the people who are bigger than you are
not your competition so understand that
right you’re gonna look at them you know
we’re just as good as them we could do
what they would do if people would just
give us a chance but they’re not giving
the chance okay so they’re not your
competition the people who kind of do
what you do but don’t would do what you
do they’re not your competition either
thank the people who are smaller than
you or not your competition okay your
competition are the people the companies
or even the indifference or the lack of
budget or of the people that you want to
work with why are they not working with
you okay
that’s your competition everybody we
were doing a 10 part series on how to
build a million dollar marketing agency
with my friend mark Drager from feint I
don’t know who then set the name have we
may be in the first one first one from
Fanta used to be Fanta media and now
it’s just Fanta I still like Colin
effect if you want to go old school and
you’re gonna DMC came to me maybe a
limited was where we started it’s
awesome so square okay today we’re
talking about understanding your market
and your competition I think it’s a big
thing when people getting started I
don’t know what my market is and well
how do I stack up against the people I
use there’s tons of people doing what
I’m trying to do what’s your advice so
first of all it makes sense to start
where you live local market local market
okay right you yes you can expand I like
to think I want to create the type of
company where someone across the country
yeah would want to work with me they’re
gonna fly over all those other companies
they’re gonna pass everyone else to come
and work with me okay that’s the dream
yep but but truthfully you’re gonna
start with places you can drive to
places you can call places you can work
with right so so depending on the type
of agency you run some things have to
happen local some things don’t
okay you’re shooting photography for a
website or something it has to happen
local right if you’re shooting a video
it’s tends to be very local right if
you’re doing online advertising it can
be anywhere resign can be anywhere all
these all these other great things can
be anywhere yeah but what you want to
start with is you want to look at your
local market and the number one
conversation I have with entrepreneurs
who are trying to do what I do
mm-hmm I have these calls once or twice
a month they’re always saying and I
really love the business that
you built how do I do what you do and I
say Oh were you located and they say oh
I said in my video seriously I’m in New
England yeah or I’m in North Dakota yeah
or I’m in where pick pick it pick any
place right like I’m in rural England
yeah and and so it’s like well first of
all I’m just lucky that I was born in
Toronto right I’m lucky that Toronto
happens to be the main economic hub of
Canada right right like if you were born
in Manhattan yeah pretty great place to
run a business a lot of competition yeah
a lot of money yeah so if you’re
thinking about you’re a million dollar
plus business yeah and the companies
you’re modeling consider your market and
where you are at if you’re dealing you
know if we’re down in Miami or down in
Orlando it’s not a huge market in fact
there’s not like there’s sure there’s a
lot of lawyers there’s a there’s a lot
of professionals medical profession
businesses here local still around the
air driving distance oh gosh 80% 95
percent of our business and so much of
our business is based off relationships
right really and and how can you build a
relationship with someone if you’re if
you’re pounding the phone cold calling
them or so if I want to build a business
only on local yeah how big a city do I
need to be in well it depends on the
type of business you want to build and
that’s where is going you know if you’re
if you’re if you’re comfortable if
you’re comfortable working with projects
where it’s mostly medical professionals
or lawyers or Realtors or local like let
those local type of businesses who need
tons of help the window cleaner right
the the person who runs a construction
company right be a forty million dollar
construction company right it’s a
construction company if you love that
business if you love those clients if
you love that work then those businesses
are everywhere if you want to run the
startup for a new vodka company or new
vodka drink you’re probably gonna have
to be in like California or New York or
Toronto Montreal or London or Paris or
like like even think about the types of
companies you want to work with more so
than the size right of the projects but
Toronto is how many people in the
general area we’re about 4 to 5 million
where the we’re right we’re right above
Chicago
a big city right yeah so also so finally
if I’m gonna say the fourth largest in
North America I have a city with with
25,000 people like I’m probably not
building a million dollar business off
of doctors and dentists or lawyers or am
i I mean you’d be the king of that town
right but or the Queen’s at some point
is there a minimum size or City like you
need to have a million people at least
that feel that it depends right on the
type of people you know it depends on on
the on the companies that are there
right so if you’re if you’re building a
marketing agency your b2b right your b2b
company you’re selling to other
businesses so if it’s a bedroom
community with a million people and
there’s no industry yeah there’s no
companies yeah doesn’t matter how many
people good if you’re in a 50 thousand
person town and there’s only one factory
you’re not gonna do it if you’re in a
small town with a lot of industry or a
lot of companies
you’re doing great if I want to build a
million-dollar business and I mean one
of those sleepy communities does not
move you have to move yeah we have to
start thinking non local okay right so
this is the challenge how do you build
businesses howdy so my wife’s aunt is a
is a really successful entrepreneur out
of Roanoke Virginia okay it’s it’s not a
huge market but she decided or based on
her experience she’s very heavily in
involved in technology and IT as it
relates to law practices okay she went
on the speaking to her she speaks a lot
she is the she’s as far as I’m aware the
best at what she does yeah for that one
type of company and so when she goes
around she has clients from all around
America right right and they’re more
than comfortable to fly over everyone
else yeah
to work with her right right so she
didn’t have to move she didn’t have to
move her business she didn’t have to do
any of those things because she’s
willing to to go out there build the
relationships build the the type of
company she wants to build it physically
which she has to travel a lot for her
work people have to meet you right right
so so so far if I think okay my my if
I’m in a big city awesome IRA I’m set if
I’m in a small city or town a lot of
competition there so that’s what the
second half yeah I hear you if I if I’m
in a tiny little community but I want to
build a million dollar plus business and
I recognize okay it’s not gonna happen
it’s community do I start here and then
move or I just move to that new bigger
city that I’m gonna build
it it depends on so starting here and
then moving if you’re comfortable being
the big fish in the tiny pond and you
can learn make your mistakes you know
now like again video one I think it was
a really to said like get started right
get started right away yeah so don’t let
this be the thing that holds you back
but as getting started moving to the
city like if I want to get my goal I
want to build a million dollar plus
business like you did mark in in the in
this space is it better to start in my
sleepy town and get a couple clients and
get some experience and then trying to
transition that to a bigger city I was
like I need to move to the next biggest
city in my province or state and then
just start up there I I would start in
my town and then grow knowing that this
is just this is that these clients
aren’t my real clients that my work is
probably not that transferable right
okay but it’s but that’s this start
right away and so if it’s gonna take you
four months to move but what if I move
right away like okay I made a decision
who lives there life’s where they’re
like I’m moving tomorrow to a place that
I’ve never been to something I don’t
know and how do you find your region now
but who lives their life saying I’m
gonna start a business like everybody
everybody the hems and Haws and like
right six months said a business so but
if you saying just start what’s my best
start if I start is is start local right
but because I’m gonna wait for months to
move like what if I said I would move
right away what’s my best start that’s a
lot of change for one person to do so in
this situation someone’s like I’m I’m
quitting my job I’m starting a company
I’m moving into a place I don’t know for
businesses I don’t know to to a totally
new geography or town right I mean if
you’re moving an hour away move okay
move you’re good to move though you can
just drive commute do whatever you need
to do it’s I’m moving if you’re if
you’re yeah if you’re in New England and
you’re halfway between like New York and
Boston sell into both places right like
just say okay Monday and Tuesday I’m
gonna be in this city and I’m gonna
spend the night at a whatever at a air
B&B or something and I’m gonna hit my
meetings and I’m gonna do my thing like
you got a hustle you got a drive you
guys be willing to go so this is if
you’re in you know if you’re if you’re
six hours for a local area that’s a
pretty big move well whether you’re even
physically moving or not whether it’s so
if you’re an hour and a half out of a
big talent whether you decide to go into
that big town and trying to sell there
or into your
local town and cell where you are even
though it’s not that far commute it’s
still not exactly where you are what’s
the better play like if I want to hit a
million as fast as possible that’s my
goal I want to be the next mark Drager
what’s my fastest path is it built here
get some revenue get some experience
easier connections or it’s like right
away these guys don’t get me they don’t
get my art like in the big city they
have bigger budgets and go straight
there what’s my best path if you have
relationships where you’re at start
right away with the plan to move if the
clients are waiting if the people are
waiting their portfolios start right
away okay if if it’s if it’s starting
from zero in both areas and you have the
ability to move right away move right
away okay well everything’s gonna
everything’s based on relationships sure
so so your relationships in your local
little town or wherever you might be
will take you so far right
and that’s fine you’re gonna learn some
stuff most people will turn their nose
down at it if it’s not big enough budget
if it’s not good enough if it’s not this
it’s not that but you’re gonna start and
you’re gonna move your way up so if you
don’t know anyone if you have no work in
your town if there’s sleepy little town
with this or that or you know he’s to
talk to a business owner from from New
Zealand who’s like if I could sell the
Sheep I did a millionaire right but all
we have is sheep I can’t sell the Sheep
right all right never been to New
Zealand I don’t think that’s the case
but that was his attitude so you got a
move right
also on longer lines of relationship you
can also say hey do you know anybody in
this city mm-hmm like if you’re now oh
yeah that’s a great York like a great
you may have connections here but like
hey do you know anybody in New York
might be able to use me or whatever the
next closest big city is and even now
like we’re not in Toronto no like my
office is my office is marca from here
to downtown Toronto is Hollerin
kilometres it takes anywhere from half
an hour with no traffic to an hour and
10 with traffic right I don’t I don’t
live in Toronto either and you live I
live 55 kilometers from here what’s up I
was like 30 miles from your house to
Toronto Toronto is what hey hey Lucas
you just brought lunch yeah thanks man
leave it leave it in leave it in yeah
including that in this from from your
house to tomorrow to the off downtown
Toronto is what Oh an hour
yeah an hour and a half two hours if
it’s Friday
right so I think there’s a lot of people
like they may not be in the city but
they’re around the city so you don’t
have to go and move to the city but
you’re focused on building up business
around here you would take a local
business but you’re not focused on
mechanics and doctors and whatever
Nashua no I’ll show up but your mantra
yeah Manawa Wright if you know so this
really only applies for the people who
are like it who are like three four or
five hours right from someplace in my
opinion right if you really want to be
if you have your dream to be in that
place and go and do that thing like
ultimately you have to go with the money
is if you want to build a million-dollar
business you don’t want to do that yeah
on 10,000 projects right right you want
to do that on like like I said you know
we have a million plus yeah so we do 80
90 100 120 130 projects a year yeah
still a lot of projects yeah some of
them are very very small four or five
hundred dollars is a project some of the
very large $225,000 is a project yeah
right that gets one project code one
invoice yeah so but you know we’re doing
90 100 120 of those a year so you want
to be able to not have to have write
10,000 clients because you can’t give
them attention and do all those other
things talking about competition so in
terms of competition what you want to do
is be able to look to fold in your
little sleepy town you could totally
crush it right you could be the best you
can be the best very very quickly mm-hmm
right but you’re gonna hit a ceiling
where unless if you have your eyes set
on being the best in America the best in
Canada the best in Europe the best in
the world wherever it is chances are
those competition are not gonna push you
to be the best that you can be even when
you’re starting so what I recommend is
look at the people that you really want
to be like right they’re not the people
who are bigger than you are not your
competition so understand that right
you’re gonna look at them you’re just as
good as them we could do what they would
do if people would just give us a chance
but they’re not giving you a chance okay
so they’re not your competition the
people who kind of do what you do but
don’t would do what you do they’re not
your competition either thank the people
who are smaller than you are not your
competition okay your competition are
the people the companies or even the
indifference or the lack of budget of
the people that you want to work with
why are they not working with you
okay that’s your competition right I
really want to work with this type of
company if they are going to the huge
agency
you’re never gonna you’re not gonna win
that so you have to work your way into
that all right so that’s how you look at
the competition you say okay I need to
turn myself into this type of business
to compete against those people and be
better than them if it’s a if it’s the
type of company you want to work with do
not seem to have budget your competition
isn’t any other company your competition
is is a lack of budget mm-hmm so are you
gonna win that are you gonna be able to
sell into it how do you convince people
to have budget when they didn’t think
they had budget right so so I started
and people get caught up in looking at
the different companies they google
their area they look at who’s up and
they go okay let’s do a SWOT analysis
let’s look at our strengths weaknesses
and our opportunities and our tactics or
whatever SWOT stands for and and I think
it’s that strength to t is might be high
tactics feels off but I don’t know might
be you might be right anyway whatever
I’m versus threshers threats I haven’t
uh naswa in 12 years for why cuz it
doesn’t help Courtney mark Drager well
but the point is you look at what
everyone’s doing and that’s great yeah
but your business is gonna be built off
of relationships and your portfolio
right and so if I keep going up against
company down the street for every single
pitch well during my competition mm-hmm
but if I don’t then they’re not right
like don’t get caught up in looking at
all these companies if you’re not going
up against them if they’re much much
bigger than you say how can I get there
cuz I want their clients not steal their
clients if they’re smaller than you are
they stealing my clients are they
nipping at my toes so how do you set
because our last part about finding the
market yeah so it’s great to have a
market but there might be a lot of
competition there too so maybe you want
to move so how do you assess how do you
assess which market to get into with
what competition is there do you do care
about the competition do you just
disrespect the competition you feel you
can do it better if there’s no
competition is that a good thing we did
that for a long time when we started so
so how do you how do you what’s your
advice like I’m looking at a market
great I go you need to go where the
money is how much does a competition
that’s in that market matter for me to
have success as an agency it only
matters if it’s bumping up against you
okay that’s it but it but a will right
if you’re bidding on project maybe maybe
not okay there’s all even if the
competition is I I have to be honest I
think if I think back over the years
yeah I couldn’t give you a percentage
let’s say 80% okay of the projects that
that we pitch or we win or whatever okay
they never get multiple quotes so that
you can convince them that need an
agency to work with now they’re looking
for someone and they only had one person
to reach out to they found us or they’re
working with us a second time because
again the business is building right or
they’ve moved somewhere else or money it
is a referral right and there are lots
of people who go I’ve got to go out and
get two or three quotes or we’re talking
to a few other companies right that’s
fine but but most people in fact have
like reached out to a few people and
people don’t respond okay
they don’t respond like journey like
they literally don’t pick up the phone
and call back within an hour – right
like you have to you have to call back
with so now so am I not concerned about
my competition unless I’m actually
bumping up against competition like
don’t owe everything I’ll waste your
time just find the market oh yeah if you
do good work you’re gonna win yeah and
don’t worry but the competition unless
you’re getting crushed right like wheat
there’s a whole bunch of services yeah
where I see like there’s all bunch of
services we offer where we only have 8
or 10 clients okay and I go oh he’s all
these other companies are doing work
somewhere else but if a hundred people
knocked on my door could I handle 100
people right there’s a lot of work out
there you have a lot of opportunity out
there so am I wasting my time by
worrying about what other people are
doing if it’s disservice appeal right in
front of me right right now if you have
nothing to do if you have one project
but you can handle ten yeah if you’re
losing all the time all right look you
keep going up you’re bumping up against
people and you keep losing yeah then you
got to you got to figure your stuff out
right you got to get better you you have
to give it time you have to expand you
have to do all those things but if
you’re sitting at your computer at 11
o’clock at night and you’re googling
everyone and you’re feeling depressed
because these people are big and we’re
really small and they’re really
established and we don’t have anything
and they’re like you’re wasting your
time you’re not your competition for
services that you offer would you rather
be first to a new market and bring and
educate and talk to the clients and get
be the first one or would you rather go
to an existing market and beat out local
competition
I’m not personally an early adopter in
any aspect of my life okay so you know I
I like showing up to the party late and
being better than everyone else yeah I’m
the same dance
that’s virgin that’s the Virgin model
because it okay yeah I guess yeah a
hundred percent it’s to go into a market
that does it really poor and do it
better than everyone else
yeah okay so key takeaways you have to
go where the money is you got to be in a
market that is big enough to support you
and if you’re in a small market look for
connections to the bigger one but also
like start here and scale that to get to
the where you want to go and then for
competition don’t worry about the
competition unless you’re actually
bumping up against them cool so this is
a 10 part series
up next is how to find the right
customers for your business so you get
paid the link to watch that videos right next to us we’ll see you there
not your competition so understand that
right you’re gonna look at them you know
we’re just as good as them we could do
what they would do if people would just
give us a chance but they’re not giving
the chance okay so they’re not your
competition the people who kind of do
what you do but don’t would do what you
do they’re not your competition either
thank the people who are smaller than
you or not your competition okay your
competition are the people the companies
or even the indifference or the lack of
budget or of the people that you want to
work with why are they not working with
you okay
that’s your competition everybody we
were doing a 10 part series on how to
build a million dollar marketing agency
with my friend mark Drager from feint I
don’t know who then set the name have we
may be in the first one first one from
Fanta used to be Fanta media and now
it’s just Fanta I still like Colin
effect if you want to go old school and
you’re gonna DMC came to me maybe a
limited was where we started it’s
awesome so square okay today we’re
talking about understanding your market
and your competition I think it’s a big
thing when people getting started I
don’t know what my market is and well
how do I stack up against the people I
use there’s tons of people doing what
I’m trying to do what’s your advice so
first of all it makes sense to start
where you live local market local market
okay right you yes you can expand I like
to think I want to create the type of
company where someone across the country
yeah would want to work with me they’re
gonna fly over all those other companies
they’re gonna pass everyone else to come
and work with me okay that’s the dream
yep but but truthfully you’re gonna
start with places you can drive to
places you can call places you can work
with right so so depending on the type
of agency you run some things have to
happen local some things don’t
okay you’re shooting photography for a
website or something it has to happen
local right if you’re shooting a video
it’s tends to be very local right if
you’re doing online advertising it can
be anywhere resign can be anywhere all
these all these other great things can
be anywhere yeah but what you want to
start with is you want to look at your
local market and the number one
conversation I have with entrepreneurs
who are trying to do what I do
mm-hmm I have these calls once or twice
a month they’re always saying and I
really love the business that
you built how do I do what you do and I
say Oh were you located and they say oh
I said in my video seriously I’m in New
England yeah or I’m in North Dakota yeah
or I’m in where pick pick it pick any
place right like I’m in rural England
yeah and and so it’s like well first of
all I’m just lucky that I was born in
Toronto right I’m lucky that Toronto
happens to be the main economic hub of
Canada right right like if you were born
in Manhattan yeah pretty great place to
run a business a lot of competition yeah
a lot of money yeah so if you’re
thinking about you’re a million dollar
plus business yeah and the companies
you’re modeling consider your market and
where you are at if you’re dealing you
know if we’re down in Miami or down in
Orlando it’s not a huge market in fact
there’s not like there’s sure there’s a
lot of lawyers there’s a there’s a lot
of professionals medical profession
businesses here local still around the
air driving distance oh gosh 80% 95
percent of our business and so much of
our business is based off relationships
right really and and how can you build a
relationship with someone if you’re if
you’re pounding the phone cold calling
them or so if I want to build a business
only on local yeah how big a city do I
need to be in well it depends on the
type of business you want to build and
that’s where is going you know if you’re
if you’re if you’re comfortable if
you’re comfortable working with projects
where it’s mostly medical professionals
or lawyers or Realtors or local like let
those local type of businesses who need
tons of help the window cleaner right
the the person who runs a construction
company right be a forty million dollar
construction company right it’s a
construction company if you love that
business if you love those clients if
you love that work then those businesses
are everywhere if you want to run the
startup for a new vodka company or new
vodka drink you’re probably gonna have
to be in like California or New York or
Toronto Montreal or London or Paris or
like like even think about the types of
companies you want to work with more so
than the size right of the projects but
Toronto is how many people in the
general area we’re about 4 to 5 million
where the we’re right we’re right above
Chicago
a big city right yeah so also so finally
if I’m gonna say the fourth largest in
North America I have a city with with
25,000 people like I’m probably not
building a million dollar business off
of doctors and dentists or lawyers or am
i I mean you’d be the king of that town
right but or the Queen’s at some point
is there a minimum size or City like you
need to have a million people at least
that feel that it depends right on the
type of people you know it depends on on
the on the companies that are there
right so if you’re if you’re building a
marketing agency your b2b right your b2b
company you’re selling to other
businesses so if it’s a bedroom
community with a million people and
there’s no industry yeah there’s no
companies yeah doesn’t matter how many
people good if you’re in a 50 thousand
person town and there’s only one factory
you’re not gonna do it if you’re in a
small town with a lot of industry or a
lot of companies
you’re doing great if I want to build a
million-dollar business and I mean one
of those sleepy communities does not
move you have to move yeah we have to
start thinking non local okay right so
this is the challenge how do you build
businesses howdy so my wife’s aunt is a
is a really successful entrepreneur out
of Roanoke Virginia okay it’s it’s not a
huge market but she decided or based on
her experience she’s very heavily in
involved in technology and IT as it
relates to law practices okay she went
on the speaking to her she speaks a lot
she is the she’s as far as I’m aware the
best at what she does yeah for that one
type of company and so when she goes
around she has clients from all around
America right right and they’re more
than comfortable to fly over everyone
else yeah
to work with her right right so she
didn’t have to move she didn’t have to
move her business she didn’t have to do
any of those things because she’s
willing to to go out there build the
relationships build the the type of
company she wants to build it physically
which she has to travel a lot for her
work people have to meet you right right
so so so far if I think okay my my if
I’m in a big city awesome IRA I’m set if
I’m in a small city or town a lot of
competition there so that’s what the
second half yeah I hear you if I if I’m
in a tiny little community but I want to
build a million dollar plus business and
I recognize okay it’s not gonna happen
it’s community do I start here and then
move or I just move to that new bigger
city that I’m gonna build
it it depends on so starting here and
then moving if you’re comfortable being
the big fish in the tiny pond and you
can learn make your mistakes you know
now like again video one I think it was
a really to said like get started right
get started right away yeah so don’t let
this be the thing that holds you back
but as getting started moving to the
city like if I want to get my goal I
want to build a million dollar plus
business like you did mark in in the in
this space is it better to start in my
sleepy town and get a couple clients and
get some experience and then trying to
transition that to a bigger city I was
like I need to move to the next biggest
city in my province or state and then
just start up there I I would start in
my town and then grow knowing that this
is just this is that these clients
aren’t my real clients that my work is
probably not that transferable right
okay but it’s but that’s this start
right away and so if it’s gonna take you
four months to move but what if I move
right away like okay I made a decision
who lives there life’s where they’re
like I’m moving tomorrow to a place that
I’ve never been to something I don’t
know and how do you find your region now
but who lives their life saying I’m
gonna start a business like everybody
everybody the hems and Haws and like
right six months said a business so but
if you saying just start what’s my best
start if I start is is start local right
but because I’m gonna wait for months to
move like what if I said I would move
right away what’s my best start that’s a
lot of change for one person to do so in
this situation someone’s like I’m I’m
quitting my job I’m starting a company
I’m moving into a place I don’t know for
businesses I don’t know to to a totally
new geography or town right I mean if
you’re moving an hour away move okay
move you’re good to move though you can
just drive commute do whatever you need
to do it’s I’m moving if you’re if
you’re yeah if you’re in New England and
you’re halfway between like New York and
Boston sell into both places right like
just say okay Monday and Tuesday I’m
gonna be in this city and I’m gonna
spend the night at a whatever at a air
B&B or something and I’m gonna hit my
meetings and I’m gonna do my thing like
you got a hustle you got a drive you
guys be willing to go so this is if
you’re in you know if you’re if you’re
six hours for a local area that’s a
pretty big move well whether you’re even
physically moving or not whether it’s so
if you’re an hour and a half out of a
big talent whether you decide to go into
that big town and trying to sell there
or into your
local town and cell where you are even
though it’s not that far commute it’s
still not exactly where you are what’s
the better play like if I want to hit a
million as fast as possible that’s my
goal I want to be the next mark Drager
what’s my fastest path is it built here
get some revenue get some experience
easier connections or it’s like right
away these guys don’t get me they don’t
get my art like in the big city they
have bigger budgets and go straight
there what’s my best path if you have
relationships where you’re at start
right away with the plan to move if the
clients are waiting if the people are
waiting their portfolios start right
away okay if if it’s if it’s starting
from zero in both areas and you have the
ability to move right away move right
away okay well everything’s gonna
everything’s based on relationships sure
so so your relationships in your local
little town or wherever you might be
will take you so far right
and that’s fine you’re gonna learn some
stuff most people will turn their nose
down at it if it’s not big enough budget
if it’s not good enough if it’s not this
it’s not that but you’re gonna start and
you’re gonna move your way up so if you
don’t know anyone if you have no work in
your town if there’s sleepy little town
with this or that or you know he’s to
talk to a business owner from from New
Zealand who’s like if I could sell the
Sheep I did a millionaire right but all
we have is sheep I can’t sell the Sheep
right all right never been to New
Zealand I don’t think that’s the case
but that was his attitude so you got a
move right
also on longer lines of relationship you
can also say hey do you know anybody in
this city mm-hmm like if you’re now oh
yeah that’s a great York like a great
you may have connections here but like
hey do you know anybody in New York
might be able to use me or whatever the
next closest big city is and even now
like we’re not in Toronto no like my
office is my office is marca from here
to downtown Toronto is Hollerin
kilometres it takes anywhere from half
an hour with no traffic to an hour and
10 with traffic right I don’t I don’t
live in Toronto either and you live I
live 55 kilometers from here what’s up I
was like 30 miles from your house to
Toronto Toronto is what hey hey Lucas
you just brought lunch yeah thanks man
leave it leave it in leave it in yeah
including that in this from from your
house to tomorrow to the off downtown
Toronto is what Oh an hour
yeah an hour and a half two hours if
it’s Friday
right so I think there’s a lot of people
like they may not be in the city but
they’re around the city so you don’t
have to go and move to the city but
you’re focused on building up business
around here you would take a local
business but you’re not focused on
mechanics and doctors and whatever
Nashua no I’ll show up but your mantra
yeah Manawa Wright if you know so this
really only applies for the people who
are like it who are like three four or
five hours right from someplace in my
opinion right if you really want to be
if you have your dream to be in that
place and go and do that thing like
ultimately you have to go with the money
is if you want to build a million-dollar
business you don’t want to do that yeah
on 10,000 projects right right you want
to do that on like like I said you know
we have a million plus yeah so we do 80
90 100 120 130 projects a year yeah
still a lot of projects yeah some of
them are very very small four or five
hundred dollars is a project some of the
very large $225,000 is a project yeah
right that gets one project code one
invoice yeah so but you know we’re doing
90 100 120 of those a year so you want
to be able to not have to have write
10,000 clients because you can’t give
them attention and do all those other
things talking about competition so in
terms of competition what you want to do
is be able to look to fold in your
little sleepy town you could totally
crush it right you could be the best you
can be the best very very quickly mm-hmm
right but you’re gonna hit a ceiling
where unless if you have your eyes set
on being the best in America the best in
Canada the best in Europe the best in
the world wherever it is chances are
those competition are not gonna push you
to be the best that you can be even when
you’re starting so what I recommend is
look at the people that you really want
to be like right they’re not the people
who are bigger than you are not your
competition so understand that right
you’re gonna look at them you’re just as
good as them we could do what they would
do if people would just give us a chance
but they’re not giving you a chance okay
so they’re not your competition the
people who kind of do what you do but
don’t would do what you do they’re not
your competition either thank the people
who are smaller than you are not your
competition okay your competition are
the people the companies or even the
indifference or the lack of budget of
the people that you want to work with
why are they not working with you
okay that’s your competition right I
really want to work with this type of
company if they are going to the huge
agency
you’re never gonna you’re not gonna win
that so you have to work your way into
that all right so that’s how you look at
the competition you say okay I need to
turn myself into this type of business
to compete against those people and be
better than them if it’s a if it’s the
type of company you want to work with do
not seem to have budget your competition
isn’t any other company your competition
is is a lack of budget mm-hmm so are you
gonna win that are you gonna be able to
sell into it how do you convince people
to have budget when they didn’t think
they had budget right so so I started
and people get caught up in looking at
the different companies they google
their area they look at who’s up and
they go okay let’s do a SWOT analysis
let’s look at our strengths weaknesses
and our opportunities and our tactics or
whatever SWOT stands for and and I think
it’s that strength to t is might be high
tactics feels off but I don’t know might
be you might be right anyway whatever
I’m versus threshers threats I haven’t
uh naswa in 12 years for why cuz it
doesn’t help Courtney mark Drager well
but the point is you look at what
everyone’s doing and that’s great yeah
but your business is gonna be built off
of relationships and your portfolio
right and so if I keep going up against
company down the street for every single
pitch well during my competition mm-hmm
but if I don’t then they’re not right
like don’t get caught up in looking at
all these companies if you’re not going
up against them if they’re much much
bigger than you say how can I get there
cuz I want their clients not steal their
clients if they’re smaller than you are
they stealing my clients are they
nipping at my toes so how do you set
because our last part about finding the
market yeah so it’s great to have a
market but there might be a lot of
competition there too so maybe you want
to move so how do you assess how do you
assess which market to get into with
what competition is there do you do care
about the competition do you just
disrespect the competition you feel you
can do it better if there’s no
competition is that a good thing we did
that for a long time when we started so
so how do you how do you what’s your
advice like I’m looking at a market
great I go you need to go where the
money is how much does a competition
that’s in that market matter for me to
have success as an agency it only
matters if it’s bumping up against you
okay that’s it but it but a will right
if you’re bidding on project maybe maybe
not okay there’s all even if the
competition is I I have to be honest I
think if I think back over the years
yeah I couldn’t give you a percentage
let’s say 80% okay of the projects that
that we pitch or we win or whatever okay
they never get multiple quotes so that
you can convince them that need an
agency to work with now they’re looking
for someone and they only had one person
to reach out to they found us or they’re
working with us a second time because
again the business is building right or
they’ve moved somewhere else or money it
is a referral right and there are lots
of people who go I’ve got to go out and
get two or three quotes or we’re talking
to a few other companies right that’s
fine but but most people in fact have
like reached out to a few people and
people don’t respond okay
they don’t respond like journey like
they literally don’t pick up the phone
and call back within an hour – right
like you have to you have to call back
with so now so am I not concerned about
my competition unless I’m actually
bumping up against competition like
don’t owe everything I’ll waste your
time just find the market oh yeah if you
do good work you’re gonna win yeah and
don’t worry but the competition unless
you’re getting crushed right like wheat
there’s a whole bunch of services yeah
where I see like there’s all bunch of
services we offer where we only have 8
or 10 clients okay and I go oh he’s all
these other companies are doing work
somewhere else but if a hundred people
knocked on my door could I handle 100
people right there’s a lot of work out
there you have a lot of opportunity out
there so am I wasting my time by
worrying about what other people are
doing if it’s disservice appeal right in
front of me right right now if you have
nothing to do if you have one project
but you can handle ten yeah if you’re
losing all the time all right look you
keep going up you’re bumping up against
people and you keep losing yeah then you
got to you got to figure your stuff out
right you got to get better you you have
to give it time you have to expand you
have to do all those things but if
you’re sitting at your computer at 11
o’clock at night and you’re googling
everyone and you’re feeling depressed
because these people are big and we’re
really small and they’re really
established and we don’t have anything
and they’re like you’re wasting your
time you’re not your competition for
services that you offer would you rather
be first to a new market and bring and
educate and talk to the clients and get
be the first one or would you rather go
to an existing market and beat out local
competition
I’m not personally an early adopter in
any aspect of my life okay so you know I
I like showing up to the party late and
being better than everyone else yeah I’m
the same dance
that’s virgin that’s the Virgin model
because it okay yeah I guess yeah a
hundred percent it’s to go into a market
that does it really poor and do it
better than everyone else
yeah okay so key takeaways you have to
go where the money is you got to be in a
market that is big enough to support you
and if you’re in a small market look for
connections to the bigger one but also
like start here and scale that to get to
the where you want to go and then for
competition don’t worry about the
competition unless you’re actually
bumping up against them cool so this is
a 10 part series
up next is how to find the right
customers for your business so you get
paid the link to watch that videos right next to us we’ll see you there
Please follow and like us: