Are you ignoring the gold right in front of you?

[1milclub]

Web developer at IT Company.

Hi Vibhusa, what kind of tech. you use? PHP, javascript, SQL, ....?

There is a great potential to serve the web market with any of the technology and without too much of investment

 

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[ItsAJackal]

Biggest part I struggle with is that I've been in this industry for 10+ years (HVAC Sales)....and I'm sick of it. Maybe it's a string of bad jobs, but I just don't want to do it anymore.

 

[NMdad]

Business Systems Analyst in IT / supply chains.

Worked at a Fortune 100 semiconductor company and took a voluntary sep package. Went to a small company that imports millwork from China. Essentially the same job (overseas manufacturing and supply chain management).

I wear 100 hats... mostly, my job is to design software to streamline/automate processes in the supply chain. I sometimes design small-ish apps in Excel/VBA, I am very proficient at SQL, I have a background in usability/human factors design, I've worked in inside sales, factory planning, samples, rebates, fulfillment, and some logistics... basically the entire supply chain except materials/sourcing.

I KNOW I'm sitting on a gold mine with my skills and knowledge, but I'm shit at selling myself, and I'm shit at seeing the gold in front of my face.

After I left the Fortune 100 company, I tried to find clients on Upwork and Guru, and I found a couple small clients, but not enough to pay the bills, so I found my current job.


I can do that stuff in my sleep. I love helping companies like that! And I could train junior developers and/or hire it out to my standards and get it CENTS-compatible.

I just... have *no idea* how to find clients... and I have no idea what gold may be beating me over the head. Someone once told me, "Chimichangatime, for such a smart guy, you're pretty stupid."

Your SQL & Excel/VBA skills are my core technical skills--along with the niche- and ERP-specific knowledge & expertise.

So:

1. Think about the types of problems you solved at your old job.
2. Then, think about the types of businesses who'd likely have those same problems--probably manufacturing + supply chain.
3. Get more specific about the niche--for example, semiconductor manufacturers, since you're already familiar with their specific problems.
4. Make a list of prospects & contacts. This doesn't have to be Intel, but think of all the smaller manufacturers of chips & related electronic components--it'll likely be easier to reach decision-makers at smaller companies.
5. Create an script to send to them, not asking to sell anything, but to talk to them about one of the specific problems you're dealt with--you want to validate that it's a problem & how they're currently dealing with it. The goal at this stage is not to sell, but to have conversations, validate problems that you can provide value for, build relationships, get referrals, etc. Having conversations without the pressure of trying to sell will give you confidence & show you it's actually not too difficult--especially since you're helping people who need help.

Once you get 1 client, you can get more in the specific niche.

 

[NMdad]

About to post and intro, and will cover this all in detail there, but try this one...

... I am a consultant environmental scientist specialising in aquatic ecology and water quality.

OK, so here's how I might think about it: Who's already paying for the expertise you have?

Maybe:

• oil & gas companies
• large agricultural entities: hog farms, poultry farms, fish farms, large farms--since they all (at the very least) care about preventing fines from polluted run-off from their land
• manufacturers & entities that have chemical waste products: paper mills, refineries, processing plants, etc.
• real estate developers

 

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[Dianne Cohen]

There is a crying need for someone to convince (teach?) junior property managers how to list a rental property in an attractive way. Maybe you could write a mini book, maybe visit agencies for a quick tutorial.

Most have no idea, and even if they did, they won't make the effort to list a rental in the same way they would a property for sale. If they did so, that could generate more viewings, with less time wasted on people wondering what the property was really like.

Walter

I wasn't aware of this. Interesting...I wonder how many of us do things that are so easy that we would not even consider it a business to do or go into. Thank you for pointing this out.

 

[NMdad]

Biggest part I struggle with is that I've been in this industry for 10+ years (HVAC Sales)....and I'm sick of it. Maybe it's a string of bad jobs, but I just don't want to do it anymore.

I get it--you want out, and I've been there. But consider that during that 10+ years of work, you've developed expertise in the field that's likely valuable to others.

Maybe instead of selling HVAC, you pivot to helping homeowners, builders, facilities managers, etc. on how to size, evaluate, purchase, maintain, & upgrade HVAC systems. It's like how auto dealers know that the undercoating is a rip-off/unnecessary; same with you: you know the ins & outs of HVAC systems, so you need to figure out to whom it's valuable.

 

[NMdad]

OK, I will play

1)Large numbers of unemployed people on welfare who want to be able to obtain a living wage in a way that avoids benefits being sanctioned in the meantime.

Go.

2) manual labour work of a sporadic nature

Are you saying that you're on welfare but want to work & not get your benefits sanctioned, or that you've been working in sporadic manual labor jobs?

Even if you have what on the surface is expertise in low-level, unskilled jobs, you still have the power of observation, which you can use to identify opportunities for creating value. So like when others asked about opportunities for a grill cook or painter, the hive jumped in & pointed out ideas for creating value by identifying problems to solve.

 

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[Bigguns50]

Business Systems Analyst in IT / supply chains.

Worked at a Fortune 100 semiconductor company and took a voluntary sep package. Went to a small company that imports millwork from China. Essentially the same job (overseas manufacturing and supply chain management).

I wear 100 hats... mostly, my job is to design software to streamline/automate processes in the supply chain. I sometimes design small-ish apps in Excel/VBA, I am very proficient at SQL, I have a background in usability/human factors design, I've worked in inside sales, factory planning, samples, rebates, fulfillment, and some logistics... basically the entire supply chain except materials/sourcing.

I KNOW I'm sitting on a gold mine with my skills and knowledge, but I'm shit at selling myself, and I'm shit at seeing the gold in front of my face.

After I left the Fortune 100 company, I tried to find clients on Upwork and Guru, and I found a couple small clients, but not enough to pay the bills, so I found my current job.


I can do that stuff in my sleep. I love helping companies like that! And I could train junior developers and/or hire it out to my standards and get it CENTS-compatible.

I just... have *no idea* how to find clients... and I have no idea what gold may be beating me over the head. Someone once told me, "Chimichangatime, for such a smart guy, you're pretty stupid."

I LOVE efficiency ! Seems if companies knew exactly what you did or how it would help them, there would be a lot of demand. Until I read your example, I didn't really understand what it was you did exactly.

 

[LittleWolfie]

Are you saying that you're on welfare but want to work & not get your benefits sanctioned, or that you've been working in sporadic manual labor jobs?

I was the former and currently the latter, I'm unable to see how to solve the problem but you guys might.

Even if you have what on the surface is expertise in low-level, unskilled jobs, you still have the power of observation, which you can use to identify opportunities for creating value.

Yes and I have identified their need, finding people who need them would add value to both sides. Of course if I was able ro do that I would have my own recruiting company ...

I do have knowledge in higher skill work,yet appear chronically unable to sell.

So like when others asked about opportunities for a grill cook or painter, the hive jumped in & pointed out ideas for creating value by identifying problems to solve.

Hence my post, I have yet to see a solution that fits with the benefit rules from the hive here,allowing them to get out from their situation.

 

[LittleWolfie]

@chimichangatime

Your where I want to be. What about buying small companies, improving their efficiency then collecting profits/selling company with broker?

@Vibhusha trying to break into this I think there could be good demand for an ecommerce invetory system with a RESTful API, thoughts?

 

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[Vibhusha]

Hi Vibhusa, what kind of tech. you use? PHP, javascript, SQL, ....?

There is a great potential to serve the web market with any of the technology and without too much of investment

Hey,

I use technologies like Angular js, javascript,jquery, SQL, bootstrap, magento, wordpress, responsive interface using bootstrap, Website designing using photoshop. Basically a frontend developer with basic knowledge about java as well.

I am figuring out about how to move ahead, whether to start serving as a freelancer or start blogging or start learning about affiliate marketing. Daily I am reading gold threads and started reading unscripted as I am not sure about how to move forward.

 

[Timmy C]

Loving this thread, it has me thinking a hell of alot about a business/ consulting gig I could do to pivot of of chefing.
Joined some restaurant owner Facebook groups and scouring chef subreddits.

Some ideas.

Canopy cleaning company (greasy dirty canopies in commercial kitchens chefs hate cleaning them)

Staff rentention consultant?

Lots of chefs leave and move around due to work conditions, I'm experiencing this now at work.

Hospitality employment consultant?

Basically an employment agency kinda.

 

[AbhiRaj]

Are you:

• Starting your entrepreneurial journey?
• Feeling like you haven't YET figured out a way to make money?

Does either of these describe you?

• "I hate my job & want to quit--but I don't know what business to start."
• "I've worked a bunch of jobs, but want to start my own business."

Are you strugging with:

• Where should I start?
• What should I do?
• I don't know what business idea to choose.

Well, there's a high probability that you're ignoring the gold right in front of you.

I see this all the time from folks who post on the forum.

But: One of the best ways to find & identify opportunities is to look at industries/niches where you ALREADY have experience & expertise.

But: Most new entrepreneurs ignore that, since they want to ditch their day job and its industry.

I get it. The last real job I had was terrible--bad boss who made work super stressful, company turning into a call center, etc. I hated going to work and wished that some magic fairy would hand me a golden ticket to something better.

It took some time to realize that a few of my colleagues had left & were making good money consulting--and that I could do the same. So I left that job, dipped my toe in the consulting water, had no idea how to get clients, but eventually started getting work. For longer than I care to admit, I've been self-employed at it, making 3x-4x more than I'd been making as an employee, with WAY more time freedom. The consulting is a bridge to building a CENTS-based business.

But back when I had that day-job, if I'd ignored my current industry, I'd likely have jumped from job to job, with little to show for it.

So:

• Your niche-specific experience can be a gold mine, since you ALREADY have some depth of knowledge about it & can likely identify problems that people are willing to pay to have solved. Problems that industry outsiders won't be able to spot.
• Your path is shorter if you've already worked in the niche.
• Look at the industries & niches where you ALREADY have work experience & expertise--there are plenty of opportunities there, and you'll have an easier time entering those niches since you've got experience & can talk the talk.

Don't believe me? Post your most random, opportunity-barren niche/industry you've worked in. The tribe here will help you uncover potential opportunities.

Very authentic and practical advice

 

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[BellaPippin]

Cat Lady

 

[NMdad]

Loving this thread, it has me thinking a hell of alot about a business/ consulting gig I could do to pivot of of chefing.
Joined some restaurant owner Facebook groups and scouring chef subreddits.

Some ideas.

Canopy cleaning company (greasy dirty canopies in commercial kitchens chefs hate cleaning them)

Staff rentention consultant?

Lots of chefs leave and move around due to work conditions, I'm experiencing this now at work.

Hospitality employment consultant?

Basically an employment agency kinda.

Or what about getting more customers for restaurants? Bunches of ways to do this, and I see virtually no local restaurants doing anything marketing-savvy except the occasional social media posting or Groupon. For example:

• direct mail (e.g., postcards)
• email marketing
• SMS marketing
• Yelp & similar platform marketing
• Create incentives for customers to come back, refer others, post a review, etc. (like reward points, a discount, bring a friend (i.e., new customer) & you eat free, etc.).

 

[NMdad]

Cat Lady

Well, the first step is admitting you have a problem.

There's always opportunity:

• Cat boarding (in your home) or cat sitting (in their home) for busy professionals who travel a lot.
• Make & market:
  • cat treats
  • cat dietary supplements
  • intellectually stimulating cat toys that prevent cats from destroying stuff

 

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[NMdad]

Hey,

I use technologies like Angular js, javascript,jquery, SQL, bootstrap, magento, wordpress, responsive interface using bootstrap, Website designing using photoshop. Basically a frontend developer with basic knowledge about java as well.

I am figuring out about how to move ahead, whether to start serving as a freelancer or start blogging or start learning about affiliate marketing. Daily I am reading gold threads and started reading unscripted as I am not sure about how to move forward.

Stop focusing on what you can do & your skillset, and instead focus on WHO you can help. I see lots of developers struggle, since they can do anything for anyone. Get much more specific about WHO you're targeting, not WHAT you can do.

• What specific industry niches do you already have expertise/experience in?
• Who do you want to work with--who has a need you can solve, plus is both able AND willing to pay?

 

[LittleWolfie]

• Who do you want to work with--who has a need you can solve, plus is both able AND willing to pay?

This is pretty hard to work out. Most people with no budget will happily tell me what they want/need but finding a need from people with a budget is like pulling hen's teeth. They shut down at/during the discussion of their need process, so how can you even determine if you can solve it and they are willing to pay?

 

[NMdad]

This is pretty hard to work out. Most people with no budget will happily tell me what they want/need but finding a need from people with a budget is like pulling hen's teeth. They shut down at/during the discussion of their need process, so how can you even determine if you can solve it and they are willing to pay?

Sounds like a limiting belief. If their pain is big enough and they have budget, they'll pay you to solve the problem. It could be that you need to change/adjust your niche / who you're talking to, and/or the problems your asking them to pay to solve.

 

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[LittleWolfie]

Sounds like a limiting belief. If their pain is big enough and they have budget, they'll pay you to solve the problem.

Hey if it was easy, everyone would do it. I do things because they are hard., that is the E.

It could be that you need to change/adjust your niche / who you're talking to, and/or the problems your asking them to pay to solve.

I suspect so, the question is to whom should I be talking? What are your pains and budgets for solving them?

 

[mdmetelus]

Are you:

• Starting your entrepreneurial journey?
• Feeling like you haven't YET figured out a way to make money?

Does either of these describe you?

• "I hate my job & want to quit--but I don't know what business to start."
• "I've worked a bunch of jobs, but want to start my own business."

Are you strugging with:

• Where should I start?
• What should I do?
• I don't know what business idea to choose.

Well, there's a high probability that you're ignoring the gold right in front of you.

I see this all the time from folks who post on the forum.

But: One of the best ways to find & identify opportunities is to look at industries/niches where you ALREADY have experience & expertise.

But: Most new entrepreneurs ignore that, since they want to ditch their day job and its industry.

I get it. The last real job I had was terrible--bad boss who made work super stressful, company turning into a call center, etc. I hated going to work and wished that some magic fairy would hand me a golden ticket to something better.

It took some time to realize that a few of my colleagues had left & were making good money consulting--and that I could do the same. So I left that job, dipped my toe in the consulting water, had no idea how to get clients, but eventually started getting work. For longer than I care to admit, I've been self-employed at it, making 3x-4x more than I'd been making as an employee, with WAY more time freedom. The consulting is a bridge to building a CENTS-based business.

But back when I had that day-job, if I'd ignored my current industry, I'd likely have jumped from job to job, with little to show for it.

So:

• Your niche-specific experience can be a gold mine, since you ALREADY have some depth of knowledge about it & can likely identify problems that people are willing to pay to have solved. Problems that industry outsiders won't be able to spot.
• Your path is shorter if you've already worked in the niche.
• Look at the industries & niches where you ALREADY have work experience & expertise--there are plenty of opportunities there, and you'll have an easier time entering those niches since you've got experience & can talk the talk.

Don't believe me? Post your most random, opportunity-barren niche/industry you've worked in. The tribe here will help you uncover potential opportunities.

Great points, but i'm not quite sure how this applies to me, as I'm an unemployed grad student.

 

[NMdad]

Great points, but i'm not quite sure how this applies to me, as I'm an unemployed grad student.

Again, this is a limiting belief.

What experiences & expertise do you already have? What niches have you already worked in?

There are lots of unemployed grad students--i.e., a lot of smart people with various niche expertise--who are probably hungry to work. Who has problems they'll pay to be solved by smart, unemployed people?

 

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[EnviroAaron]

OK, so here's how I might think about it: Who's already paying for the expertise you have?

Maybe:

• oil & gas companies
• large agricultural entities: hog farms, poultry farms, fish farms, large farms--since they all (at the very least) care about preventing fines from polluted run-off from their land
• manufacturers & entities that have chemical waste products: paper mills, refineries, processing plants, etc.
• real estate developers

Thanks for the reply E. Much appreciated.

You're not too far from the mark:

• Resource companies (elect/coal, hydro, minerals, gas, etc) - impact assessment/monitoring, permits, approvals.
• Land developers (residential, commercial, etc) - due diligence, permits/approvals, monitoring
• Local, state national govt/councils - research, monitoring
• Water authorities and waterway managers - research, monitoring, discharge licences
• And the biggest share... other consultancies that dont have my tech services/skills in-house... for all of the above plus more end clients!

My issues is, if I stay 'close to home,' other than the slowlane value I currently offer (and am very good and successful at), I'm stumped for a 'need' to add value to to address with a fastlane product or service.

Despite all my searching on this forum and elsewhere, I've struggled to even find someone similar to even model off / aspire to.

Any other earth sci, biol or eco people on here by chance?

Time I get that intro post going me thinks...

 

[AceVentures]

Love this thread. Something I struggled with intensely last year, and something that gave me a great deal of anxiety, was my belief that my future was limited to my expertise, which is oil exploration.

I've since learned about UNSCRIPTED and been exposed to the fastlane community. I've highgraded a business idea that I'm working on in the evenings/weekends (albeit struggling with procrastination a bit). However, why not have your cake AND eat it? Curious to know if there's gold in front of me that I'd been missing.

I'm a petroleum engineer, working deepwater oil and gas exploration and production. I analyze potential investment opportunities by doing a ground-up evaluation of prospects and projects by integrating geology, geophysics, petrophysics, fluid chemistry and PVT behavior into reservoir simulation models, well models, and surface gathering network models for the purposes of production forecasting and full-cycle project economics. From the first molecule in the rock at 20,000+ft depth, to the well, to the wellhead on the seafloor, all the way through to the fluids' arrival at the separation modules on our floating production platforms, I account for the systems, the costs, the timelines, and the physics-based data-integrated production forecast for cashflows.

Cool work. I enjoy it. What could I use that skillset for? I deal with consultants that offer us custom software solutions, one which I thought was easy enough to replicate on my own if I wanted to, but the lady who runs that business has what we call "credibility and experience" in this good-ol' boy industry. In my line of work, most people are old. Very old. And it's a small circle, so people seek help from their known advisors, industry experts, and other people with 20-30-40years of experience. I'm not doing that. My time here is hopefully short-lived, as this is not a sector I want to commit my life to. There are infinitely more interesting problems to solve, ones that could make a change on a personal level, not ones that purely translate to meeting corporate objectives of increasing dividend payments or raising stock prices.

 

[FriskyFleabag]

I have been an automotive technician most of my life. I recently left the military, and now work on aviation support equipment.

I've thought about opening a performance transmission shop, but there are very many where I live and most have been there 10 years or more. I have no clue where to start.

But I'll keep searching.

 

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[Tourmaline]

@FriskyFleabag Does your area need another performance transmission shop?

Is there something else that's needed regarding transmissions?

 

[FriskyFleabag]

@FriskyFleabag Does your area need another performance transmission shop?

Is there something else that's needed regarding transmissions?

I don't think my area needs anymore automotive shops. I've been brainstorming on outside the box ideas in the automotive field.

I started an automotive blog (uggaduggas.com) so I could use it as an information hub and gain popularity.
Shortly after, someone else took my idea and did it better with a professional designer (uggadugga.com).

That's all I've done lately.

 

[chimichangatime]

@chimichangatime

You're where I want to be. What about buying small companies, improving their efficiency then collecting profits/selling company with broker?

I've considered this. Don't know much about buying technology, but improving efficiency then flipping is a good idea. Not exactly CENTS, but could be profitable and I could probably get some people onboard with me to show them how this works. It's not rocket surgery... or so you'd think

 

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[chimichangatime]

Your SQL & Excel/VBA skills are my core technical skills--along with the niche- and ERP-specific knowledge & expertise.

So:

1. Think about the types of problems you solved at your old job.
2. Then, think about the types of businesses who'd likely have those same problems--probably manufacturing + supply chain.
3. Get more specific about the niche--for example, semiconductor manufacturers, since you're already familiar with their specific problems.
4. Make a list of prospects & contacts. This doesn't have to be Intel, but think of all the smaller manufacturers of chips & related electronic components--it'll likely be easier to reach decision-makers at smaller companies.
5. Create an script to send to them, not asking to sell anything, but to talk to them about one of the specific problems you're dealt with--you want to validate that it's a problem & how they're currently dealing with it. The goal at this stage is not to sell, but to have conversations, validate problems that you can provide value for, build relationships, get referrals, etc. Having conversations without the pressure of trying to sell will give you confidence & show you it's actually not too difficult--especially since you're helping people who need help.

Once you get 1 client, you can get more in the specific niche.

Thanks for the detailed reply! I am compiling a list of leads and filling out a super simple tracker in Google Sheets. I'll definitely reach out and try to make a connection. I KNOW they have the same problems. Just need to get in front of the right people.

 

[LittleWolfie]

I've considered this. Don't know much about buying technology, but improving efficiency then flipping is a good idea.

Your a business systems analyst. Anaylse the businesses process,work out the biggest time taking, repatable business process, do a UML case study or workflow diagram.

The entry barrier is really just money,I have found a lot of companies are really reluctant to buy in automation, but if it is your company go for it.

The need is for the company products,it's just a tweak to make it more competitive.

You can buy so much simple off the shelf stuff,e.g..zaiper and the like nowadays.

Edit

@chimichangatine

Here is the first part of my guide on software, you can buy for this process.

zaiper.pdf

Zaiper, basic guide Part Zero. A brief and basic guide to what on earth Zaiper software actually does. Contents Zaiper Guide Zero to Hero ...................................................................................................................... 2 What is it? ...

docdro.id