I hear you, loud and clear. The question I get the most often about the Starship is a simple one: IS IT FOR ME?
(or, rather, you and your unique business).
The answer is: it depends.
Here's who the Starship has been most beneficial for (from what they tell me about their business):
- Creatives – you might sell your art, your craft, your words or your creative services (we've got an editor and a humorist in the Starship) – but no matter what, you think of your business as being based on you, your tastes and your creativity)
- Established businesses – you might have opened your first Etsy shop last week or built your first website 5 years ago, but you're in business. You're not still wondering, “Should I start a business? What would I sell?”
- You're looking for community. Whether you like to gather all the research before you make a decision (the Starship Communication Station is a great place to gather opinions) or you just like to connect with people who get your struggle, the Starship's greatest benefit (according to the cadets) is the way it provides them with a community that keeps them accountable to their own dreams.
Who hasn't found the Starship useful:
- Those who are looking for definitive answers (like, “Yes, you must do X.” Or “No, never do Y”). The Starship asks questions of you. You can ask the group for their opinions, or you can ask me for my feedback, but at the end of the day you are the one to gather all that up and then you make the decision.
- Those who don't get online at least once a week. Although you are welcome to download all the classses at once and never visit the forums (really! You have permission! No one will hassle you!), the fact is the businesses who have seen the most growth are those that participate in some way (the chats, the forums, the live classes) at least once a month. If you don't get online that often, or aren't interested in making like-minded creative businesspeople, the Starship won't change much in your business.
- Those that hate metaphors. The Starship is a metaphor and we talk a lot in metaphors. If that makes you crazy, you might not want to beam aboard.