As mentioned in the "3 Questions to Create Joy", you can post your Joy Pitch on your social media to see if anyone can help you accomplish it. Or search different networks and platforms with the keywords that are important in your Joy Pitch.
For volunteering: Idealist, Volunteer Match
For jobs: Indeed, Google Jobs, LinkedIn Jobs
If your Joy Pitch is an existing product or service, then start sharing it where people can see it or buy it.
Add your Joy to a directory or existing outlet: Angie's List, Thumbtack, Patreon, Care.com, Online and Physical Retailers, Become a Joy Giver, etc.
You can also use your Joy Pitches to create new opportunities:
pitch internally to your company as a new program
start a new business
score a side gig
run a one-time event
and more
The following steps can help you accomplish any of the opportunities.
Finding the Business Opportunity in Your Joy Pitch
Organizations of all kinds are generally looking for more customers, money, supporters, savings, press, etc. If you can prove your Joy Pitch will help them accomplish any of their goals, then you’ll likely get your foot in the door.
Mediums that help achieve those goals include collaborations, physical or digital products, events, campaigns, and other marketing products.
Here is a side-by-side list of perceived needs/goals and different mediums you can manage or deliver your skills within. Write down which ones interest you the most, and add or edit the list as needed to fit your Joy Pitch:
Pitch Your Joy Pitch
Now that you see HOW you can get your foot in the door, now you can introduce yourself to a few organizations to gauge their interest in working with you and/or the company you work for or represent.
Tip: If you are not working right now or you’re in the market for a new job or project, a good way to introduce yourself is to say you are a consultant. By saying you are a consultant, you can contact several companies that you want to hire you as a consultant or hire you as an employee. The best job application is a Joy Pitch because you are showing them you can formulate ideas on your own and that you are a self-starter.
Examples of pitching:
If you don't know their pain points, introduce your Joy Pitch as it relates to them. "Hi, my name is ____ and I'd like to help companies like yours that care about ________." Then ask if they have any goals they are working to reach this year or problems they need solved. If they tell you their needs and goals, add these to the chart and create some possible pitches based on their specific needs.
If you do know their pain points or would like to take a guess at it, give them your Joy Pitch and describe how it will solve a problem for them, or however else it will satisfy their pain points.
If you can only get to the HR person, ask if there is a job that fits your Joy Pitch.
Determine their interest in working with you:
To find out if they are interested in working with you simply ask them, “Would you like me to put together any of these ideas in a short presentation?"
If they say no, just move on. Thank them for their time and ask them to keep you in mind for the future. "Thank you for your time, I’d love for you to keep me in mind for the future. Please let me know if there are other issues I could help solve for you.” Remember to send them a quarterly ‘hello’ email despite them not wanting to work with you. Until they say ‘will you please stop emailing me’ you should keep contact with them in the least annoying way possible. Sending them information that might be relevant to their issues shows you are continuously researching with their best interest in mind.
If they say yes, then congratulations, you got the opportunity!
If they say yes, but they need a presentation, ask them either for a phone call or a meeting to review your presentation, and be sure to ask if they have a budget or deadline in mind.
Now you can create a 4 to 10 page powerpoint or a single page overview of a deeper explanation about your ideas. Use this list to create an outline for your presentation:
If you don’t know how much the pitch idea will cost, or if it will even work, suggest to them you’d like to survey their customers or create some sort of test to prove the problem will be solved or the goal will be achieved.
Important: If your pitches include possible intellectual property, please have them sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before moving forward. Offer them a Mutual NDA so they feel comfortable telling you their problems and vice versa.
More Ideas to Integrate Your Joy Pitch into the Work World
For those who want to start a business, or need a job:
If you sell them on your pitch, you get a budget to build the idea, and you deliver and profit from it…then congratulations, you are officially a consultant and maybe you should keep consulting! Don't forget to setup your LLC, business insurance and any other legal items you need to be in business before doing the work.
Or, if they become interested but it doesn't pan out because of budget restrictions for third-party services, you can mention that you really respect their company and you are looking for a full time job. If they like the pitch, you would be willing to help them complete it as an employee or solve another problem for them.
Whatever you do, don’t feel like you have to settle on a single company. Continue with your lists, and even take that pitch and change out the branding to fit another company. This is your dream job!
For those who have a job and want to develop their Joy Pitch with the company:
If you already have a job, you can try to include your Joy Pitch by acting as an intrepreneur. An intrepreneur is an entrepreneur within a company and it’s finally a job title! Intrepreneur is also a type of project manager, visionary, or strategist.
Remember, companies are usually looking to find more customers, make money, save money, gain supporters, or get press/marketing. As long as you can prove what you want to do will give them any of those things in return, then they shouldn’t say no.
Plus, if you can connect the outcomes to any of the UN's Global Goals, the companies involved can 'check off’ that box and use the SDG achievement as news to promote to their employees, potential employees, city, government, stakeholders, and so on.
Here are some detailed examples of how you can integrate your Joy Pitch into the work world:
Dear Organization/Person, I’ve noticed that a number of our shareholders are also interested in the charity PuppyCamp. In fact, a few of them sit on their board. I want to help the charity and I think there is a way for our company to profit by helping them. I will try to organize the program during work hours without any disruption to my work output. However, because I’m sure I’ll be spending some extra time on it, I’d like to earn a portion of the profits that come in from this campaign.
Dear Organization/Person, I’m part of a jogging group in the area and we noticed there aren’t many community roadraces. I talked to the local events director for the city and he said it is because a roadrace would be a traffic issue. Roadraces can raise $30K and I don’t think it would cost our company more than $3K to host and sponsor it on our industrial complex lot. If you’d like to get HR involved, maybe they’d like to give tours that day to students and families. I’ll organize and run the whole thing so long as I can earn a portion that comes in.
Dear Organization/Person, PuppyCamp is doing an annual donation drive but I’ve thought of an app idea that will significantly drive more traffic to them. Would you be willing to sponsor the development of the app which will give our company X amount of views by a key demographic we’ve been after? We can also get the email lists of signups and PuppyCamp would be willing to use this app for the next 5 years. Our lead acquisition cost is normally $3 a lead. With this app we will get new leads for the next 5 years at only $1 per lead.
Dear Organization/Person, I think we should design a dog bowl for PuppyCamp’s annual donation drive and always give a portion of the profits to the charity. We could get press from it and our logo will be prominent on the bowls.
Find other Joy Pitches across the web, just search for the #JoyPitch hashtag!
Adapted and Licensed from MissionLivin Workbook
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