"The Horse and Cart"

Once it was horse and carts that roamed the streets, rag and bone men, who sold their wares to all the families in the streets, buying and selling alsorts from and to the families.

Steptoe and son springs to mind.. ;-)

Rags and junk was the commom theme, how hard it must have been to "start up" with the competition there was.

They all wanted a nice pretty shop in reality.. but without the means to have one, the horse and cart would have to be the way to start.

But how to make sure you got the custom?

Selling something different was one way, like for example fresh produce, like rabbit.

Granted a rag and bone man, would be under more pressure selling fresh produce, having to HAVE to get rid of it.

To diversify was one way of ensuring the buyers bought from them, and as history tells us one way was to BUY back the skin's, therefore, making them come back to you.

Often the kids in the street would run up the road , get the rabbit, run home, and mum would skin it as quick as you like, then the kids would run back to the cart, and sell the skin to the rag and bone man.

The skins provided ANOTHER income, using them to produce pillowcases, etc.

Then they would sell other fresh produce, to whatever the demand was... and this is what they kept doing so it grew.
Before they knew it they could have a shop.

A situation that has happened everywhere, and the end results are the big chains you see now.

The above situation is obvious to everyone isn't it?

Yes of course.. Um NO.. its not..

Ok well it IS, in THAT sense.. :-)

But I say it as a metaphor, if you bring this up to date, and apply it to the online world.. well the truth is some JUST dont get it.

Swap the pretty shop for a website.

I often hear.. "I want build a successful website"

NO NO.. you want to build a website AND market it successfully.

THEN you have a "Successful website".

Read the above 3 lines again.. and read them again..
That is the key.

Then you can grow it into the "pretty shop".

Metaphors are great.

I often use a metaphor, if only just to simplify things, you would be suprised at how more sense it can make, if you try it.
It can make things seem so much more clear.

In fact this has just given me a great idea for my site. :-)

So just "get the site up" and then market it properly, and you will be going in the right direction.

Others have said it before me..

NO-ONE will build an IMMEDIATELY successful site.... not on the first go anyway, and even if it is the first one, it takes TIME and WORK.

Granted once you have success, and are known, you could build a new site, and expect it to go well.

But for the first one, just get it out there.

Things will always change, so you can change it as you go.
Getting it up, and THEN marketing it is the key.

Marketing is the real key to being a success with any business.

So hows YOUR horse and cart coming along? ;-)

Rob

"Accountability"

Is a key part of getting things done, we are all accountable to someone.

For most of us thats the boss.. :-(
But it does ensure you "get the work done".. as Marlon says. "If it aint done it aint done".

So as a positive and I hope a productive boosting measure, I have started a blog, that I will post my "goals" and "things to do" onto, and make myself accountable to....anyone who reads it!!

Far better to make sure things get done, than to have people see Im NOT doing whats needed. :-)

So a BIG step in the right direction I think. :-)

Take a look and I hope you will come see what I do plan, and achieve, and maybe comment on it. :-)

My new blog. :-)

Can I be accountable to YOU?