One of my favourite business maxims is the Single Minded Proposition. The retailer below ‘used’ to have a single minded proposition as a $2 shop. They’ve had a recent name change…
If you’re going to be very specific in your business model – make sure it’s timeless.
I was asked recently why I’m not so focused on events like – fathers day. The question posed is below:
Don’t marketers have calendars of all the events throughout the year?
Here’s my answer:
I don’t think it’s a winner. Most events never are: One reason – Clutter.
Every man and his dog are on these calendar events… It’s good for some thing to fill the gaps, but I don’t think it is a game winner. Which is why I don’t over do ‘event style marketing’. I’d rather create my own events. I might not have 20 million people interested – but the 26 or 1000 or so who care – are listening , and listening closely.
Most of the important stuff is easy to know, hard to do.
Which why we must focus on action. We know what makes a great artist, sportsperson, laureate, or financier.
But chances are we are none of these. As we have not done it. We must act to become.
You’ve probably seen this hilarious spoof on marketing and advertising. If in Australia you may have seen The Gruen Transfer.
Here’s my truth in advertising:
Most people who work in advertising don’t understand advertising at all. They are too busy using other peoples money to impress themselves by making 30 second movies and highway art.
If you’ve ever worked in marketing you’ll know this truth.If you’ve ever seen who wins the advertising awards at Cannes, you’ll know this as well. It’s because most agencies don’t really understand marketing, which is the foundation of advertising. Advertising will only ever be part of marketing. Very rarely does an advertisement do what it’s designed to – Change behaviour, or heaven forbid persuade the audience to buy something.
So rather than explaining what advertising is, we’ll just let you know what it isn’t:
1. Advertising is not art
2. Advertising is not film
3. Advertising is not entertainment
4. Advertising is not about creativity
5. Advertising is not design
Advertising is not all the things most people believe it to be.
It may well ‘be’ the things mentioned above, but this can only ever be a bonus. If it is any of the things mentioned above at the expense of influencing behavior, people taking action or actually selling – then it fails as far as startup blog is concerned.
When your start up rocks enough to afford advertising remember this parable.
Does your stuff have real pupose? Or does it just exist, because it exists?
I think the olympic walk has no purpose. It’s the equivelant to a contest to see who can whisper the loudest.
A history of something existing or occuring is no reason for it to continue to in the future. It’s got to make sense.
photo reuters
When it comes to start ups – it’s got to have a purpose which is beyond the founder making money. Maybe our opportunity is replacing something which has no purpose with something that does.
Check out this vision from 1969 I found on youtube.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0pPfyYtiBc]
Sure the usability is different, but conceptually it’s pretty accurate – even with the touch screen. It probably seemed fanciful at the time, even ridiculous or pointless. But people with vision created the infrastructure that we rely on today.
Maybe your startup has it’s detractors, it might just be too much for people to comprehend. What you can be sure of is that plenty of the ideas which seem ridiculous now, will eventuate and become part of our everday lives. Our job as entrpreneurs is to ingore the opinions and invent the futre.
I’m sure there are examples of people who’ve been successful by simply being good at what they do. But there are more examples of world beaters who are ‘into’ what they do.
I’m into this blog. I love writing it. I did it with as much enthusiasm when 10 people read it each month as I do now when more than 20,000 do.
Some of my favourite entrepreneurs are really into what they do.
Branson loves music & flying.
Trump loves real estate & the deal
Steve Jobs is really into design & aesthetics
Lindsay Fox loves trucks and cars (he even has ‘truck driver’ as the title on his business card!)
Doug Warbrick loves surfing….
Doug and his surfing partner Brian started Ripcurl, the surfing company. They started making surfboards in the late 1960’s and shortly after made some the first surfing wetsuits the world has seen. In fact their first wetsuit was made from a rubber carpet underlay they pulled up from a floor with an old pre world war 2 sewing machine – great bootstrapping. He made the wetsuits so he could endure the harsh Victorian winter and enjoy the best waves of the year down there.
They just kept making really good surfing equipment. Which they also sold, 40 years on Ripcurl is now one of the three dominant companies in the Industry, valued at well over $500 million.
Ripcurl founders & store circa 1970, followed by curent retail outlet
Are you into your job, business or startup, or just passing the days?
The best innovations no less ‘ entrepreneurial success’ comes from people who are really into what they do.