Have You Launched a Successful Business?

[Beguiling Orbit]

A key component of creating a successful business involves building and maintaining a network of satisfied customers. Obviously, that type of activity falls within the social realm and is something we neurodivergent folks have difficulty navigating. I would guess that even thinking about this topic is causing anxiety for some of you.

Has anyone on this forum who is on the spectrum successfully built and maintained a successful business with a satisfied client base? If so, can you offer the rest of us some tips on how you did it?

Those of you who have attempted launching a business and have failed, what lessons have you learned that the rest of us could apply toward trying to make a successful go of it?

 

[kay]

Wish I could tell how, I have the exact same question.

 

[Judge]

Well, I did for nearly nine years. Though as a personal investor, I am my one and only "client".

Not a job I can recommend to just anyone given the technical expertise and capital required to make it all happen. And perhaps most of all a willingness to deal with and manage risk on a 24/7 basis.

Though for me not a day has gone by where I feel blessed to not have to routinely rely on or even deal with another human being to advance my own interests in my job. I really did "do it MY way."

I remain a big proponent here at least in self-employment in general for Aspies. That whatever reasonable idea you can come up with may propel you in a way conventional employment will never accomplish.

 

[Nitro]

To this very day,I still maintain some fashion of a business I run out of my home.
My main business model is something I have always called "The Scam" which is fueled by capitalism.
Money talks,and so do you if you want success

If you have a product or service that is unique,it will serve you no purpose unless you can get it out there,so networking is essential in order to do business on any front from square one.
This is the front where those who have social limitations will be at a deficit.


As a former introvert,I turned up the extrovert dial in order to sell.
The first product you need to be able to sell is yourself,long before your goods or services go to invoice.

A business plan is essential in order to get a feel for what expenses will be involved before you even consider hanging your shingle.
When working up your plan,try to consider each aspect of expenses even down to the pencils you will need in order to remain solvent.

Success at times is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time,unless your goods or services are so unique that they create their own demand.

Opportunities often knock,but it is up to you to determine when they do and how feasible they are for you.
If you aren't paying attention to the pulse of the market you are trying to enter,you will be left in the dust of those who went before you and made it work.

One of the recommendations I have for a person interested in a startup is to seek employment in the desired field to gain knowledge of what does and doesn't work when conducting business while someone else bears the financial responsibility involved in it.
There is no reason why you can't get your startup running while employed by someone else if you are willing to sacrifice a lot of your time.

An entrepreneur is often described as an individual willing to give up working 40 hours a week to work more hours for less money,so don't be alarmed by the amount of time you must spend until you are up and running strong.
Even after you are,you still have to watch out for financial hemorrhages as they come up.

Who you work for may not be doing it right in your eyes,but if they have success,it might be a good idea to follow their lead until you have determined that you are ready to take on the deep end of the pool.
Once you are established,you can make subtle changes to your model in order to correct smaller errors on the fly.
Once again,you must stay focused on the financial pulse of your operation in order to know if your changes are in fact going in their intended directions.

Failures are inevitable and often unavoidable,but the most important part of making a mistake is the ability to determine why the failure occurred and to use it as part of your learning process to not repeat the same mistake.


My business models were always supported on several fronts in case of a major failure that would pull the entire wall down and leave you with your pants around your ankles and wondering why you can't pay the bills.

Early on,too many eggs in one basket is never a good idea,so keep your options open and always look for more opportunities to come up.
If one aspect of your business goes belly up,you still have a backup plan in place to cover your losses if you maintain several fronts.

A strong understanding of financial operations is necessary but can be overcome if you are willing to pay others for accounting services or hire people that can do it for you.


Self employment is for many very viable,but not always a walk in the park by any means.

 

[Beguiling Orbit]

That's some valuable advice, @Nitro. Thanks. I think my main challenge is figuring out a way to turn up the extrovert dial enough to network effectively but not so much that all of my mental energy is exhausted. For me it always seems to be more of an on-off switch than a dial.

 

[Jimbo]

I run a thriving carpet and upholstery cleaning business. It helps to have a touch of OCD in this business.

Whatever business you choose, do all that you can to be the best at it. Get proper training and blow customers away with your results and the level of service you provide.

Become "The Expert" in your field and your customers will advertise for you.

Later in life I reached a point where I can be extroverted for short periods of time. I worked in customer service for 8 years before I went out on my on so it gave me a chance to develop people skills.

And be sure and put your tax money into a separate account after each deposit. Like my grand dad always said, "You don't want to owe those bastards money."

Most aspies are very nice people. It goes a long way if customers like you.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

What is the product or service?

Does it involve subsriptions, customer retention?

What is involved in keeping your customer satisfied?

The old adage is 'under promise and over deliver.

This also apllies to : what will you do when it goes wrong? Ie tbe customer is not happy.
How do you make them happy again?

The key may be - not in seeing it as being social but naving a detailed procedure and crm for certain events as above.
Partly this can come from experience but the right open attitude needs to exist which allows for flexibility and open ness to admitting a mistake.

Ive found admitting a mistake is often better in customer pereption terms than coming up with some lie.
A lot may depend on the type of business as to whether value can be built and whether you can layer valje within it - ie what is the next guy doing? How can you approach it differently?
What is your research on the competition?

Ive found a lot of businesses dont reply to emails - at all. And some are slow.
You can beat that.

 

[Nitro]

"Become "The Expert" in your field and your customers will advertise for you."

Become "The Jerk" in your line of work and the negative advertising will spread even further and faster

 

[Jimbo]

"Become "The Expert" in your field and your customers will advertise for you."

Become "The Jerk" in your line of work and the negative advertising will spread even further and faster

That's the truth. In this age of internet reviews and neighborhood chat lists you don't want to do anything at all to leave an ounce of negativity with a customer. In my business there are times when I can't make a carpet l brand new. I try to always be realistic with customers as far as the cleaning results go so they know what to expect before I start the work, and most people have enough sense to know old worn out carpet is not going to be new again.

 

[Butterfly88]

I'm just starting an e-commerce business. I have a Twitter for my business with about 700 followers. I'm not sure how many of my followers have actually bought from me but I would recommend using social media. I've also posted ads in some Facebook groups that allow ads.

 

[clg114]

I operate a small (just me) repair business. I repair electric vehicles. My work is about 80% forklifts. I have been doing this for 10 years and I work about 15 t0 25 hours a week. For me this was a natural transition because I worked as a field technician for almost 50 years before I retired. Some of my customers asked me to work on their equipment and I agreed. So I have been working for these customers way before I was in business for myself. The only regret that I have about this, is that I did not do it sooner.

I think that the best advice that I would have, is to do your best work and always make sure that you customer is happy with your work. Repeat business is what keeps you going. Communicate with your customer. My social issues do not come into play here as this is my area of expertise. If anything, I have to make sure that I do not over explain myself.

 

[Progster]

I think that it is going to be hard to give any 'one size fits all' kind of advice, because every job is different and has its own peculiarities. I can say, though, that it is much easier to deal with clients via email than face to face if possible, because when writing you have time to process, think, then formulate a suitable reply.

I teach languages online, as well as taking on proofreading and translation work. When I'm teaching, I'm working mainly with children, instructing and giving feedback, so socialising doesn't really come into it: my job is to teach, not to socialise. With the parents, I find it works to always give regular, honest feedback - and I am honest about their children's progress, I don't just tell them what they wnat to hear, unlike some other teachers, and I think that they appreciate that. I avoid talking to them face to face and prefer to talk to them via email.

Temple Grandin says in her book Thinking in Pictures that people on the spectrum need to sell their work rather than themselves, and I think that this is true and good advice. I sell my expertise and let my work speak for itself, I have no social media page and do no networking or advertising. If my clients/students are happy, they will recommend me to others.

 

[Mattymatt]

Well, I did for nearly nine years. Though as a personal investor, I am my one and only "client".

Not a job I can recommend to just anyone given the technical expertise and capital required to make it all happen. And perhaps most of all a willingness to deal with and manage risk on a 24/7 basis.

Though for me not a day has gone by where I feel blessed to not have to routinely rely on or even deal with another human being to advance my own interests in my job. I really did "do it MY way."

I remain a big proponent here at least in self-employment in general for Aspies. That whatever reasonable idea you can come up with may propel you in a way conventional employment will never accomplish.

Self employment seems like a good idea and I've tried it but am unable to overcome deficits in executive functioning. I do a whole lot better working for someone else. I've settled for underemployment and I'm fine with it. I would rather do something simple and not risk a job ending meltdown than challenge myself in the workplace. My personal challenges and rewards exist outside work.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

I think that it is going to be hard to give any 'one size fits all' kind of advice, because every job is different and has its own peculiarities. I can say, though, that it is much easier to deal with clients via email than face to face if possible, because when writing you have time to process, think, then formulate a suitable reply.

I teach languages online, as well as taking on proofreading and translation work. When I'm teaching, I'm working mainly with children, instructing and giving feedback, so socialising doesn't really come into it: my job is to teach, not to socialise. With the parents, I find it works to always give regular, honest feedback - and I am honest about their children's progress, I don't just tell them what they wnat to hear, unlike some other teachers, and I think that they appreciate that. I avoid talking to them face to face and prefer to talk to them via email.

Temple Grandin says in her book Thinking in Pictures that people on the spectrum need to sell their work rather than themselves, and I think that this is true and good advice. I sell my expertise and let my work speak for itself, I have no social media page and do no networking or advertising. If my clients/students are happy, they will recommend me to others.

Email is also good as there is a written record of past dealings. Always good for revision purposes.
But there is some good crm (customer relationship management ) software and apps out there.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

What is the product or service?

Does it involve subsriptions, customer retention?

What is involved in keeping your customer satisfied?

The old adage is 'under promise and over deliver.

This also apllies to : what will you do when it goes wrong? Ie tbe customer is not happy.
How do you make them happy again?

The key may be - not in seeing it as being social but naving a detailed procedure and crm for certain events as above.
Partly this can come from experience but the right open attitude needs to exist which allows for flexibility and open ness to admitting a mistake.

Ive found admitting a mistake is often better in customer pereption terms than coming up with some lie.
A lot may depend on the type of business as to whether value can be built and whether you can layer valje within it - ie what is the next guy doing? How can you approach it differently?
What is your research on the competition?

Ive found a lot of businesses dont reply to emails - at all. And some are slow.
You can beat that.

What is the product or service?

Does it involve subsriptions, customer retention?

What is involved in keeping your customer satisfied?

The old adage is 'under promise and over deliver.

This also apllies to : what will you do when it goes wrong? Ie tbe customer is not happy.
How do you make them happy again?

The key may be - not in seeing it as being social but naving a detailed procedure and crm for certain events as above.
Partly this can come from experience but the right open attitude needs to exist which allows for flexibility and open ness to admitting a mistake.

Ive found admitting a mistake is often better in customer pereption terms than coming up with some lie.
A lot may depend on the type of business as to whether value can be built and whether you can layer valje within it - ie what is the next guy doing? How can you approach it differently?
What is your research on the competition?

Ive found a lot of businesses dont reply to emails - at all. And some are slow.
You can beat that.

Wow. Who wrote this?

It’s brilliant.

You should give him a job
Lol