Stress and struggle seem to be part of the deal when running a business, especially when you believe you have to do it all yourself. Jason Long tells us about his life changing moment when his doctor told him that he was killing himself. Jason had to let go of “doing it all” so that he could rebound.
Jason also shares the value of niching a business to a level that clearly identifies your target audience and what problem you solve. This episode is packed with lessons “learned the hard way”. Also the practical and actionable is simple, yet paramount to your success.
In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover:
- How Jason niched his business to increase their target market.
- The important role mindset plays when faced with challenges.
- His strategies for reducing stress…and why they’ll help you become a success.
- What to let go of and what to hang on to: Jason’s advice.
- Why the service industry can be so challenging.
- Why you don’t need to – and shouldn’t – do everything.
- The importance of growing your team.
- How to avoid learning things the hard way.
Jason’s Target Audience: Jason’s target market is web and app designers and developers, freelancers and studios looking for a quick system to price and scope their projects.
Jason comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. His family’s entrepreneurial history served as encouragement for him when he went out on his own. When he opened his first business he was only 15. He hasn’t worked for many other people since then! One of the biggest motivators for him in any work he does is making an impact on the professional lives of other people.
Jason’s bumpy yet ultimately successful entrepreneurial journey has included staying afloat during a recession, tremendous physical stress and hospitalization. But through it all he has remained focused on what he enjoys doing: technology. The products and services he’s created for this sector have been a direct result of his ability to niche down.
In this episode, Jason talks about how niching helped his company, the struggles he has endured, the things he had to let go of and how he turned things around successfully.
One of the first experiences that taught him the importance of niching was a business he started in college. Although they focused on healthcare and the government sector, they were still working for everyone.
From this experience, he learned that niching down into different industries and demographics can make a significant difference in the success of a business. Narrowing in on a select group doesn’t lower the number of people we can serve, it actually increases it. Jason says if we know how to niche we can increase the number of people we work with dramatically.
Jason eventually discovered this, the hard way. He overworked himself and became so stressed, he was hospitalized with a heart condition. While in the hospital, he discovered why he wasn’t able to manage the business well and he vowed to make changes. When he was healthy again, he gave some of his tasks to other people and became focused on being on the best at sales and management for his client base.
He calls this being on top of the company and not in the company. His changes took awhile to convert but as they moved their business, they were able to gather more opportunities and target international markets. He had learned his lesson the hard way, but he learned and grew from doing so.
Practical & Actionable:
Jason says the most practical and actionable thing you can do right now is to not forget that along with your business, you should also grow your people and team. Many of us forget this simple fact.
As you push your business forward, always remember to invest in growing your people, because that is what is going to save you.
