Why no one gives a sh*t about your new business

I know that's a bold statement, but let me explain. Here's what most first time entrepreneurs think when they launch their new business:

"My new business is going to take the world by storm. As soon as people see it they are going to tell everyone and I'm going to be rich. I'm going to tell a few friends and they'll tell 10 friends and then they'll each tell 10 friends and it will explode. Everyone is going to want to be a part of it. It's going to be great...yay!"

Anyone who has started a business knows what happens next: you send an email to 30 friends and family. About 10 of them actually go to your site and only a handful reply. They all know about your site, but might not tell someone about it for months, if ever. You're left wondering why no one gives a shit about your new business. The reality of it is that everyone is immersed in their own life and their own problems, and very few will really take the time out to help you grow your company.

In marketing, it is very, very, very hard to grab someone's attention. It's infinitely harder to get them to take action (sign up for your service, buy a product, etc). Of the people who actually do check out your site and like it, many will bookmark it and move on...maybe they'll come back in six months, maybe never.

In much the same way, an investor or advertiser doesn't care that you have a great idea. They care that you have a solid business plan, a working demo, and financial backing to even consider you. More likely than not they want to see hard data that proves that they should invest their money into you.

It's a cold realization when it happens, but it teaches an invaluable lesson in preparation and dedication. I experienced this with SportsLizard and iPrioritize, and I recently saw a few first time business owner clients go through it. I tried to cater their expectations, but in the end they had to see it for themselves to believe it.

My father (not a businessman) experienced it first hand with iPrioritize. He loved the idea, and bought into it as much as I've ever seen him buy into anything. He brought business cards to work and handed them out to family and friends. Most people said "that's nice, I'm glad for Adam." When my Dad asked them a week later if they had signed up for an account, he would grill them as to the reasons why not and tell them why they should use it. I would have to calm him down and explain to him that most people aren't going to take the time to sign up, even if they like me and like the idea.

Think about how many cool tech ideas you hear about. Now think about how many of those you actually use. It's not a shot at the company - maybe you don't have a use for it, maybe you can't afford it, or maybe you don't feel like taking the time to figure out something new. It's nothing personal against the company, but to them you go down in their metrics as a visitor to their site that didn't take action...a failure.

The worst part about this is that you're often left in a state of shock and no marketing plan to move forward with. Marketing takes hard work, sacrifice, and persistence, as much as anything I've experienced in life. Most marketing plans I see fail either because they give up too soon or they didn't plan to have to work at it and they don't have a long term strategy.

Don't be that entrepreneur. Prepare to spend months, even years marketing your product or service for people to notice. Expect it to be hard and yield less than you initially expected. If the world turns you into the next YouTube or MySpace than be grateful, but if not be ready to work. When you do finally get customers, embrace them...especially the good ones. Oh, and when the hard work does finally pay off, celebrate because you persevered and you deserve it.