| I have a new love -- and it's not a man
| |
| | understand the needs and problems of your
|
| or a house or a car. It's an edgy
| |
| | target market.4. The failure of most
|
| Showtime television suburban satire,
| |
| | businesses is due to undercapitalization.
|
| "Weeds", in which Mary Louise Parker
| |
| | Nancy's personal expenses are exceeding
|
| plays a widowed soccer mom, Nancy Botwin,
| |
| | her income, and she approaches her
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| in a fictional subdivision of Los Angeles
| |
| | supplier, Heylia, to give her inventory
|
| called Agrestic. Nancy struggles with
| |
| | on credit. Heylia laughs in her face,
|
| the sudden death of her husband from a
| |
| | but after Nancy begs, she's permitted to
|
| heart attack and agonizes how she'll
| |
| | hock her leased Land Rover and
|
| support her family in their upper-class
| |
| | multi-carat wedding ring with Heylia to
|
| lifestyle. Not having any discernable job
| |
| | get the quantity of pot that she needs
|
| skills, Nancy discovers the lucrative
| |
| | for the week.Lesson: Being self-employed
|
| income in being the local neighbor pot
| |
| | is a financial roller-coaster ride. Have
|
| dealer.The show is quirky, irreverent,
| |
| | financial reserves in place before you
|
| and raunchy. The dysfunctional family
| |
| | start your business so that you can pay
|
| dynamics are hysterical, especially when
| |
| | your bills until you begin making a
|
| her unemployed pot-head brother-in-law,
| |
| | profit. And, if you come up short of
|
| Andy, arrives on her doorstep. Her
| |
| | cash, try negotiation with your suppliers
|
| interactions and affection for her
| |
| | or vendors for more favorable payment
|
| supplier, a black ghetto family headed by
| |
| | terms.5. Slow and steady wins the
|
| matriarch Heylia James, and Heylia's
| |
| | business growth race. Nancy becomes
|
| unwed pregnant daughter and ne'er-do-well
| |
| | heady with her sales success in her
|
| son, Conrad, are a stark contrast to her
| |
| | suburb and begins to eye other markets so
|
| daily life in Agrestic. And, the broad
| |
| | she can make even more money. While on
|
| social and political statements that are
| |
| | the local college campus seeking a tutor
|
| constant undercurrents in the series are
| |
| | for her son, she realizes the campus is a
|
| really just right on the money.This show
| |
| | ready-made market for pot and is
|
| is a big shift for me -- I'm probably the
| |
| | initially very successful in capturing
|
| only person my age who's never done any
| |
| | that market. However, what she doesn't
|
| type of drug -- so admitting I love a
| |
| | realize is that she is treading on
|
| show about a pot-dealing suburban mom is
| |
| | another dealer's territory (one of the
|
| strange, I admit. What's most fun for me
| |
| | campus security officers), and in a mock
|
| to watch is Nancy's development as a
| |
| | arrest on campus by this officer, she
|
| entrepreneurial businesswoman who's going
| |
| | loses about $15,000 worth of inventory.
|
| to do what it takes to be the most
| |
| | When she tells Heylia what happened,
|
| successful weed dealer in Agrestic.
| |
| | Heylia just laughs and tells Nancy she's
|
| There's not alot of difference between
| |
| | been "jacked" by another dealer, and
|
| Nancy and me in the quest to build
| |
| | that's the price she pays for trying to
|
| successful businesses, except that my
| |
| | grow too fast.Lesson: Great success in
|
| business is legal, of course, and I don't
| |
| | your business will make you want to
|
| have to dodge bullets in drive-by
| |
| | conquer the world. However, quick
|
| shootings at my supplier's house.Here are
| |
| | expansion without proper planning makes
|
| some great lessons on building a business
| |
| | many a business owner go belly-up. Plan
|
| from suburban pot mom Nancy Botwin:1.
| |
| | for the growth of your business, and
|
| Fish where the fish are. Due to her
| |
| | include that growth in your business
|
| friendship with her accountant, Doug
| |
| | plans and vision statements so that it's
|
| Wilson (played by Kevin Nealon), and his
| |
| | a natural evolution of your business.6.
|
| group of friends, Nancy quickly realizes
| |
| | To be successful, you need your family's
|
| that Agrestic is a wonderful market for
| |
| | support. Nancy tries to be an "moral"
|
| her product. She finds a great source of
| |
| | pot dealer and refuses to sell to
|
| pot and is easily able to sell it, as her
| |
| | children, or permit anyone working for
|
| upscale target market is eager to buy and
| |
| | her to sell to children. In the same
|
| can easily afford her prices.Lesson:
| |
| | vein, she tries to shield her children
|
| Know your target market. Are they male
| |
| | from the true nature of her business, not
|
| or female? What age group? What
| |
| | wanting to set a bad example for them
|
| industry? What socio-economic group?
| |
| | (see the irony in this series?).
|
| Where do they hang out on- and off-line?
| |
| | However, secrets are hard to keep from
|
| What do they read? To what groups and
| |
| | teenagers. In an act of rebellion,
|
| associations (real and virtual, personal
| |
| | Silas, her 15 year-old son, tells her he
|
| and professional) do they belong? How
| |
| | doesn't have to follow her rules any
|
| much money do they make? Can they easily
| |
| | longer, throwing in her face that she has
|
| afford your product or service?2. It's
| |
| | no right to tell him what do to since
|
| all about benefits, not features. Doug
| |
| | she's selling pot. When she tells Andy,
|
| discovers a cheap source of medical
| |
| | her brother-in-law, about the situation,
|
| marijuana in a clinic in LA and thinks
| |
| | Andy tells her that Silas is just angry
|
| he's discovered a gold mine. However, in
| |
| | with her because she has lied to him
|
| order to use the clinic, he has to get a
| |
| | about how she's making money.Lesson:
|
| prescription for medical marijuana from a
| |
| | Deciding to run your own business can be
|
| shady physician and then drive an hour
| |
| | the quickest road to divorce or family
|
| into the city every time he needs a
| |
| | alienation. Keep your family updated on
|
| refill. Nancy offers him the opportunity
| |
| | what's happening in your business,
|
| to buy the same stuff locally, without
| |
| | especially if you run a business that's
|
| the drive, and no prescription
| |
| | going to keep you away from them on an
|
| needed.Lesson: People do business with
| |
| | ongoing basis. Family rules, structure,
|
| you because you can help them solve a
| |
| | and expectations may need to shift for
|
| problem. They care little about how you
| |
| | awhile, and the more that you family can
|
| solve it (the features of the solution).
| |
| | be a part of creating that change, the
|
| They just want you to make the problem go
| |
| | healthier and happier you all will be.7.
|
| away so that they have one less thing to
| |
| | The Lone Ranger didn't ride alone. As
|
| worry about (the benefits of doing
| |
| | Nancy reviews her life lessons in
|
| business with you).3. Understand the
| |
| | entrepreneurship during Season 1, she
|
| needs of your target market. Nancy takes
| |
| | realizes that it's hard work running a
|
| a trip to LA to check out the medical
| |
| | business by herself. She invites her
|
| marijuana clinic, and discovers a sheer
| |
| | accountant and attorney (two of her best
|
| cornucopia of pot, available in more
| |
| | clients), her brother-in-law, another
|
| varieties than she'd ever imagined. This
| |
| | dealer, and son of her supplier to go
|
| visit makes her realize that she's buying
| |
| | into business with her and help her grow
|
| the bottom-of-the-barrel weed and gives
| |
| | her territory and make it all
|
| her supplier a list of the "good stuff"
| |
| | work.Lesson: You're great at the core
|
| that her clients really want. Then, to
| |
| | service you provide to your clients, but
|
| give her clients a better high for their
| |
| | you can't be good at everything, nor
|
| buck (and enable her clients to hide
| |
| | should you try to be. Create two lists,
|
| their marijuana use), she begins to
| |
| | one of what you love to do, and the other
|
| package the pot in various baked goods
| |
| | of what you hate to do. Do what you do
|
| that she makes in her home kitchen. One
| |
| | best (and love to do) and delegate the
|
| client cleans her out of baked goods in
| |
| | rest to your support team. Spend your
|
| one visit.Lesson: Give your clients what
| |
| | time more profitably looking for
|
| they want, not what you think they need.
| |
| | opportunities rather than wasting it on
|
| Many service business owners head into
| |
| | tasks that you can hire out much more
|
| the marketplace and have no idea if they
| |
| | cheaply and efficiently than by trying to
|
| offer a product or service that the
| |
| | do it all yourself.Business lessons show
|
| public wants. Or, they offer what they
| |
| | up in many shapes, forms, and sizes.
|
| think is good for a client rather than
| |
| | Tune in to the next season of "Weeds" and
|
| what will solve a client's pressing
| |
| | see what's in store for Nancy as she
|
| problem. Do your market research to
| |
| | builds her suburban pot empire.
|
