How To Start a Lifestyle Business
Let’s say you’re an entrepreneur, and you’re determined to start a business based on a particular lifestyle.
You may live this lifestyle yourself, and you identify with it, so you think it would be easy to help other people live this lifestyle as well. Or maybe this lifestyle is an aspiration; you aren’t quite living this way yet, but by going into this business, you may be able to achieve your dreams (or at least get a little closer to them).
Either way, there are definitely ways to go about “selling a lifestyle” and helping other people experience a way of life you may be familiar with (or could become familiar with by starting this business).
Setting Up
The first thing to do is examine some prerequisites; what will you need to market and sell the lifestyle you’ll be promoting? Will you need examples or videos of people (possibly including yourself) already living this lifestyle? How will you present these to potentially interested parties? Will you need to set up a website? Or maybe you’ll want to try doing all your selling via social media. Either way, you should figure out a solid plan for how you will communicate with your audience and exactly what you will try to push.
Affiliate Opportunities
Are you going to be selling your advice, or are you going to be an affiliate or agent for another business that will enable people to start experiencing this lifestyle? Are there tools, supplies, or resources that will be required for your target audience to buy in order to participate in this lifestyle?
If so, there may be opportunities to be an affiliate marketer for a third-party business or set of businesses.
Very often, this can be as easy as obtaining a special link you can add to your website, blog, social media, or emails that pay you a commission every time someone uses it to purchase something from a third-party company. Or, maybe you can sell items yourself and “drop ship” them, so you never have to handle these goods yourself (but still receive a profit on their sales).
People Want Expertise
Of course, simply selling a few products is not the same thing as selling a “lifestyle.” Many people want more than just physical goods (or services); they want advice and information.
The more expertise you have regarding a particular lifestyle, the more valuable you can become. People desire to learn from an authority, so anything you can present that helps you to position yourself this way will earn you prestige and respect.
This can mean videos, images, written accounts, podcasts—anything that shows or proves you have specialized knowledge and insights.
Social Proof Helps
Of course, social proof can also greatly assist in these efforts. Having other people talk about how much of an authority you are, only boosts your credibility.
Having reviews, recommendations, ratings, and awards can all contribute to this effort. It’s usually possible to buy or arrange fake reviews, recommendations, ratings, and awards, but sooner or later, this strategy will come back to bite you.
It’s always better to have feedback and reviews that are honest and real versus disingenuous and fake.
Walking the Walk
The more you’re actually living the lifestyle you’re presenting, the more authentic you’ll seem. The longer your experience with this lifestyle is, the more authoritative you can be. Do you only seek to be a local authority, or do you think you have what it takes to be respected and admired on a regional, national, or even international level for the lifestyle you’re promoting?
With most lifestyles, there’s always more to learn about what’s involved, what’s new, and how to take things to “the next level.” Can you invest the time that’s needed to become even more of an expert?
Who could be considered the ultimate example of someone living this lifestyle? How can you get to where they are? Is it just a matter of knowing the right people or having the right opportunities? You should always be thinking about how to keep “climbing the ladder.”
Where to Go From Here
With any luck, if you’re successful at selling the idea of a specific lifestyle to people, there’s a good chance you’ll soon be living that lifestyle yourself — if you aren’t already.
Remember when the idea of this lifestyle was only a dream for you; now bear in mind that there are hundreds (and probably thousands, or even tens of thousands) of people who are currently at the point you were at back then.
Life is a journey, and you’ve moved from being a student to being a teacher. Congratulate yourself, and now try to imagine what’s required to take the next step. Try asking yourself: where do you go from here?
