Day 5 Goal
Go to the target date you picked on Day 1 and determine who your business helps.
Remember to write about your business in present tense (for example, write “My business helps” or “I help” instead of “My business will help” or “I plan to help”).
How to Make it Happen
The Otis Rule
My advice today is to apply the Otis Rule to your business. What’s the Otis Rule? I’m so glad you asked!
The explanation of the rule requires a little backstory:
One of my favorite television experiences of all time is a four-hour television miniseries called The Temptations. If you’ve never seen it, it chronicles the tumultuous years of the R&B singing group of the same name.
There’s a famous scene where group members Otis Williams and David Ruffins (being played by actors) are having a heated discussion about David’s behavior, which is becoming disruptive to the group. David, who is one of the lead singers and the most flamboyant member, tells his group members that he’s the one selling the records and that the fans are “coming to see me.”
Otis replies that the fans are coming to see The Temptations as a group, not any one person. Otis’s response may be my favorite line in TV history: “Ain’t nobody coming to see you Otis!”
Consequently, the Otis Rule requires that you apply this line to your business–ain’t nobody coming to see you, Otis. They are coming to get help, improve their lives, and solve the problems they are facing. While your awards and accolades are great, what will be better for your business is the help you give to others.
This is what makes people repeat customers/clients to your business.
Apply the Otis Rule in Your Business
One major mistake that new and wannabe business owners make is to make everything in their business and brand about themselves.
For example, the business website is all about how smart and great they are. Their social media accounts are all about their lives, how amazing things are going in the business, and pictures that represent the products or services they are selling with links for purchase but not much context.
“SO blessed to be named to XYZ list!”
“Traveling to the beach to plan for the next phase of business! #entrepreneurlife”
“I just wrote a new book! Please go buy it at blahblahblah.com!”
Sound familiar?
Listen. Your potential clients and customers don’t care about you.
They care about how your business can help them. This is why the root word of the day is help.
However, before you can decide how your business will help people, you have to figure out who “people” are. After you apply the Otis Rule and take yourself out of the equation, ask yourself whose life is easier because of your work and business? Who are you actually helping?
The next section will give you some suggestions on how to identify these people.
Kickstarter Questions
If you need help identifying who you will help in your business, here are some kickstarter questions to get your brain moving and thoughts flowing. Pick a few and see where it goes.
- What groups of people need your help?
- What big problems are they facing?
- Which answers are they desperate for?
- Where are these people geographically?
- Where are these people on social media?
- What are their biggest priorities?
- What kind of work do these people do?
My Story
Even though the Otis Rule is always top of mind for me, I still sometimes struggle to apply this rule myself. I like to share my successes (and hear about the success of others). I am also the face and brand of my business, so it is easy for me to talk about myself and what I’m doing.
If you find yourself in a similar position, ask yourself how you can take your own awards, travel and experiences and help people with it and/or teach a new lesson or skill.
So, if, for instance, you’ve been invited to speak at a conference, instead of just talking about going to speak at a conference, create some content around how the people you’re helping can get the same kinds of invitations.
These strategies have helped me stay on track with my clients and customers in mind, and I hope they do the same for you.
Finally, if you’d like to share your vision with me on social media, tag me @shontaviajesq (on all platforms) and use the #VisionChallenge hashtag so that I can see it.
If nothing else, take a picture of your completed workbook page and post it so that I know you’re alive out there.
See you tomorrow!
Join my support network
Studies show that you’re more likely to meet your goals when you have accountability partners! To work together with a supportive community of other side-hustlers, creatives and entrepreneurs, you can join my private group by clicking this link or via the Mighty Networks App.
Download the Mighty Network app by clicking here. Once it downloads, click “Find a Mighty Network” and search for Shontavia Johnson. You’ll find accountability partners and other content there that I may not share elsewhere.
New to the #VisionChallenge? You can learn more about it, and sign up to take the challenge, by clicking here.
Sometimes I will refer you to other books, products or services. While I may be an affiliate of these companies, creators, or authors, these are all things I have used and trust. I would not recommend these things to you if I hadn’t experienced them myself.