Positioning Your Small Business: Cookbook vs. Tire Store

Entrepreneurs don’t always solve problems. Sometimes they solve cravings for something good.

Small business owner? You’ve probably gotten the advice to find a hungry market. Many people assume a hungry market means people are in pain and hurting, seeking solutions.

Actually, you have access to two types of a hungry market: the cookbook and the tire store. One market always wants “just one more” and the other wants “just one — right now.”

The Cookbook Market: Entrepreneurship For Craving Good Things

Remember the potato chip commercials that teased us about eating just one — and stopping? This business model targets customers who will always want “just one more.”

People who are into cooking rarely own just one cookbook. They have dozens and they’re always buying more. They also buy cooking accessories. Their friends give them cooking gadgets for birthdays.

You know you have a cookbook business when your market keeps buying more and more products in the same category. Cookbook businesses include quilting, knitting, teddy bears, dogs (ever meet a dog with just 1 toy? Either zero or too many — and I have 4 dog beds for 1 dog)…