When we founders think about marketing our businesses, we tend to think BIG. We want to cast a wide net and reach as many people as possible with our message…

But I’ve learned that this approach is exactly the wrong way to reach the people who really need and want the services we provide.

Yup, you heard me right… casting a wide net is EXACTLY WRONG.

When you are a small business owner in the sports industry — a founder on the fringes so to speak — you’ve simply got to reel in your thinking if you want to catch the big fish.

You’ve got to cast a smaller net.

It’s counterintuitive. I get it! But let’s dig into this for a second.

Take my client, Randy, for instance.

Randy is someone I like to refer to as a decorated sports industry leader. He has won awards. He has held highly coveted positions in the front office for professional sports teams. He has been seen and heard on media outlets like ESPN in the past, but now, he is at the start of a new chapter in his career — one where he will own and operate his own business.

So, where does his new journey actually begin?

Starting a business begins with a value proposition statement.

It doesn’t matter how respected you are, or how talented you are, or how social you are. Starting a business is just plain hard work. And one of the first steps a founder must take in his or her mission to achieve greatness is defining his or her value proposition.

This step can be a very a challenging one… especially for someone who is new to the founder’s game. You have a laundry list of skills to offer your potential clients, years of experience in your niche, but articulating that in one to two sentences? Ughhh.

Capturing decades of experience in a single sentence.

Randy was the GM of two NFL teams. He was an analyst for ESPN. He was even voted NFL executive of the year!

But what is Randy’s value proposition as founder of a service business? What is the problem he is going to solve for his future customers? How can he articulate this in a sentence that spells out exactly what his customers will get if they work with him?

Well, it’s simple really. The answer lies in what Randy knows how to DO really, really well.

Articulating your unique superpower.

Randy spent his entire career building championship NFL teams. This is what he knows how to do, and this is what he is uniquely positioned to do for his clients.

Now, we simply have to flip this statement in favor of the end-user (the customer.)

Value Proposition: Randy gives professional sports teams and college athletic programs the insights they need to build championship-caliber teams.

Fun, yes?

Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s move on to step two.

How does a founder truly define their target audience?

Randy, like many sports industry leaders, already knows how to create content. He knows how to write. He has a solid reputation and an established network of industry peers. But how does he connect with only the folks that will matter to his budding business?

At first, it may seem like the right approach would be to create content for everyone in that sports industry network of his… Just think of all the topics he could dive into…

Now, stop.

Throw that thought train in reverse.

Casting smarter, not harder.

If Randy is focused on advising top college athletic programs and professional teams, he has got to create content that speaks directly to that select group of people… And when it comes down to it, that group of people really isn’t all that big!

How many college athletic departments are there in the US? How many of those departments are in the position to bring in outside expertise? You see where I’m going with this. As the pool gets smaller, the key is to cast smarter… not harder.

Why head out to sea with a massive net when you can hang out in the lake where your clients actually are??

Now go. Grab your shades, a small net, and get fishing!

To learn more about my process or to read up on how thought leaders are refined in my workshop, click here!

Until next time...