How to repurpose anything

If you’ve followed me for a while you know my double duty rule. I don’t say yes to any opportunity unless I know I can get more than a one-time use out of it. Leveraging work you’ve already done is a huge profit maker and time saver, and it’s just so much easier!

For example, if I have written a presentation, I pitch it to organizations who might be interested. Right now for example, I am repackaging a presentation I began as a speaking group assignment to deliver to community organizations and business owners in my area.

I also take the key points from lessons I teach and rework them (in less detail of course) as future weekly articles or blog posts. These are all examples of how you can get more mileage out of work when you’ve already done the heavy lifting.

Lest you think you don’t have anything old worth repurposing, I challenge you to go back through materials you’ve created in the past. In my previous consulting work, I created many documents related to staff communications, public relations and fundraising. Recently I was going through them again, and was amazed to see how much of the information was equally applicable to small business owners. With a little editing, this material I’ve written and gathered over the years will also be useful to you.

Summer is a great time to tackle these kinds of projects. Direct marketing expert Dan Kennedy says there is really nothing new under the sun – but he offers some useful tips to give you new perspective on the old. Try these to see how much double duty you can do.

1. If you can’t change the product, change the package.
2. Make it bigger.
3. Make it smaller.
4. Add to it.
5. Subtract from it.
6. Do it faster.
7. Do it slower.
8. Do it cheaper.
9. Do it more expensively.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:  Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success System for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and  unlock their business potential for greater  personal freedom and prosperity. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful entrepreneurial adventure. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for free tips on how to unlock the business in you.