HOW TO MANAGE A SERVICE BUSINESS IN AN AREA YOU HAVE LITTLE OR NO EXPERIENCE. (Part 1)
In one of my previous write-ups, I had written on how aspiring entrepreneurs can take the bull by the horns and start a service business irrespective of whether they have hands-on experience – in that area of interest – or not. (If You Need to read the said article, visit www.rulingideas.blogspot.com)
Now that you have decided on a service business, it’s high time you knew what it takes to manage your start-up and command the attention of clients.
I have asserted countless times that starting a business does not guarantee that customers or clients will troop in as expected (see Has Your Small Business Adopted Integrated Marketing Communications?). There is always the place of hard-work, strategizing, courage, accountability, direct marketing, networking, etc – and sometimes, law suits! All of these aspects of business – and more – well managed, determine how successful a business would be.
In managing a service business in an area you don’t have considerable hands-on experience in, you need to understand the basics.
Your Service Uniqueness Depends on How you Combine TPIS
T – Talent: A natural ability for being good at a particular activity.
P – Passion: A strong enthusiasm for a particular activity.
I – Interest: An insatiable appetite to know about or take part in activities, events, trends, or issues in an area of passion.
S – Skill: The ability to do something well, usually as a result of experience and training.
Talent + Passion + Interest + Skill = Uniqueness
It is a known fact that the little extra in a person makes him extra-ordinary. If you must move your start-up from being perceived as “ordinary”, then you need to bring your “little extra” to the fore. Everyone needs the right combination of talent, enthusiasm, interest and skill in order to attain greatness. Therein lies the power to become what you desire.
You may have a passion for sports but that alone does not make you a soccer star. The Messi and Kaka of this world are men with remarkable natural ability for soccer. They rose to stardom as a result of their ability to blend talent with unreserved passion and insatiable appetite for success in the round leather game. And by regular exercise, these guys have over the years grown to become soccer gods, possessing unmatched quality and uniqueness.
You have an obligation to discover your area of natural competence, passion, interest, and skill; and build a business around it. The risk of failure is reduced when you embark on a business that you naturally fit into and have a flair for. It is possible to do well without the benefit of prior experience or expertise, especially if you have the passion to succeed.
How to Identify Your Uniqueness/Peculiarity using the TPIS Model*
The TPIS Model examines an individual’s peculiarity based on four parameters: Talent, Passion, Interest, and Skill. This model advances that rapid growth in any career or entrepreneurial venture hinges on these four parameters. It asserts further that a combination of these parameters makes an individual or business stand out among its contemporaries
Here is a table of an individual’s make-up using the TPIS Model:
Parameters
Values/Variables
Talent (natural ability)
Quick reasoning, imagination, organization, perfection, writing, innovation.
Passion (love/hate)
Creativity, aesthetic design, money, motivation, looking good, public speaking, excellence, innovation, copywriting.
Interest (insatiable appetite)
Entrepreneurship, graphic design, publishing, advertising, business communication, branding, public speaking, Making Money.
Skill (training and experience)
Journalism, Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Computer Application, Entrepreneurship, Administration.
How to Identify an Individual’s Make-Up Using the TPIS Model
- Draw a table and list the different variables/values for each parameter as it applies to you. Be objective in each case. You may consult an outsider to give you an unbiased assessment of yourself.
- Identify the areas of common values from each parameter.
- Merge the common variables/values together in order to get an idea of your core strengths and perhaps, weaknesses.
- Focus on your strengths and work harder on your weaknesses.
- Build a business and Make Money around your core strengths.
The world is tilting to the service industry. Almost all new small businesses springing up are in the service business category. Service business is a potential money-making platform that can be used by almost every person. Branding yourself as a professional in some of these services and contacting clients who may need them will amaze you with results.
See you at the top!
*The TPIS Model has been propounded by Ayokunle Bankole.
About the Author
Ayokunle Bankole – Business Copywriter, Public Speaker, Branding Specialist, and Entrepreneurship Advisor. Ayokunle is the Chief Strategist at Loud Media Company; an integrated marketing communications firm that provides strategy, innovation and growth to small and medium-sized enterprises in Nigeria. Ayokunle hopes to bring a new lease of life to marketing communications in Nigeria, and to become one of Africa’s leading branding experts. This, incidentally, is his firm’s mission statement. Loud Media specializes in brand identity design, corporate/ executive representation services, TV presentation, radio jingle production, SMS marketing, magazine/book editing and designing, web advertising, media relations, corporate events mgt., corporate writing services, and marketing and sales training. As a young entrepreneur in his mid-twenties, Ayokunle has written a handful of professional articles, amongst which are: The Essence of a Well-Positioned Brand: Lessons for Corporate Nigeria; Will Nigeria Public Relations Increasingly get a Seat in Corporate Hierarchy; Top 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Choosing a Business Name; and, Has Your Small Business Adopted Integrated Marketing Communications? Visit Ayokunle Bankole’s blog at www.rulingideas.blogspot.com. E-mail: classic_bayjo@yahoo.com. Direct Line: +234-805-598-1421. Office: 24, Omodara Avenue, Iju Ishaga, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos, Nigeria.
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