Joining a startup provides firsthand experience of how an entire business operates, including revenue, profit, and team dynamics. It offers a hands-on education that big corporations often lack, where employees are often siloed into specific roles without exposure to the broader business.
In the UK, there are 7,000 large companies with over 250 employees, but the majority of businesses (5.5 million) are small, with most having fewer than 10 employees.
The entrepreneur's role is to be the organizing force, bringing together talented individuals to execute the vision. They focus on understanding customer needs and assembling the right team to deliver solutions, rather than doing the work themselves.
Sales is about understanding customer needs, listening, and providing solutions. It’s a professional skill that involves asking questions, offering guidance, and creating a path to help customers achieve their desired outcomes. It’s essential for any business to thrive.
The quitting framework helps individuals decide whether to quit or stay in a situation based on whether the hardship or dissatisfaction is worth the rewards. It emphasizes that quitting is not always a failure but a strategic decision to avoid meaningless or unrewarding efforts.
Productizing knowledge involves turning expertise into scalable digital products, such as courses or eBooks, rather than offering one-to-one services. This allows entrepreneurs to remove the constraint of being paid for their time and scale their efforts efficiently.
Consistent advertising ensures a steady flow of customers, which is crucial for scaling. By maintaining a reliable acquisition channel, entrepreneurs can grow their business from six to seven figures by simply increasing the output of their main revenue-generating activity.
The three buckets are past jobs, parent-related industries, and personal interests. These areas provide unique depth of knowledge that can be leveraged to solve problems and create valuable offerings.
To scale, businesses need to demonstrate product-market fit, have at least one reliable acquisition channel, and have a core team in place, even if it’s relatively small or dysfunctional.
Service-based businesses are low-risk because they rely on your time and skills. They allow you to learn the market, understand customer problems, and build a reputation before transitioning to scalable digital products.
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In this episode of Deep Dive, I reflect on the journey of entrepreneurship and why joining a startup can be one of the best ways to learn the ropes. We dive into the transition from employee to entrepreneur, the underrated value of sales skills, and knowing when it’s time to quit something that no longer serves you.
I also share tips on figuring out what to sell, and how productizing your knowledge can help you scale your efforts and work smarter, not harder.
Enjoy the episode 🙂
(00:00) The Value of Joining Startups
(03:12) Learning Through Experience
(06:02) Navigating Business Opportunities
(08:47) The Role of the Entrepreneur
(11:59) Understanding Sales Dynamics
(14:51) Transitioning from Employee to Entrepreneur
(19:10) Identifying What to Sell
(24:08) The Importance of Quitting
(31:00) Productizing Your Knowledge
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Deep Dive is the podcast that delves into the minds of entrepreneurs, creators and other inspiring people to uncover the philosophies, strategies and tools that help us live happier, healthier and more productive lives.
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