Which business model should you choose?
B2C or B2B? Products or services? Exclusive ownership, commercial agency, distribution, or building your own offering? This initial choice is pivotal — it lays the foundation for long-term growth and success. But let’s be clear: there is no fixed formula for success. Every business model is merely a reflection of what worked in the past. Today, it is up to us to chart our own path — a model shaped by our unique strengths, potential, and distinctive characteristics.
No matter which business model we choose — whether starting as a trader, an agent, or a small service provider — we must always have a plan, a strategy, and a long-term roadmap fueled by vision, passion, and the ambition to lead. Yes, we may stumble or fail along the way, but our relentless learning, persistence, and commitment to solving one core question — “How do we rise to the top?” — will steadily carry us closer to lasting success.
Where do we find the sources — the products, the solutions?
China is often called the “factory of the world.” The U.S. can be our gateway to cutting-edge technology and world-class business management solutions. The EU is home to the origins of luxury brands in fashion, cosmetics, and jewelry. And beyond these, every nation carries its own strengths and unique specialties. If we are starting a business and weighing our options, we must ensure that the products or solutions we choose possess distinct advantages — ones that can be supported, recognized, and positioned to lead on the global stage, not just within our local markets.
Perhaps the best path forward is to develop our own products and solutions. We can manufacture in China, leverage its scale and efficiency. We can collaborate with major brands or partner with nations that hold distinctive strengths — gaining credibility, security, and a stronger launchpad for growth. In practice, this means instead of merely selling *our* solution, we can position it through strategic partnerships: as the “leading solution from the U.S.,” or the “newly celebrated beauty and fashion trend from the EU.” Such positioning transforms perception, amplifies trust, and accelerates market acceptance.
Where are the customers — and what do we know about them in detail?
In the past, we searched for customer information through phone directories, yellow pages, business clubs, data from agencies or companies with strong customer databases, associations, data providers, or simply by asking around and spreading word-of-mouth. But these were traditional, old-fashioned methods — approaches born in a time before technology and the internet reshaped the entire landscape.
Today, we can identify, analyze, and target potential customers by studying their online behavior. We can track and interpret keyword data through Google Ads and Keyword Planner, or leverage SEO intelligence platforms like Ahrefs, Mangools, and SEMrush. On top of that, the advertising ecosystems of major social networks — Facebook, X, TikTok, and more — give us direct access to audiences with precision targeting at a scale traditional methods could never achieve.
The smaller our budget, the narrower our product or service model, the more limited our market segment — the greater the demand for precision, optimization, and cost efficiency. Achieving a high order-to-advertising-cost ratio becomes far more challenging and requires deep expertise in online advertising. By contrast, when our products or services are widely popular and broadly consumed — in sectors like beauty, smartphones, computers, fashion, or health — targeting and running effective advertising campaigns becomes significantly easier.
How do we reach customers?
With detailed customer information, we could make phone calls, approach directly, send emails or text messages to pitch and persuade for sales. And yes — this is the common approach used by multi-level marketers, insurance agents, stockbrokers, real estate sellers. But in today’s world, it has become one of the least intelligent, most intrusive, and least effective methods of customer outreach.
Customer outreach must be built on a well-structured process and strategy — one designed to spark curiosity, create need, and make customers reach out to us. In business, when a customer has already researched and then contacts us, the deal is more than halfway won — unless, of course, the product, service, or sales execution is disastrously poor.
Reaching customers, then, is not as simple as showing up in person — even in B2B, project-based business, or government sectors. It requires a deliberate process of building brand, trust, credibility, and influence long before we ever stand face-to-face with the customer. By the time we appear, it should not be merely to introduce ourselves or pitch an idea — it should be the moment to close the deal.
How do we sell when we are at a disadvantage?
When our product or service has many substitutes, and customers don’t truly need it — or may easily choose not to buy — we are selling from a position of weakness. In this scenario, it is unwise to push direct marketing or aggressive advertising toward customers with little or no demand. Doing so often creates resistance, leaves a negative impression, and wastes substantial advertising and communication budgets — all while delivering poor results.
The smarter solution is to position ourselves as the value-added product or service that enhances another high-demand offering. By evolving into an add-on, a complement, a catalyst that amplifies the benefits of what customers already want, we create synergy. And the more we can align with partners whose core products sell easily, the more we turn our offering into a natural, compelling choice — driving adoption in a way that is both intelligent and highly effective.
How do we sell when we’re on equal footing?
When the benefits are balanced on both sides, we face a situation of mutual choice: we want to sell, but can afford to let the customer go — and they may buy, but don’t have to, since alternatives are always within reach. This is the typical landscape of commercial sales: acting as an agent, a distributor, or offering products and services that are widely available in the market. In such a context, our challenge is not supply, but standing out — carving a distinctive edge that makes customers choose us despite the abundance of options.
The most common way to solve this challenge is by adding extra perks: after-sales service, higher discounts, bundled products or services, promotional campaigns to stimulate demand. Yet these are short-term fixes — temporary tactics that often carry long-term drawbacks and reveal a lack of creativity in overall marketing and sales strategy. The stronger, more sustainable path is to amplify our communication and brand positioning — proving our superiority over competitors in the same segment. This edge must come from true value: exceptional service quality, dedicated people, thoughtful care, and an unwavering commitment to customers. That is what builds loyalty and lasting differentiation.
How do we sell from a position of strength?
This is the ultimate goal of every business, marketing, communication, and advertising effort: to sell from a position of strength. If our product is not exclusive, not entirely our own creation, or not developed in-house, then our upper-hand positioning must come from brand perception. It’s about communicating and proving that our brand is built by extraordinary people, delivering world-class experiences, unrivaled service, attentive care, and after-sales excellence. This becomes far more achievable when we diversify our product range, expand points of sale, and share or co-invest in advertising budgets through partnerships with a wide variety of strong, established brands. In doing so, we elevate ourselves above the competition and secure a place of authority in the market.
When our product or service is exclusive — owned and controlled entirely by us, with full authority over pricing, distribution, communication, and branding — we hold the most advantageous position for brand building. In this scenario, every action can be unified to emphasize our unique, unmatched differentiators — qualities that customers simply cannot find anywhere else in the market. This singularity becomes the cornerstone of powerful positioning and lasting brand equity.
How do we sustain and grow our customers?
There are countless methods to sustain and grow customers — each shaped by the type of business we run and the way we sell: direct product sales, solution sales, project-based deals, consumer essentials, health, fashion, and more. Within each model, strategies must adapt to market segments and customer profiles — whether we are serving premium, mid-range, or mass markets; whether our customers are seniors, middle-aged, young adults, or even children. Every combination requires its own approach, because true customer development comes from understanding exactly who they are and what they value most.
In every business scenario, one truth remains constant: nurturing an existing relationship — a customer who has already trusted us and made a purchase — is always the cheapest, fastest, and most effective way to drive repeat sales, stimulate demand, and spark referrals. That’s why we must do everything possible to care for and maintain those connections — intelligently, authentically, and never in a way that feels intrusive or off-putting. Current customers are not just buyers; they are the foundation of sustained growth and influence.
