevails. Gone are the days of working for one company for 30 years and a gold watch at retirement. We are now all independent contractors whether we have "steady" jobs or not. You may not even know it but you are already in business for yourself. There is no contract, express or implied between you and your employer beyond your next paycheck. Your corporation's standard HR policy is to get rid of you before you become too expensive in terms of salary, medical costs and potential pension. That means you're out the door at around age 50 or so. That's policy, not the exception.

So resilient Americans are quickly adapting to the "new deal" of the 21st century . Similar to the guilds of the Renaissance and the rise of the merchant class in Italy in the 1500's, it is the freelancer economy today. Many people have been laid off and are starting a business as a last resort. Internet business rules; more on that below. These people may not even realize it but they are on the cutting edge of the future. Some people call it "gigonomics". Every income producing economic activity is a temporary gig. Nothing is permanent. The only things that are permanent are those black marks on your permanent record that your grade school teacher warned you about.

So, is all this gigonomics good or bad? Neither, it's just the way it is. The real question is "how do you see it?" Do you perceive opportunity or threat? Learn to manage and manipulate your perception to an opportunistic world view.

Catastrophic upheaval in society always creates new needs. As an elite entrepreneur who openly embraces the freelancer age it is your job to identify those needs and find ways to fulfill them. We see opportunity in today's economy. No matter what happens in the economy stay positive in your thinking. Heed not the naysayers. Embrace extreme opportunism. Opportunity is something that you create, not something that you wait for. Be constantly vigilant, scanning the environment for needs to fulfill. After a while it will become second nature. Then you will happily join the ranks of the new elite entrepreneur class.

The Apache Guerilla Warfare Business Model

The Apache Guerilla Warfare Business Model is especially relevant in 2010. Know the business landscape like the back of your hand, be opportunistic. Use Apache Guerilla Business Tactics: Be constantly vigilant for new opportunities - smell out water holes, eat rattlesnake if you have to (tastes like chicken!), live off the land, attack pre-dawn, never take the calvary on head on, shoot from the hip, see yourself as a warrior-spirit, be thankful when you capture wild horses and charm ranch widows... or when you capture ranch widows and charm wild horses. Rent "Chato's Land" from Netflix and watch it.

Here's are more hot business start tips based on prevailing business trends in America for 2010:

Action and Execution Rule:

Try out lots of new business ideas until you find something that works. Action is king and execution is everything in starting a business in the 2010. Yes, you need a business plan, but don't get stuck in endless cycles of analysis paralysis and useless perfectionism.

Once you develop your business strategy and have your business plan for a particular opportunity, don't wait for all the stars to align and conditions to be perfect before starting a business. I have just one thing to say to you procrastinators our there: Do it now! Don't be afraid to shoot from the hip if you know what you are shooting at. You will learn along the way and perfect your business strategy and tactics as you go along.

Do what you know but don't get stuck on one business or industry- the main skills you will need in the 21st century business climate are networking and the ability to acquire and correctly apply new knowledge - be in a state of constant learning. Develop needs identification and versatility as your key skills.

You don't have to re-invent the wheel to start a business, copy success, do what already works, but avoid saturated markets. Admit it to yourself when you have a flop, drop it like a hot potato and move on to (create) the next opportunity.

See Yourself as a Market-maker or Broker:

Match needs with fulfillment. Train yourself to identify needs and find innovative ways to fulfill them. Be constantly aware of the needs around you in your everyday life. Your objective is to deliver value to your customer. People will compensate you well if you deliver the "goods" that they want.

Identify the needs, convert needy people into customers, facilitate transactions and find other people to do the work. This is not because you are lazy or have a poor work ethic. The idea here is to make the maximum amount of money possible. Doing the work yourself is extremely self-limiting and income constricting. You only have so many hours a day that you can work yourself. I don't care how great your hourly rate is.

See workers as "income multipliers". You work hard identifying needs and making markets. Other people do the hands-on work. Engage them on a temporary, subcontractor basis. Ultimately, when you can snatch the pebble from my hand, being a visionary, elite entrepreneur in the 21st century means that you make money while you sleep or play and other people do the work - yeah, that's Apache.

Internet Business is Sizzling:

But not canned work-at-home schemes. Focus on starting a real business that delivers true value to its customers, not a money-making, get rich quick scheme.

Another unprecedented seismic business shift is currently taking place, quietly on the Internet. This time it has to do with how people search for products and services. The Internet is has become the most important marketing, information sharing and distribution channel.

The Recession is the Best Time to Gain Market Share:

So advertise now. The yellow pages and print advertising are dead - don't waste your money there. The conventional wisdom is to make advertising budget cuts in times of recession. We disagree with the herd mentality here and take a counter-intuitive approach.

In 1930 the economy had just suddenly shifted from the Roaring 20's to the Great Depression. This was due to the stock market crash of October 1929. No one had thought it was possible. Sound familiar? Contrary to the conventional wisdom of the time, a small struggling soap company called Procter & Gamble decided to actually increase its advertising budget despite the hard times. They adopted an innovative, cutting-edge strategy by utilizing a new advertising medium called "radio" to market their product Oxydol laundry detergent. They took an unprecedented approach by creating a completely new market called daytime radio which didn't exist at the time to market to women at home and thus the "soap opera" was born.

Fast forward to the Great Depression of 2010.Today Procter & Gamble is one of the most successful companies in the world. High overhead, old-school businesses with physical locations that have instituted austerity measures are failing and are thereby leaving market gaps. To you the depression means cataclysmic change which of course, you interpret as "needs and opportunity".

Today Internet marketing and SEO are the innovative, cutting-edge way to advertise. People don't use the yellow pages anymore. SEO is search engine optimization. The goal is to get your website to the top page of search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing when people search on your relevant keywords. That's how people shop now. Getting information through the Internet is faster and more informative than flipping through pages in a cumbersome yellow book.

Use online classifieds to market nationally. Craigslist and Backpage are the hottest well-known Internet marketing secrets. Post there frequently, at least every other day. Get multiple Craigslist accounts so you can post more frequently.

Information is the Hottest Product Today:

Create businesses that deliver value in the form of intellectual capital. For example we have abusiness plan writing servicethat prepares business plans and business strategy for business starts all over the United States. We are also affiliated with anInternet Marketing (seo) and web designfirm that does search engine optimization for business startups all over the country. We don't have to be in New York to write a business plan for somebody in New York. We have the Internet, phone, Skype and gotomeeting.com to meet virtually.

We also don't have to be programmers to make money selling web design and SEO services. Being a market-maker means matching needs with fulfillment and getting other people to fulfill those needs.

What the two businesses above have in common, besides serving the needs of business startups is that the "product" that they produce is intellectual capital that is easily "shipped" across the Internet. In 2010 look for businesses that generate and deliver information across the Internet so you can market them to a national and even global target market. We have a client who is an intellectual property attorney. We helped her realize that she can market her services nationally. You don't have to meet in person with an attorney to have a copyright or patent filed by them.

Competition is Great:

If your suppliers are doing it. Avoid competing for jobs in bid situations like elance.com and freelancer.com, but make your suppliers and vendors compete in bid situations like elance.com and freelancer.com - more Apache guerilla tactics. A "job" is something that you make, not something that somebody gives you.

Your Network is Your Most Valuable Asset:

Develop a network of contributors to your business circle. Be a contributor of value to the circle. Your network is your most valuable asset. Everyone is a contractor. Everybody brings something to the table or they are out of your network. What do you and everybody else you know bring to the table? Your skill is to form mutually beneficial temporary alliances, execute on them and make them productive.

Go Virtual:

Avoid businesses that must have physical locations. Virtual businesses rule with their low overhead and vast marketing reach. Avoid having a physical location unless you are a local retailer. But list a physical location on Google maps, Yahoo Local and Bing whether you have one or not - very Apache-like! In fact, list two locations or more.

If your business is local by definition (e.g. a salon), seek to expend by adding new physical locations. Don't do the hands-on work yourself. Remember, you are a broker matching needs with fulfillment. That means you find customers, facilitate transactions and have other people do the work.

Go Local Nationally:

Small independent businesses are in vogue. People are getting used to buying online from small independent providers in other cities. Large corporations are perceived as evil. Capitalize on the trend toward small local business by being an independent freelancer providing services nationwide.

Cheap Labor is Abundant:

But the quality is low - you get what you pay for - if you're careful, that is. It's hard to find good people. Hire people as independent contractors on a "try out" basis. Cut them loose quickly if they don't deliver the goods. Reward them well if they do.

Master Image Creation:

The Internet can allow you to look like a big company on shoestring budget. Master attractive graphics in Photoshop, get an HD video camera, write professional blogs, do Internet marketing, get rid of your cheap $99 website and pay for an elegant, attractive website that distinguishes your business.

There are some Regional Economic Hotspots in the USA:

The West is the Best - Jim Morrison had that part right.

Southern California - especially Los Angeles

Don't believe what the mainstream media says about California - besides being one of the largest local economies in the world, LA is a hotbed of economic activity in 2010.

Phoenix - sun belt Mecca, California refugees, multiplying flock of well-funded snowbirds

Seattle - high rate of Internet adoption

San Francisco Bay Area - quick Internet adopters - the mother of web technology

Texas: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin - everything's getting bigger in Texas

People in the locations above comfortable buying online or purchasing from companies in other parts of the country. Businesses seem to be thriving there.

People in New York and Chicago are less likely to buy online or out of state

The northeast and rust belts are slow

Recession Oriented Financial Services are Hot:

Debt reduction

Tax relief, irs help

Mortgage refinancing, foreclosure prevention

Bankruptcy anything: accounting, legal

Fear Sells:

In fact it's the greatest marketing tool since sex. Survivalist businesses are hot: seeds, shelters, food, guns, water purification, self-defense - think 2012, Mayan calendar, anarchy. There is a widespread perception that a severe depression is imminent. Identify needs and fulfill them.

Food is the hot business of the near future when things get hungry. Many forecasters are predicting shortages and hyper-inflation. Invest in organic, locally grown, non-GMO foods now. Buy or start a small organic farm. If you don't know what "GMO" means you better get busy right now.

The Green Business Bandwagon:

Should you jump on the green business bandwagon with the rest of herd? Or is going green all played out? Is the market saturated? Not necessarily if you identify needs and provide value. The one main thing that needs to be said about green business is that it has to have immediate economic value to the customer. In plain English green has to save the customer money right now. Most entrepreneurs don't know how to monetize green. "It's good for the environment" is a nice to have but it won't sell products by itself. People don't spend hundreds of dollars on home water catch systems so they can save the city water. They do it so they can save on their own water bill. I buy organic soap because it's better for me than the toxic corporate soaps. You can throw in "it's good for the environment" when you're trying to seal the deal. It helps alleviate people's guilty conscience, but that and $2 will get you a cup of coffee.

Position for Hard Times Now:

It is likely that the economy will get worse before it gets better. The commercial real estate crash is still coming - don't sign long-term leases or buy property. Residential real estate prices aren't coming back for at least another 5 years - don't buy a house unless you plan to live there.

Keep an eye on what the oil spill will mean to the Gulf economy: remember, catastrophic change creates new needs and entrepreneurs are professional need identifier and fulfillers.

Commodities - The Cream of the Crop:

So you took my advice and employed all these hot business start tips and now you have "disposable income" to invest. Where would I dispose of my own money? Why in more businesses of course. Whatever you do don't invest in the stock market, bonds or CD's. No paper based assets for me these days with so much excessive worldwide government debt and the inevitable hyper-inflation that will result soon. In today's volatile economic climate you want to stay in cash and invest in hard assets, that is tangible goods, stuff like precious metals, gold, silver, commodities, food, oil, machinery, equipment, guns. Don't invest in real estate yet. As mentioned above at best it will take another 5 years to recover and at worst it will crash again.

Many economists are predicting that gold could double from where it currently is at around $1250 per ounce. Perilous times cause the price of gold to rise. Silver is undervalued and may be a better bet. Buy stuff that will appreciate in value instead of depreciate.

Conclusion:

Like the song says it's hard out here for a pimp or an elite entrepreneur. But remember it's all how you see it. Identify the monkey chatter that is going through your head. What is that noise of thought in your mind telling you? Is it constantly telling you all the reasons why you can't be successful and why it's everybody else's fault? Manage the messages that you give to yourself. Smell out the water holes. Capture wild horses. Attack pre-dawn.

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