A
few years ago, my wife (Sarah) and I visited my daughter Ava’s elementary
school to do something called “Parent Share”.
“Parent
Share” is when grownups bore little kids with
what they do for a living.
Since
Sarah and I are entrepreneurial, we decided to help
140 second graders start a business.
Should
be easy, right:)?
We
took on about 40 kids at a time, putting 4-5 kids per
business.
We
had them pick a business, name it, decide what they were going to sell, price
items, and even do an organizational chart.
But
most importantly, we had them describe why their business was different and why customers would buy from them.
We
got some shocking results!
And
by shocking, I mean, we had dozens of 7 and 8 year-olds GET IT!
We
had a photography business that sold “very expensive photos, but they are all
3D and the customer gets to edit them.” And there was a candy store that
“had the most sugar in their candy, than anyone else!”
Out
of 35 business, there were only a couple that were the best or cheapest.
Oh,
and there were ZERO business with X number of years of experience, great
customer service, or had some complicated-sounding certifications.
Why?
Kids know you can’t be the same as everyone else and expect to STAND OUT among everyone
else
Odds
are, you are unique, and there is a good reason for someone to buy from you instead of
your competitor.
·
If you are truly
the expert, display it.
·
If you really serve
a special market, make sure everyone knows about it.
·
If you are the most convenient, fastest,
or most accurate, hang your hat on it.
And if that seems too difficult, I know a few kids you can
hireJ.
