The national satellite company I worked for was closing its Massachusetts’ office’s doors – as the last employee I locked the doors on my way out on New Year’s Eve 2004.
I saw the signs earlier that year and had to make a decision – after 7+ years commuting 126 miles roundtrip each day, did I want to get a job in Boston with a crazy traffic commute or did I want to trust in myself and go out on my own.
Single with a mortgage and a little savings, I gave myself six months to be able to pay my bills or the dreaded Boston commute would become a reality.
At a time when online marketing was in its infancy and Facebook was only for college students, I asked myself how an introvert living in a small town who dislikes networking could succeed.
The answer was to provide something people wanted and make it super easy for them:
- Provide an ongoing, desired service after the client has said “yes” just one time.
In an industry where most were using a launch-based business model, asking for sale after sale after sale, we were providing service after service after service.
Recurring services which turned each “yes” into monthly recurring revenue. Retention skyrocketed. Referrals flowed.
Six months after opening the doors full-time, with a list of 82 people, we broke six figures.
We had become a positive disruptor in a sea of online businesses who launched and asked, launched and asked. We offered and served and served and served. Same is true 18 years later – serving is one of our core values.
What does it mean to be a “positive disruptor”?
From Google: “Someone who challenges current organizational habits and works to find positive alternatives; uprooting and changing how we think, behave, do business, learn and go about our day-to-day.”
How can you become a positive disruptor in your industry/for your clients?