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ans Serif">Don't laugh but comedians and business people have a lot more in common than you'd think.

ans Serif">The angle I have taken in this series of articles is that there are lessons to be learned for business folk from my experiences as a stand-up comedian. My last article looked at how some techniques used by comedians could be used by business people to make first impressions count. Another article detailed one comedy-writing technique and how serious business people could use it to generate new product ideas or solutions for problems.

ans Serif">Focus on the business (not the product)
Apart from writing, performing and occasionally producing comedy in

various forms, I have also developed three websites for comedians in addition to my own. I don't claim to be an expert in web development but my current project has highlighted for me a dilemma faced by comedians. The dilemma is the inherent conflict between artist and entrepreneur. I imagine a similar conflict between quality and quantity arises for many home-based business people, from accountants to plumbers to rocking horse manufacturers. The comedian whose website I am currently developing is an award winner in New Zealand, has featured in many overseas festivals and is highly regarded as a comedians' comedian. He has no "day job." His comedy and related products are indisputably good stuff. He knows that and expects that it will sell itself. He reminds me a bit of Kevin Costner in 'Field Of Dreams' with that famous quote "If we build it, they will come." Supply and demand are just things that happen to other people. Don't get me wrong. He's a top bloke and our e-mail exchanges are amusing reading, but the tenor reveals a chasm between his attitude and mine towards the comedy business. He focuses on the comedy. I focus on the business.

ans Serif">Decide the purpose of your website (or other promotional material)
Building a website (as many of you will know) seems simple enough at the start but it is a painstaking process of planning, trial, evaluation and re-trial and so the process is repeated. I asked the comedian what the purpose of his website was. Why did he want to spend the time and money and take the risk? How, when it was done, would he be able to measure its success? He provided text content, photos and had a design guy do some graphics and formatting. The technical aspects, publishing and promotion were my job. Over a protracted period of time, I gleaned from him that he wanted his website to do the following:

• ans Serif" color="#7E7E7E">provide links and other resources for other comedians
• ans Serif" color="#7E7E7E">allow fans to purchase his compact disks and other materials
• ans Serif" color="#7E7E7E">promote himself
• ans Serif" color="#7E7E7E">allow more information to be provided than can be done on posters, flyers and business cards
• ans Serif" color="#7E7E7E">contain short teaser audios and videos
• ans Serif" color="#7E7E7E">allow people to keep up with the life and times of his cats
• ans Serif" color="#7E7E7E">promote people and businesses that have bartered goods and services with him
• ans Serif" color="#7E7E7E">promote festivals and other shows he likes or is loosely connected with