How much value does your product really deliver?

Credit: Pexels //PICHA Stock

The business world only rewards Competence. There are no sentiments there at all. And this is why socialists campaign against capitalism, because they don't want outcomes to be dependent on input, but on government intervention/control. 

If you make a great product, the market will reward you. If you don't, it won't. No sentiments attached, and it's not your daddy's farm. Lol...

Notice that I didn't say "If you can...".

Competence and Potential aren't synonymous. The business world cheers at one, but rewards only the other. Know this and make peace with it, if you must thrive with less or no emotional hurt at all. 

If you sell a product or product catalogue massively, the business world will give you a seat at the table and a darn good commission. If you don't, you'll get none of those.

If you make a great product and sell massively, they'll crown you king and canonize you. And they're never out of thrones for new kings and queens to take. In fact, they'll allow you overthrow an existing king or queen and to take their throne if your Competence beats theirs. 

Kings and Queens must constantly maintain and improve on their Competence in order to keep their thrones. That's a basic requirement.

Again, notice that i didn't say "If you can...". I repeat, Competence and Potential aren't synonymous. The business world cheers at one, but rewards only the other. Know this and make peace with it, if you must thrive with less or no emotional hurt at all.

Forget about race, gender and other stereotypes. The business world does not recognize those as success or operational factors within its sphere.

People buy the product of their "enemies" because of something called UTILITY. Now, that's an actual synonym for "Competence" that you can take.

If your product is good, it is good. No one can take that away from you. And people will definitely want it if they know about it.

If your product isn't good enough, it isn't good enough. And no one can work against you more than your product. So, don't think anyone is.

In the business world, you're good enough for one thing only: To add more value to yourself. Apart from this, being good enough doesn't apply to any other thing by default but by setting.

It is possible for your product not to be good enough. And if you consider yourself as one of the products (as an employer or employee), you also may not be good enough if you don't add the right value to yourself. This is why business founders can lose control of their companies, and employees can be fired.

If you make a great product and you sell it well, the market will respond as well to you as how great your product is and how well you're selling it. 

Please read that sentence again to be sure you got it.

Run away from people that fill your mind with race, gender and other stereotypical parameters. They're damaging your mind. They're poisoning it. They're putting things in your mind that will weaken you in the sphere of business where those are simply not core factors for success.

I learnt these in precept, but later on experientially when I started blogging.

The most performing articles on my blog today in terms of views are the most value-giving ones. This is the simple truth and reality. I could put in the same effort and resources in promoting two different articles, and the more performing one will naturally be the one that delivers more value to people.

In business, the people are the kingmakers, since they're the ones who give the consensus. 

Stop using race, gender, and other stereotypes as reasons for your product's non-performance or dismal performance, and ask yourself, "How much value does my product really deliver?" 

You can survey those who have seen or bought it already. And be willing to act on their reviews honestly.

There are articles that I wrote and published over a year ago today which are still being read on a daily basis (and I don't even promote them anymore). Meanwhile, others, including some recent ones, struggle to get views.

In the business world, the product determines the value, and the value determines the market response and pricing. QED. 

If you want to thrive in the business world, you have to choose to do any one of these:

1.  Make a really great product or service (which is a fluid product), then sell it to more capable hands to manage it (that is, cash out), while you retain a percentage of the company's equity (and keep cashing out on the job they do with your product). This is the life of so-called "Serial Entrepreneurs". 

2.  Sell a product really well. (Notice that I didn't say "Sell a really great product"). If you can't make a product, sell one that another person has made. And if you really do a great job selling it, you'll get a darn good commission. Those in E-commerce understand this.

3.  Make a great product and sell it really well. This is what makes the world's richest people.

The entry requirements for Option 1 is often high. Heavy brain work and heavy pockets will be needed. There's no place for the slightest forms of laziness or weakness, and a regimented lifestyle is a basic need. Sounds hard right? Right. 

Good news is, there's Option 2. It has lower entry requirements. You often need only heavy brain work. Heavy pockets aren't a requirement because the only real capital you'll need there are your brain and your heart. These days, you don't even need body mobility. Lol... You can stay in a remote corner of the world and sell products to millions of people around the globe, thanks to the internet. 

Also, laziness can be tolerated, but you'll pay for it when your commissions arrive though. Remember, no sentiments. A regimented lifestyle is also not a basic need.

Option 3 has the highest entry requirement: You have to be and have what it takes to succeed. Else, there's nothing for you. Statistics show that only about 2% of people in the world are able to maximize this option, and they become the richest of the rich. But there's another significant percentage that merely optimize it—most of them become small and medium-scale business owners, and top class business executives. 

Now, my friends, if you can't do any of the Options 1-3, there's another innovative and improvised entry point for you: Learn how to manage people that can do any or a combination of Options 1-3.

Call yourself an agent, or call yourself a manager, whatever. But only one thing is important: You MUST learn to see beyond yourself at ALL times, and the art of cultivating seed.

Finally, please know this: Business is more about creating and/or giving value than it is about making it big. The former is the right business mindset while the latter is a business goal. But if you focus and do the former very well, you'll get the latter as your result.

If you take them in reverse, you likely won't last for the long haul.

Chukwubuikem Paul Anunaso is a civil/structural engineer based in Lagos, Nigeria. He is the Editor of The Paul Anunaso Blog and has experience advising business owners on strategy and operations. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@PaulAnunaso), or email at anunaso.cp@gmail.com.