By the Ocean
Clear 68 Degrees
5:53 a.m.
We’re living in a time where new inventions are making us act like business doesn’t work in the way it used to.
Maybe every time was like this in some way. I don’t know. My memories of past lifetimes, which I was taught to believe didn’t exist (oops) inside the “cult” (renamed religion to make it sound better) I was raised in, don’t include anything like that.
We are just ending the first real internet boom. It lasted over 20 years. During that time, there was a serious distortion in the marketplace where the tools of business allowed certain people to have huge advantages and easy success.
In 2005, setting up a website was a real barrier for most. In 2007, being a master of paid advertising made you pretty rare. Even in 2010, dominating social media wasn’t so difficult. Gurus could pop-up overnight and create huge success out of nothing.
The biggest illusion we saw was that it looked like human nature had changed. It looked like all of the new technology coming online made it so the old rules no longer applied.
AI is the latest aberration that makes it look like creating something of value is possible without actual work. Look at all the people outsourcing their thinking to the borg already. Good luck with that! (NOTE: If anyone can do it, it’s not going to be valuable for long.)
As we have seen and will continue to see, the old rules still apply.
And what are those rules?
That people buy from those they trust.
The other rule is that, for any kind of sustainable business, you need to solve the right problem for the world.
This is why entertainment is getting such momentum right now. What problem does THAT solve? For many, it takes them away from having to deal with themselves. (The people selling solutions to THAT problem are a bit early. The world isn’t quite ready. Stay the course, your time is coming!)
Most people are not yet ready to face themselves. So watching, listening or doing something that keeps their attention away from that uncomfortable feeling most people get when they just sit there and BE with themselves is pretty “valuable.”
How do you compete with that? When in doubt, do something that builds trust. How?
Trust is generated as a result of sustained attention AND a record of promises made and kept. It is one of the most valuable “assets” in business.
This is why pretty much every business I consult with has some form of media platform that shows up on a consistent basis in the lives of the people that business wants to serve. This email I write to you is a media platform. My podcast with my wife is a media platform. Next week, I’ll be launching a new project with my wife where you’ll get to see more of my family.
This is a form of investment in your future success where the payoff is not immediate. (Just like every investment!)
Unfortunately, this approach is not attractive to the current human. He wants success yesterday. For cheap. With the click of a button or two. He wants it because he’s been led to believe it exists.
Those aren’t the humans that stick in my world for too long because I have no illusions to sell them. I let those folks continue searching for their Holy Grail. They will only buy things in alignment with that quest.
The last 20 years made it look like there were shortcuts. From where I’m sittin’, there are no shortcuts.
You reap what you sow. So start sowing what you want to reap. It might look like the “old fashioned” way has changed with the new face of business, but humans don’t change. And they’re the ones with the money. So it’s best to pay attention to them.
Their nature is exactly the same as it was 100 years ago.