There once was an ugly duckling with feathers all stubby and brown. He didn’t realize he would one day be a swan so any face-to-face marketing technique he ever used ultimately resulted in widespread ridicule. This of course led the duck/swan to venture away from his family (who also considered him a bit of an odd duck).
Everywhere the duck went he was ridiculed and chased away from other better established (and finely groomed) business fowl.
Then one day while staying at the Blind Pigeon’s Inn he discovered the Internet (free with the weekly rate). The Ugly Duckling had a wealth of work experience in his first few weeks of life so he started a business catering to the camouflage needs of waterfowl during hunting season.
Much to his surprise and delight, orders began arriving and he became very busy. The Ugly Duckling was a regular at the Waterfowl Post Office and his profits grew to the point where the Ugly Duckling bought the Blind Pigeon’s Inn and made it his corporate offices and product warehouse.
He was nervous when Bird Entrepreneur magazine called to see if he would agree to a beak-to-beak interview. He had previously put them off because he was certain they would find his appearance distasteful. When they arrived, Spanky Duckmeister continued to snap photos. The interview went very well and Ugly Duckling was happy to receive his complimentary copy of Bird Entrepreneurs although the publisher must have replaced his photo with a creature far more beautiful than he.
In time the Ugly Duckling (now a glorious swan) would come to understand that time had changed his appearance and his entrepreneurial spirit found ultimate freedom online. He always wondered if it was the entrepreneurialism that changed his appearance or simply gave him the confidence he needed for others to see him differently.
The truth is entrepreneurialism won’t change your appearance, but an online business does not discriminate either. Individuals of all ethnicities and ages have discovered the entrepreneurial spirit may be less difficult than starting a business in a brick and mortar store.
Most online stores begin because the entrepreneur has a passion for the product or service being offered. Like our fictional storybook hero it was something that he had a personal use for that resulted in a successful business and with his growing success came a confidence, with that confidence came respect from others who had taken notice of his success.
In the end it really didn’t matter what he looked like, where he lived or how old he was. All that really mattered was that the Ugly Duckling understood the needs of his fowl-feathered friends.
There’s a lesson to be learned from this story – and it’s not about ducks. Where can your personal passion take you in online business?