TheWiseGuy
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Long-ish post, but a heartwarming tale of entrepreneurship
You know the feeling people get when they end a relationship that suddenly looks great in hindsight?
That's happening to me - except my ex is my defunct pet storybook biz.
It was an acquisition treadmill, my CAC was way too high, and my margins sucked.
In August, I informed my customers that we would cease operations, and they had a deadline of 2 months to get their books done.
Lo and behold, nearly every order was submitted.
I severely underestimated how many photos people had of their pets, and my profit margins weren't just thin, they were hanging on by a thread – the books cost a lot more than I expected.
Anyhow, once they submitted their stories and stuff, I finally had the chance to deliver on the value I promised.
I've been working on completing each order for the past 2 weeks. Seeing as I only automated half of my process, it's a daunting task.
However, the margins and time sink aren't a fault of my customers. My promise was to deliver value for a set price, and I have an obligation to do so.
People are starting to receive the books I fulfilled last week. And, this morning, I got a heartwarming email that'll stay with me forever.
This lady lost her dog late last year, and she put some serious effort into making her storybook. As I fulfilled her order, I became invested in the life she shared with her pet.
The bond between animal and man is something to behold. And it's a breath of fresh air in a digital world that thrives on bad news, hatred, and violence.
In a nutshell, she informed me that her storybook brought her to tears and it's one of the most beautiful gifts she's ever received. She added that she'll cherish her storybook forever, and that she was eternally grateful to be given the opportunity to reflect on her pet's life in such a way.
For me, to create something out of nothing, and evoke an emotional response out of somebody is the work of an artist.
I always remember watching the film 'Requiem for a Dream' and not being able to sleep afterwards.
What a masterful job by the director, Darren Aronofsky. Through the medium of a screen, he evoked such an emotional response out of me, that I couldn't even rest for a few hours!
In my case, I felt like I had done my job properly as a director. I delivered value to my customer in such a way that pulled those emotional strings - the product brought tears of love to her eyes.
Looking back, it makes me wonder if I made a mistake by giving people an unlimited amount of time to complete their book. Perhaps a mild sense of urgency would have allowed me to accumulate testimonials faster?
I feel like the dude who broke it off with his ex, then 2 months later notices that she had an insane glow-up.
Did I make an error?
I'm not sure.
But I am sure of one thing: It's a terrific feeling to deliver VALUE, even when there's little to no profit involved.
You know the feeling people get when they end a relationship that suddenly looks great in hindsight?
That's happening to me - except my ex is my defunct pet storybook biz.
It was an acquisition treadmill, my CAC was way too high, and my margins sucked.
In August, I informed my customers that we would cease operations, and they had a deadline of 2 months to get their books done.
Lo and behold, nearly every order was submitted.
I severely underestimated how many photos people had of their pets, and my profit margins weren't just thin, they were hanging on by a thread – the books cost a lot more than I expected.
Anyhow, once they submitted their stories and stuff, I finally had the chance to deliver on the value I promised.
I've been working on completing each order for the past 2 weeks. Seeing as I only automated half of my process, it's a daunting task.
However, the margins and time sink aren't a fault of my customers. My promise was to deliver value for a set price, and I have an obligation to do so.
People are starting to receive the books I fulfilled last week. And, this morning, I got a heartwarming email that'll stay with me forever.
This lady lost her dog late last year, and she put some serious effort into making her storybook. As I fulfilled her order, I became invested in the life she shared with her pet.
The bond between animal and man is something to behold. And it's a breath of fresh air in a digital world that thrives on bad news, hatred, and violence.
In a nutshell, she informed me that her storybook brought her to tears and it's one of the most beautiful gifts she's ever received. She added that she'll cherish her storybook forever, and that she was eternally grateful to be given the opportunity to reflect on her pet's life in such a way.
For me, to create something out of nothing, and evoke an emotional response out of somebody is the work of an artist.
I always remember watching the film 'Requiem for a Dream' and not being able to sleep afterwards.
What a masterful job by the director, Darren Aronofsky. Through the medium of a screen, he evoked such an emotional response out of me, that I couldn't even rest for a few hours!
In my case, I felt like I had done my job properly as a director. I delivered value to my customer in such a way that pulled those emotional strings - the product brought tears of love to her eyes.
Looking back, it makes me wonder if I made a mistake by giving people an unlimited amount of time to complete their book. Perhaps a mild sense of urgency would have allowed me to accumulate testimonials faster?
I feel like the dude who broke it off with his ex, then 2 months later notices that she had an insane glow-up.
Did I make an error?
I'm not sure.
But I am sure of one thing: It's a terrific feeling to deliver VALUE, even when there's little to no profit involved.
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