We live in a moment in time where it is arguably easier than ever to start a business. The internet allows us to get free access to almost any piece of information we need at a click of a button. It also allows us to reach millions of people we otherwise would not be able to.
If you have the entrepreneurial itch, the best time to start is now. Building a business is not easy but the sooner you start, the closer you will be to seeing your dream become a reality. This post discusses how to build an audience that you can leverage to get customers as well as different ideas for businesses that you can start within the safety market.
How to Connect with Potential Clients
This section could also be titled “How to Get Ideas for Products and Services” because through connecting with potential clients you will also discover ideas for your business.
A business with a product but no one to buy it will not be a business that is around for long. You can have the best product or idea out on the market that solves real problems but if no one knows about it, it is worthless.
You can also make the mistake of believing that your business idea is viable only to come to find out that it is not once you speak with your target audience.
Once you figure out what product or service you want to offer, it is vital to ensure it is a viable idea that you can make money from. Building a brand or network is a great way to test business ideas as well as to find customers.
There are many ways to build a brand and bring awareness to the business you create. Sometimes, it is advisable to first build an audience or network then leverage those individuals or companies to more easily launch your business.
LinkedIn is a great way for any type of professional to build their personal brand and get attention. Safety professionals can create posts or videos to share useful tips, resources, or ideas to begin to build an audience.
If you find that a certain topic garners a lot of attention or people begin to reach out to you for assistance on a specific topic, you may find your first product or service to offer.
Leverage Your Network
Leveraging your personal network is probably the most effective way to get a business off the ground quickly. If you decide to start a safety consulting company that specializes in process safety management after working in the industry for twenty years, you will have many people that you have worked within some capacity to reach out to.
These individuals can be used to bounce ideas off of for what services they would be interested in and what a fair price would be for those services. Ask people that you think would be customers what their pain points are in their role. These pain points can be used to brainstorm products and services that can be created to solve these issues.
The people in your network could become clients directly or they may know other people or companies that would be interested in your service. Referrals are a powerful way to get free clients.
Speak at Local Business Events
If you are interested in starting a local safety business, find events in your community or within your state to speak at. Choose topics that are of value to the audience and also relate the business you want to start. Speaking at events demonstrates competency and can build trust that leads to an audience member becoming a client in the future.
Offer Free Services
If you are not gaining traction with some of the tactics mentioned above, reach out to companies to offer free safety services. If you want to start a safety consulting business that focuses on helping companies reduce the costs of their losses, ask to do a free safety audit of the facility. Use the findings of this audit share ideas with ownership on how to reduce the losses and offer services to assist with implementing the improvements.
This method gets your foot in the door and more face time with key decision-makers to pitch your products or services. Even if the company does not choose to invest in what you are offering, they may recommend you to other companies that are looking for consulting services.
Guest Post on Other Sites
Guest posting on other websites can be effective for both local and online safety businesses. If you are starting a local business, write articles for local business associations or newspapers.
If you have an online business or digital product, reach out to any safety-related website or niche-specific website to publish a free article relating to safety or your product. Backlinks help your own site rank for keywords in search engines, and these posts can make potential clients aware of what you have to offer.
Four Business Ideas for Safety Pros
Now that you have an idea of what to possibly offer and how to get clients for your business, it is time to figure out what type of business you may want to pursue. There are a lot of different types of businesses you can start. Think about what kind of business you would enjoy starting and running day to day.
If you dream about not going to a 9-5 job you hate anymore, do not create a business that you hate to run. This tip is especially important due to the fact that there will be many weeks that you have to work well over 40 hours to get the business going or to meet client demands.
Below are several different ideas for what types of businesses you should consider starting.
Start an Online Business
Just within the online business space, there is a multitude of business models that safety pros can pursue. Compared to starting a local business, these types of businesses can scale drastically without sucking up all your time. That being said, these businesses can take longer to get off of the ground since you normally have to build an audience or online presence first to get the sales to roll in.
The great thing about these businesses is that they can separate your time from the income produced. For example, you can create a digital product one time that sells for years, bringing in passive income. When you start a local business, your time is usually directly tied to your income. An example would be your billable hours for consulting services.
Below are several ideas for online safety businesses.
Content Website
Safety Talk Ideas is an example of an online safety business. More specifically, it is a content/ membership website. This is a real business that produces income from display ads, affiliate deals, and annual memberships. These types of businesses take years to build up but they can be quite lucrative if you garner a large following.
Podcasting
There are multiple ways to make money podcasting. The main method is advertising on each episode of the podcast once you get a fair number of downloads per month or episode. You can also use the podcast as a way to make potential clients aware of your products or services. For example, if you own a consulting business podcasting would be a great way to showcase what you know and possibly get leads for new clients.
Newsletter
If you already have an audience, creating a safety newsletter can be a great business model for you. There are many platforms such as Substack that make it easy for content creators to launch and monetize a newsletter.
Local Brick-and-Mortar Safety Businesses You Can Start
While I love online businesses, they are not for everyone. Starting a more traditional business will most likely be a quicker way to generate revenue to get out of your 9 to 5 job. Below are some ideas for local businesses that you could start.
Start a Safety Training or Consulting Company
This idea is the most obvious one on this list, and for good reason. A training business or being a safety consultant to other businesses in your area most likely aligns with the skills you have built up from working in similar roles throughout your career.
These types of services are usually always in demand, which makes finding customers a lot easier than some of the other ideas provided here.
Start a Safety Supply Company
The barrier to entry in starting a safety supply business is higher than being a consultant, but it can be a worthy endeavor depending on your background. While many companies get their safety products from large established players in the market, there is almost always a need for local suppliers to exist in the larger metropolitan areas.
This business can also scale your income without being directly tied to your time, unlike a consulting business.
Become a Safety Speaker
If you are a well-known or well-established professional with expertise in a specific niche within safety, becoming a speaker can be an extremely lucrative business model. Having an impactful story relating to safety is also a way into high-paying speaking gigs.
There are speakers who have a single speech that details injuries that occurred to them on the job and they get paid up to thousands and thousands of dollars to speak at a single event.
If you have an impactful story to tell or in-demand expertise on a specific topic, speaking at events may be worth looking into.
Start a Business Outside of the Safety Market
Have you read through this list and nothing is jumping out at you? Well, the great news is that you do not have to start a business within the safety market. There are plenty of other businesses you can start to begin your way to financial freedom.
Podcasts are a great way to learn about unique business models you may have never heard of. Two of my favorite podcasts for business ideas are Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn and Side Hustle Nation with Nick Loper.
One business that I want to start in the coming years is an Airbnb business. Buying homes or condos that you can rent out on Airbnb can be extremely lucrative. These businesses can also be passive if you choose to hire a company to manage the properties on your behalf.
Summary
Do not wait to start a business. It takes a lot of time and effort to get a business off of the ground. You will also have many failures and lessons to learn in the process of building a successful business that replaces your job’s income.
I have failed many times prior to succeeding with Safety Talk Ideas. I learned so much from all of the businesses and side hustles I tried to start before this website. Now that I have built a business, I feel very comfortable with the idea of starting another one. I actually cannot imagine not starting another business. You may find that you come to this revelation as well once you get started.
Through action comes clarity.
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