Make a living implementing software like Trello, Notion, etc. in factories
Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about creating a kind of tech-consultant service for factories. I've been working in a factory as quality manager for about seven years and I've already implemented many of these programs in my workplace. So far so good, they are strongly tested, working fine and the users are not that demanding. Haven't had any issue so far.
My motivation is that in some industries people are not updated about tech at all. They are just using old versions of Microsoft office at best.
Do you think I can make a living out of it? I'm asking this because it seems too obvious for me, maybe too good to be true.
I've seen many developers creating new software, but sometimes main target is tech people. Why there is not so much people working for this kind of target?
Think beyond the specific co. you work for; look at the problems of similar factories in your industry (since these might be potential clients).
What exactly is the problem you are trying to solve?
Can the solution to these problems be standardized or do they depend on the interface to the instruments, factory controls involved?
Suppose the interface cannot be standardized. Is there a way to make the service you offer repeatable?
Thank you for your answer Gustavo, I missed this one.
You have a very good point: "What exactly is the problem am I trying to solve?"
Seems a straightforward question, but it's definitely a very important part of the approach. Everyone describes the solution, but the problem might not even exists (not the case though, but it's worth checking it).
Thanks again!
First of all, yes. You absolutely could make money selling implementations of Trello or Notion or any other recognized software that requires effort to master. I've been paying for Notion for over a year and I still use it like a caveman.
Even with zero training you will figure out the best way to sell it on the job. Things like when it's better to call your service a Productivity Solution, Trello Implementation, or maybe Notion Training for X Teams type of service. If you have an average sense of empathy for humans, aren't afraid to cold call, and generally work hard, it won't take long for you to figure out the most efficient way to build a sales pipeline and start closing deals like a conveyor belt.
And since you were a quality manager yourself, you will be received less like a sales person, overcoming the trust barrier which is the most important thing for direct sales.
The fact that you came up with this idea based on your own experience and success will resonate with potential clients and because of this, your job will not even feel like a sales position.
The only problem with selling implementations of Trello or Notion is the same problem with most consulting businesses which is that consulting doesn't scale. The main problem with this is that the business doesn't gain asset value as time goes by so even after 5 years of running the company, the business has no value and you can't sell it. What's the point of starting a business if you're not working towards a big payday to look forward to after all that hard work is invested up front? That final payday isn't everything but it's also not nothing and is usually a big source of motivation to keep going.
Another thing to think about is your schedule. Depending on the duration of a standard implementation, in order to create some sort of normalcy emotionally or a regular schedule, it will be extremely difficult to be the consultant who performs the implementation work and also has to sell the implementation work. Doing one or the other is doable, but doing both will get old fast. And hiring employees for that type of business will be challenging because once you train someone, there is little incentive for them to work for you since they could do the same thing on their own without sharing the profits with you.
I think a good way to start a business in that arena would be to sell a training course that teaches companies how to implement the software and systems themselves but also offer them the option to hire you to do the implementation consulting for them. This classic business model works and companies have money to spend so you will probably get implementation work this way if the course is actually selling.
You may or may not be aware of this but in the consulting industry whether it be IT or Business consulting, one of the best ways to get consulting clients is to sell them less expensive training courses first so they don't have to take a huge scary step as a first step in working with you. Hiring a consultant is a big deal so the more they are familiar with you, the less risky it is for them to hire you for consulting. When you sell them a training course, you are no longer a stranger to them so it's 100 times easier to sell them on a consulting implementation. The training is like a long paid interview to prove to them how good you are. Trying to sell an implementation right from the start is like asking a girl to have sex with you on the first date. It happens but when it does, something isn't right. Although you could get lucky with timing.
By going the course route, you're selling a digital info product that is 100% scalable and your model would be inbound versus outbound, huge difference. You obviously won't have a perfectly booked consulting schedule from the start but it's a sustainable model you can work towards as opposed to an outbound non sustainable model selling implementations. No comparison.
I honestly think this is a great idea because if a business makes decisions based on a cost benefit analysis, pitching them on free or low cost software is hard to beat since the dramatic ROI might be hard to ignore for any true decision maker. If you show them ROI and they don't care, they're either not a decision maker or they are stupid or they are irresponsible and should be replaced with someone who does care about the bottom line.
Mailman,
First of all thank you very much for having taken your time for such a good answer. I'm speechless.
I've thought about creating a digital product like you said. Have some friends who are making a living selling online courses, but first I wanted to have more than one experience with these programs to validate the idea (to be fair, I've already implemented Trello in other factories of my company since it's an international one, but still feels kind of playing it safe at home).
I love tech and being updated about all these programs so, since I know I will still be involved in this sector, I thought about creating a kind of free newsletter with fresh updates or success stories to gain more credibility. I get your point on building some valuable asset. Glad to hear that.
Again, thank you very much for your detailed answer!!
sorry I guess I left that part out. you have to have lots of clients on your resume as a consultant, otherwise you're not considered an expert. the more clients you have, the more value you bring to the table. so yes, get a lot of projects under your belt!
Hi again! Just wanted to make a quick follow-up for this post. On 2020 I decided to carry on with this idea and start working locally with some factories. So far so good :) Time consuming so now that I've gathered more data about real problems at factories I'm thinking about releasing a course for new customers.
I you want to have a look you can do it on https://digitalcollars.com/
Thanks for the help from two years ago!! :D
I think this is spot on.
Probably your main challenge would be reaching out to those prospective clients, as you mentioned, tech solutions catered to tech users have more exposure as the tech crowd is usually a big part of the early adopters.
I still think this is a good thing to explore, and the aforementioned challenge is nothing a bit of good marketing and networking can't solve.
Thank you very much!! I'll try to do my best =)
Interesting idea. Have you thought of how many potential customers already use these products, and whether you can initially leverage these platforms by integrating as a plug-in first?
Thank you very much for your answer. I've thought about it and the answer is almost none in my sector. Average age is around 45 yo and managers are busy enough with manufacturing problems. Non tech people that can benefit from simple tech solutions.
Partnership idea and request for validation:
How much IoT devices and data collection are you seeing in factories? How easy/hard is it to pull that data together in order to utilise?
And, if there's no solution yet, I'm happy to help with data storage/collection/analysis. If you cone across anyone that needs a dashboard or data-driven apps I'm happy to help.
Long story short, I think there's absolutely a need. The challenge us the sales & marketing side b/c tech people struggle selling to none tech.
Thank you very much for your answer and your proposal!! Wasn't expecting something like this to be honest but feels good =)
To put some context, the factory I work at has around 150 people. My idea is to apply this solution to factories up to 300 people. The vast majority of business has 50 people or less.
I'm not talking about creating a super good looking and fashioned package. I'm talking about putting some easy tech in old and small workshops.
If the IoTs devices are easy to use and dirty cheap, I'll be more than happy to work together, but in factories there is a immense amount of manual work. That's why some solutions I've implemented were so successful: still relies on people but help them to make their life easier.
I'm always happy to provide positive feedback..
As for IoT, I wasn't clear. I don't make or sell devices, I've built software that makes it easy to pull data together from many sources. One if the sources of data could be connects sensors that send data directly to an API.
As an example you might have machines around the factory generating production logs or sending data in real tim e and you might build dashboards marrying the data with income, expenses, staff hours, orders, etc. Or you might build a data-driven app that automatically schedules staff based on order/production levels. The dashboard or app has to be unique for each business but I make the data collection/storage quick, easy, and standardised.
Ok totally understood then.
My target is not going to machines at the moment as they are really expensive and it's difficult to get approval for any kind of investment in factories.
I want to sell something that is cheap (a small workshop can easily work with the the cheapest pricing tier of those kind of apps...sometimes probably for free), robust and need almost zero knowledge to start working with.
I don't aim to bank millions, but rather have a steady source of income each month.