Every business has a golden goose

A shop owner told me recently that he didn't need a website. He had enough business.

He was probably right. But that was not the end of the conversation, and I let it be.

The question I should have asked was this. What is the most profitable thing you sell? And could you use a lot more of it?

I call that thing the golden goose of a business.

Every business sells a mix of goods and services. Some of them pay well. Some barely pay at all. The owner usually knows which is which, even if they have never said it out loud.

Change the mix, and the same number of customers can bring in a lot more profit.

Frankie Fihn calls it the $100 bill. He explains it on ItsKeaton's channel, at 17:01:

So, every business has a multitude of things they sell, and they never value those things equally.

His advice to people who build websites is simple. Don't sell a website. Sell more of the golden goose.

instead of just saying I'll make you a website, I'll make you a website to sell your $100 bill.

Take a plumber who is busy all week.

A blocked drain is a call out. Say it pays $150. Most of that hour goes on the drive there and back. A burst pipe at 3 am pays more, and it costs him his sleep.

A new water heater is different. Say it is $2,500 installed. It is half a day's work, booked a week ahead. There are a few hundred dollars of profit in it.

He doesn't need more calls. He has calls. He needs more water heaters.

So his website should not say "plumbing services" above a list of twenty things. It should be built around the water heater. What it costs. How long it takes. What happens if you wait until the old one floods the basement. And a button to book the visit.

Now take a coffee shop.

Coffee is what it sells most. A cup costs very little to make, so most of the price is profit. But each cup only makes about $2.50.

The shop also sells pie, kombucha and a few hoodies with its name on them. Say a hoodie sells for $60 and makes $35. That one sale earns as much as fourteen coffees.

So the shop doesn't need a longer line at 8 am. It needs to sell more of what pays most on each sale. Ten more hoodies a month earn $350. That is 140 more coffees, with no extra line.

The website should sell the hoodie. A photo of a regular wearing one. A way to buy it online and pick it up with a coffee. A gift idea for the holidays.

"A website" is a hard thing to sell. "More of your best job" is an easy one.

So start with the question. What is your golden goose? Then build the website, and the marketing around it, to bring in more of that one thing.

An owner with enough business is still happy to have that conversation.