Choose your business like a lover

So the word on the street is that 2009 is the “year of small business.” And everyone’s looking for the marketing silver bullet. How to integrate old and new? How can I use Facebook? What role might twitter play in building my business? Where do I begin? What’s the ROI of all this friending, tweeting and linking?

As David Meerman Scott is fond of asking, what’s the ROI of putting your pants on in the morning?

There are no easy answers. Building a business is more about faith than fortune. It’s more about passion than profit. More about believing in your product or service and finding the people that really want or need it than pushing it on scads of people in the hope that two percent will convert.

Do you really believe in what you’re trying to talk people into giving up their hard-earned (and ever dwindling) cash for? Because people will be able to tell. Now more than ever.

Before you say “I do” do you?
It’s just like falling in love. It seems so wonderful, so romantic. You’ll finally have the life you want. Be your own boss. Stop working for “the man.” Do things your way.

Hold on there. When you look at her are you seeing what’s really there – or what you want to see? When the honeymoon is over your business is still going to require patience, persistence and attention. Even when you’re tired, irritable, sick, bored.

When the only thing to hold onto is passion.

When that marketing campaign falls flat you’ll need to try something new to keep things interesting. When you enter the social media arena people are going to expect some give before you take. Check your intimacy issues at the door, thank you. Are you ready for that?

And when things aren’t going well you can’t just bury your head in the sand and go meet the guys for a beer. Especially when things aren’t going well. You need to face the truth about your part in the mess and make the necessary changes to keep your business moving in the right direction.

You won’t always understand why something didn’t work. That’s OK. All is not lost. Clear the air, get some space and come back at the problem from another angle. Your business will change and grow. It can be scary, but it’s also exciting. Let go of some control and see where it takes you. Remember how great things were in the beginning? You can recapture that. As your relationship – er, business – matures, it can be even better than before.

Choose carefully
The secret to success in love lies in choosing the right partner. And the only way to do that is to be honest with yourself. Is she truly the woman of your dreams or are you seeing things that aren’t really there?

The same goes with choosing a business. Don’t fool yourself or you’ll be facing some very unpleasant decisions down the line. Do you believe so strongly that your product or service will enhance people’s lives that you feel that it’s not just your job but your responsibility to match it with the right people?

If not, marketing is not your problem.

Photo credit: Adam Cohn via Flickr