06 Feb Creating New Revenue

by Kalika Yap

I can’t believe it’s already the first week of February!

We’re also moving into the Lunar New Year, and it’s a great time to pause and focus on one clear goal: how to create new revenue in the Year of the Fire Horse.

I already feel the energy! 🙌

Today I attended an Entrepreneurs’ Organization workshop in Santa Monica, CA led by Mark Jaffe. Mark is a former Walt Disney Records Chief Revenue Officer and as a strategic consultant has helped businesses grow from around $50 million to over $100 million, so he’s not sharing theory.

He’s sharing what he’s seen work when real dollars are on the line.

Here’s the simple message I walked away with:

If you want to create new revenue, you need to get clear on your core value proposition first.

Once you do, new product ideas, new offers, and new ways to sell often become obvious.

What you need: a core value proposition

A core value proposition is your main promise, stated simply.

In plain English: it’s the real reason a customer picks you instead of someone else, in words your customer would actually use.

No, it’s not your list of services. It’s the outcome they believe they’ll get by choosing you.

And here’s the part that helps you create new revenue:

When you look at your core value proposition in a different way, you disrupt your current pattern of thinking.

You stop seeing your business as “we sell X” and start seeing it as “we deliver Y.”

That shift opens up creativity. It helps you notice underused assets, new offers that fit naturally, and new paths to revenue that were invisible before.

A quick way to see it

Example:

• A great dentist: “I feel safe there. They take care of me.” Even if another dentist down the street charged $20 less, you probably wouldn’t switch, because you’re not there for the cheapest cleaning. You’re there for their expertise and the care you trust.

And here’s a personal example from my own life: when I ran my waxing company in Honolulu, we didn’t really sell waxing services. We sold confidence.

Women didn’t walk out talking about technique.

They walked out feeling ready for their day, their date, their vacation, their life.

That feeling is what they came back for, and that feeling is what they told their friends about.

This also connects to Simon Sinek’s idea: people do not buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

A classic example is Apple.

They lead with what they believe: challenging the status quo and thinking differently. Then they connect that belief to what they make in a way that feels almost casual: “We just happen to make great computers.”

Mark’s example: furniture company that created new revenue with pillows

One of Mark’s stories made this crystal clear.

He worked with a furniture manufacturer during the 2009 recession. No one wanted to buy furniture, and growth felt stuck. The company thought they were “just” selling furniture.

But once they listened closely to the market, they realized customers and retail buyers saw them differently. Their core value proposition wasn’t “we make couches.” It was closer to: “We help you express your home and personal style.” Mark described it as being fashion-forward and about home expression.

That one shift opened up new revenue because it changed the question from:

“What else can we sell in the furniture category?”

to

“What else helps people express their home?”

In their warehouse, the CEO showed Mark a huge pile of leftover fabric scraps collected over decades. The CEO planned to get rid of it because it was a hassle and a safety issue. Mark saw it as an opportunity. Fabric is one of the most expensive parts of furniture, and they had a mountain of it sitting there.

So they created a new product line: pillows.

Pillows matched what customers already believed about the brand: style, self-expression, and a curated look. They were also high-margin because they used materials that were basically being tossed out.

Then they created a smart retail offer: include those pillows with the purchase of multiple furniture sets, along with signage that helped sell the “whole look.” During a time when people were hesitant to buy big-ticket items, this made it easier for retailers to say yes.

Result: their revenue jumped dramatically, moving from roughly $55 million to around $100 million over a few years.

That’s the point: when you find your core value proposition and look at it with fresh eyes, you get more creative. You start spotting “pillow” ideas that fit your brand and create new revenue, without having to reinvent your business.

A real example from my work

Here’s how I describe Citrus Studios in one simple sentence:

Citrus Studios makes you look great online so you can make more money. We do this through clear messaging, strong design, and marketing that helps the right customers find you and choose you.

Once that’s clear, it naturally leads to new revenue questions:

• If we make you look great online so you can make more money, what else would support that?
• What are clients already asking for that we can package and price?
• What assets do we already have that we can turn into an offer?

Step-by-step guide: Create new revenue by getting clear on your core value proposition

Step 1: Choose one best-fit customer group

Pick one group you serve best right now.

• Who are they?
• What stage are they in?
• What problem is urgent for them this quarter?

Step 2: Separate what they ask for from what they truly need

Write two lists.
What they ask for:

• more leads
• a better website
• better hiring
• more time
• better systems

What they truly need:

• relief
• confidence
• feeling in control
• trust
• peace of mind

New revenue comes from building offers around the second list.

Step 3: Collect customer language

Have 5 short conversations:

• 3 current customers
• 2 past customers (including someone who didn’t renew)

Ask:

• “What was happening right before you hired us?”
• “What were you worried about?”
• “What made you feel sure?”
• “What changed after working together?”
• “What would you tell a friend about why you chose us?”

Use their words. Those words sell.

Step 4: Write your one-sentence promise

Use one of these:

“We help ______ get ______ so they can ______.”

Or:

“People hire us because ______.”

Make it clear, not fancy.

Step 5: Find your “pillow”

Brainstorm 10 ideas that match your promise, then choose one to test.

Four places to look:

• Add-ons customers already want
• Packages that bundle what you already do into a clear result
• A nearby customer group who needs the same result
• Underused assets you already have (templates, systems, content, relationships, data, expertise)

Step 6: Run a 30-day test

Offer your “pillow” idea to existing customers first.

Track:

• interest
• yes/no
• what they asked next
• what price felt comfortable

Then adjust and repeat.

A short invitation

If you want help getting clear on your core value proposition and turning it into a practical plan for new revenue, I’d love to support you.

Set up a discovery call here: https://calendly.com/Kalika