I've been trying to define my business for a while. As a way of getting help to create a business that will be truly useful and have some staying power, I decided to ask my friends on Facebook for help. Here's what I wrote:

I'm about to launch a consulting/training business to help people use their digital technology (computers, phones) more productively. As I start out, I need help myself in figuring out how to be truly useful to others.

I'd like to focus on helping people to manage and automate their entire range of information: email, to do lists, notes, files, photos, and calendars to complex documents and datasets. That work includes getting people unstuck with whatever computer problems they may have so they can accomplish their productivity goals. I've loved working with teenagers to seniors, the most to the least computer savvy. No problem is too trivial or too grand for me to see what I can do to help.

I hope that you won't mind my reaching out to you individually to ask about the computer challenges you face and ways in which I might be of service to you. I'm starting out by providing some free consulting to friends and family. We'd actually be helping each other because you would be letting me understand the problems you deal with in your lives. So please don't hesitate to contact me.

My friends have been very supportive, and I've started having specific conversations about my business. I am very grateful.