The End of the Year
Posted On: 2012-06-29
Well of course it isn't the end of the calendar year but here where I live it's the end of the financial year.
It's that time of year when we work out what we have to pay the tax man ... tally up the books to see whether we've made a profit or a loss ... and think about whether it's worth pushing on for another year. Of course, my business is doing well but there are plenty of businesses like mine that aren't doing so well.
Here in Australia things are supposed to be going well and it seems that lots of countries wish they had national accounts that looked like ours but that's not the experience for many small businesses here. There are a lot that are struggling ... and it's obviously much worse in those other countries.
It's hard to get work through the door when there just doesn't seem to be any around ... and even though my country is doing well my business has experienced tough times in the past so I know what you're going through if you're struggling to get enough work to survive. But there is a relatively cheap way to get access to more work ... even if all you want to work in is adult.
You may be a content provider ... a coder ... a graphic designer ... or a web designer ... whatever you might be it's always a problem when times are tough to get the message out that you're available for work. It's twice as hard to get the word out if you're new to the industry.
If you can afford it you can advertise ... but not everyone is going to see your add. You can start hitting people up via email, Messenger, or even the phone ... but who wants to listen to a desperate telemarketer? Or you can extend your reach without spending a cent.
I'd like to be able to claim this idea as my own ... it's simple ... it's effective ... and it just works ... but I can't because someone else thought of it first. So what is this wonderful solution to the problem of getting more work?
It's networking ... networking with other small business people ... networking with other webmasters. Networking with people who may not be in the same industry as you are but who can advertise your services to others simply by telling them about you.
Here in the town where I live there's a small group of business people who get together every couple of weeks. We don't mope and complain about how tough business is ... instead we talk about what we do and how we can help each other grow our business. We do a lot of paid work for others in the group ... and some unpaid work too ... and we're all quick to tell outsiders about the services others in the group can do for people in the community.
Now you might think that's all well and good for businesses that can meet face to face but it's not going to work for people in the adult industry. If that's the way you're thinking then I've got to tell you that it's time you changed your way of thinking.
You can network here in adult ... how do you think I started getting work from other webmasters? All you have to do is spend some time on the boards talking to people ... showing people examples of what you can do and offering advice on small projects. You let people know you're available without spamming them or the boards.
Obviously it's not going to be as easy as networking with a group of people in your community but it can be done if you're prepared to put in the effort to make it happen. Gradually you'll become known as someone who is reliable and able to produce the sort of work that other webmasters are prepared to pay for and the people you talk to will begin to tell others who will tell others.
Don't expect the work to flood in ... it certainly doesn't flood in here in my local area ... but it will come and if people like your work they'll refer others and it can go on to have a snowball effect ... and you won't have spent a cent. It may take some time each day but it won't cost you any of your savings .
It's just something that has worked for me and ... as is always the case in this business ... there is no guarantee that it will work for you but if times are tough then what have you got to lose?