Clip Culture Manual 2: The Cheat Code

INTRODUCTION

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lip Culture Manual was written because, during my time as a successful business owner, I learned a lot of lessons that shifted how I saw myself, my company, my team, and my future. I grew through the bad decisions, setbacks of all sizes, and unforeseen circumstances that resulted in massive changes and major wins. But keeping that knowledge to myself wasn’t the goal. I wanted to help other entrepreneurs learn how to build clientele and effectively market themselves. I wanted to give them the guidance that I needed when starting out.

Clip Culture Manual 2: The Cheat Code provides even more guidance and insight with the goal of influencing entrepreneurs to have a mental shift so they can truly level up. The Cheat Code helps entrepreneurs, young professionals, and the everyday person understand how to elevate to the next level and what to expect when it actually happens.

On these pages, you will find over 100 chapters loaded with knowledge and experience, compiled in a way that makes the lessons easy to grasp and reapply.

With this book, my goal is to save and/or speed up. For some, these warnings will save you valuable time, money, and energy. For others, the wisdom will accelerate your progress. For everyone who reads and applies the insight laid out in between these pages, you will significantly increase your chance of success. That’s a win-win for all of us.

PRESELECTION

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reselection is the process by which a candidate is chosen, usually through a referral. It is also known as candidate selection, which is a fundamental business practice. When entering new business, personal or friend relationships, it’s good to have adequate screening of who you let in. Signing up for new situations blindly can cost you time, pain, and expenses.

Preselection reflects your current circle, not always implying approval but fitting general criteria. In most cases, there’s a 70% chance of approval, so screen your circle wisely. In the business game, preselection ain’t just about approval. It’s about fitting the criteria and keeping your circle tight.

THE INACTION

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naction is the lack of action where something is expected or appropriate. Business owners, if you have people in your establishment who see things that need to be done and they don’t do it, they have to go. That is a reflection on you, your business, and your brand. Inaction can be just as bad or worse than action and speaks louder than words in the business realm. Customers only care and remember their service experience. Make sure it’s action-packed.

OUTSIDE SIGNAGE

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nstead of investing in an attractive external sign for your business at the start, consider a generic sign that tells someone the gist of what you do so you can grab their attention in a few seconds.

This allows you to focus on delivering quality in your business, and before long, the brand recognition will take care of itself.

When you open a storefront, you must do everything possible to attract new clients. Visibility is key. Truth is, when someone is driving up a busy road or highway, they only have about three seconds for your business to catch their attention. When potential clients ride by, they need to get an idea of the kind of business you have before they walk through the front door. Even if they don’t use your establishment immediately, you want to plant that seed in their mind that you type of business exists in that location. Once your brand is universally known, you can use your logo for outside signage. Until then, keep it simple.

TOUCH UP PAINT

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hen running a business, there will be times when you need touch-up paint. Always keep a gallon of paint available because you’re going to need it. Things happen, and scuffs occur. If you don’t save the original paint gallons, take a picture of the label on the paint and save it as a favorite just in case you need to go back to it.

A business is like a home. There are constant repairs that need to be made. At least once a year, you will need touch-up paint to touch up the scuffs in the walls, side panels, and trim. Keep a dry cloth to wipe down all areas before you paint. You may need a sander as well.

C.Y.A (Cover Yo Ass)

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n life, you always have to protect yourself. In business, you need next-level coverage. It’s important to keep a paper trail of transactions, bills, payments, etc. If you don’t have receipts, people can take advantage. Unfortunately, not everyone means you well. Having agreements notarized keeps everything intact. Because no matter how a person wants to move after they sign a deal, the contract is the contract, and they must honor that unless they can afford to buy themselves out. Keep all receipts, emails, contracts, etc. They may come in handy one day.

FREE WORK IS THE KEY WORK

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ometimes you have to give work away for free. It shows your appreciation for the craft. Any and everything can’t always be about the money. When you genuinely love your craft, your clients will know. They will know by the way you treat them.

When you have passion and skill working at the same time, it’s a beautiful force to be reckoned with. When you give away some free work, you never know who you might attract on the backend, which may lead to new doors opening for you. However, when your skills, price, and enthusiasm don’t match, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Your business never grows this way. Show appreciation for the craft, the grind, and the people who support your business with a free service every