When I started Little Stream Software, there were two books I borrowed that really made my freelancing business take off (and I said borrowed because I was in a budget freeze until I started making some income.)
One of those books was very tactical, while the other was strategic. I’m going to talk about the strategic one now, since that provided the foundation for what I needed.
Strategic vs tactical
Note: If you aren’t sure of the differences between strategic and tactical, think like this:
If you want to get across the US, a strategy would be to drive across the interstate highways. The tactics would be to take 84 east of Portland, then 90…
There are multiple strategies you can pursue, and they serve as the guide to your goal. Inside of each strategy are different tactics that are more of the step-by-step actions you’d take. Just remember you need to match your tactics to your strategy, not all of them work together.
Book Yourself Solid
The strategic book I read was Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port. It contains a mix of business and marketing, but it’s tailored specifically for service-based businesses (which my freelance business is).
In the first few chapters Michael goes over figuring out who your ideal client is. The critical thought that clicked with me was that I didn’t need to build a business that served everyone. I could pick a small set of people and serve them much better than a larger, more general group.
“Work with everyone…”
With Little Stream Software I originally thought I’d build custom websites and web applications for any business. That meant my potential clients are the 50 bazillion or so companies out there. Who I had no idea how to reach.
I even had the bright idea to target “small businesses” which you might have considered too (or you already are). I don’t think there is a more diverse or scattered group of people than small businesses.
My first elevator pitch for Little Stream Software was even:
My name is Eric Davis and I provide software solutions to small businesses. My company is Little Stream Software.
Awesome, huh?
After reading Book Yourself Solid and doing the exercises in it, I finally realized that having a more specific and niche ideal client was better for me.
- I could easily find them
- I could learn deeper about their industry
- Experience I picked up from one client could allow me to help another
And so on.
Specific ideal client
So with the help from Book Yourself Solid, I finally started to see where I could take my business by describing who my ideal client was.
Next I’d need to figure out how I could serve them. Because after all, a generic “provide software solutions” wasn’t going to convince anyone to work with me.
Eric Davis
P.S. In this episode of The Freelancer’s Show, we interviewed Michael Port, the author of Book Yourself Solid. Give it a listen.