Problems finding your muse/niche?

[storm33229]

How many of you have ever had difficulty discovering your muse/niche? Just an out-of-curiosity sort of thing.

[TimW]

from the way people post, pretty much everyone. :D

[storm33229]

from the way people post, pretty much everyone. :D
Hmm yeah I had pretty much drawn the same conclusion but I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a I'm-to-lazy-to-think-about-it sort of attitude versus a this-is-truly-difficult type of deal.

[Dan]

Whilst I agree that sometimes it can be difficult, I think (at least this is from personal experience) that self doubt often creeps in and makes it harder. Now whilst this may sometimes be a good thing in keeping us from getting carried away with ideas that really aren't going to work, I think at other times it can scare you off trying things that really might be worth a shot.

I'm a web designer so I can very easily get businesses up and running. Case in point, on the request of a client I set about creating a live chat script for me to resell myself, which has a couple of key selling points against the rest that are out there. I launched into it and probably spent about 20 hours putting the main bits together. Then, at the halfway point self doubt set in and I quit, probably only needing about 20 more hours to put in the finishing touches, sales material and promotion.

I have had many more business ideas that I have given up with before I even start putting them together, and whilst I'm sure some wouldn't have worked, I expect a few would have.

So...what to do about it. Having just read the 4HWW I'm now going to NOT finish my live chat script, but set about selling (or 'nearly' selling it to be precise, but stopping the sale at the last moment) online. I'll invest a bit of money in AdWords and see if it sells. If it does, I'll finish the project.

So that is now my mid-year resolution. Rather than dismissing ideas, or jumping straight into them without any real sales testing done, I'll take a couple of hours to give my ideas a dry run now, before I discard or develop them.

Hope that helps :)

Dan

[JFrenzel]

What exactly is a live chat script in your case? I understand the basics, but more specifically what exactly can you do with it? How much do you want for it?



Regards,

Jose Castro_Frenzel

[Dan]

Hi Jose,

If you understand the basics, that's pretty much what this live chat script does, as one of the key selling points is it's back to basics.

The customer who suggested it to me had just been using an all-singing, all-dancing chat script from a leader in the field. Whilst they found that amongst the customers they chatted to there appeared to be an increase in sales (average sale value increased as the extra, personal advice gave them more confidence to purchase more products), they also had reports from some customers that there was a blank space being shown in their browser where the livechat button was which looked messy. Overall sales $ were static, as whilst there had been more high value sales, there were fewer sales overall.

We delved deeper into it and found that several spyware / ad-blocking programmes block live chat, and as far as I am concerned with good reason. Having a customer sales agent prompt you to chat with them by flashing a pop-up at you, and having people watch you as you go around the site are both common features on live chats. They are however rather intrusive, and in the case of the first, downright annoying. We also felt that since some customers had taken the time to tell us, there were possibly others who had received warnings from their spyware programmes, and we didn't want to risk scaring them.

This is how the creation of this live chat began, with the aim to provide a live chat that is just that - an exceptionally easy to use live chat, with non of the fancy, but potentially risky extras.

I'm yet to decide on a cost, but likely it will be a $250-300+ one-off fee, which is towards the upper end of the market. The twist is that this will include full setup and remote training, meaning that overall it will be cheaper than having your web designer buy a script and install it. Plus of course there'll be a 110% money back promise, a la 4HWW.

I would say though, it probably isn't a 4HWW tool, unless you're at the stage where you can outsource customer support, as staffing a live chat is fairly labour intensive! For a fair few sectors it's great though - this particular client was health supplement based, so live chat gives customers more confidence in the product.

Gee - I need to learn to write shorter posts! Hope that helps though :)

Dan

[clanshrapnel]

One way that I've tried to see what others have come up with regarding muses and niches: Click on commenter's webpages!

Go to www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog, pick any post (obviously the most popular posts are best since they have the most comments), and go through the websites that people have created! You'd be surprised what wealth of information and ideas you can get from other users.. and best part is, they wanted you to see their website in the first place (otherwise they wouldn't have listed it with their comment)!

[final_id]

For me it's not self-doubt, it's boredom. And a sense that following cravenly, doggedly, to the exclusion of all else, nothing but the profit motive, is an obviously wasted life ...

This notion of "dedication" to your "product" is what I can't live with. I have a soul, I read books, I THINK ferchrissakes! I can't be bothered with SELLING STUFF all day ...

At least, that's what my head often tells me. That's when I go read another great novel and realize that, even if it purports to set you free of monetary chains, the procedure behind 4HWW is simply yet another method of obsessing over money. Some few people use it to escape from money obsession; most (and myself included) however don't have the financially avaricious obsession that will allow that to happen (thank Goodness! we get to keep our souls!).

[storm33229]

For me it's not self-doubt, it's boredom. And a sense that following cravenly, doggedly, to the exclusion of all else, nothing but the profit motive, is an obviously wasted life ...

This notion of "dedication" to your "product" is what I can't live with. I have a soul, I read books, I THINK ferchrissakes! I can't be bothered with SELLING STUFF all day ...

At least, that's what my head often tells me. That's when I go read another great novel and realize that, even if it purports to set you free of monetary chains, the procedure behind 4HWW is simply yet another method of obsessing over money. Some few people use it to escape from money obsession; most (and myself included) however don't have the financially avaricious obsession that will allow that to happen (thank Goodness! we get to keep our souls!).
well if you do it right you don't sell anything, you're website does. all you do is press a few buttons a few times a week.

[final_id]

True enough. That is the theory and end-goal, I certainly don't discredit that notion. Kind of like collecting rent: you do nothing but you get income.

[dreb]

Yep, most have trouble figuring out what their muse/niche is. Why, because they go about it incorrectly...

The Wrong Question - How can I make money?
The Wright Question - What need can I fill or problem can I solve or how can I do it better (if it's already done).

You will also need to really enjoy doing this thing as it will pass off on to your customers (believe it or not most customers can tell when you are in it to make money only). You will also need to work hard initially as any new idea needs to be incubated.


--------------------
http://www.smartmillionairesguide.com

[Sven]

The self doubt thing is an interesting one, I hadn't realised it had disapeared from my way of doing stuff untill I read this post!

I now find the quickest way I can to get something done and self doubt has become irrelevant! I am able to take on more things and find that I have too much to do to doubt anything.

[andyYY]

One way that I've tried to see what others have come up with regarding muses and niches: Click on commenter's webpages!

Go to www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog, pick any post (obviously the most popular posts are best since they have the most comments), and go through the websites that people have created! You'd be surprised what wealth of information and ideas you can get from other users.. and best part is, they wanted you to see their website in the first place (otherwise they wouldn't have listed it with their comment)!


Can you link or notice some examples? it would be very appreciated ;)

[storm33229]

Can you link or notice some examples? it would be very appreciated ;)

I have a sort of step by step way to figuring out your muse on my blog, you can PM me for a link. Don't want to get flamed for advertising haha.

[JFrenzel]

Interesting ideas. I agree though, think about what you like. Money can be made from anything though : )

Jose

[storm33229]

Interesting ideas. I agree though, think about what you like. Money can be made from anything though : )

Jose
Are you referring to my blog post or something else?