Entrepreneurs throughout the world are looking for the missing link in an industry, a rift so to speak, as marketing guru Seth Godin describes it, an opening waiting to be filled. Successful new businesses often fill a need that no one else knew even existed.
Many times new rifts open as industries progress. Take the television, for example. The Digital Age forced analog televisions owners to purchase a converter in order to tune in to the digital television world. Hands-free headset manufacturers made a fortune once lawmakers made it illegal to drive and talk on their cell phones at the same time.
Where do you think the next rift will be? Seth Godin has come to the conclusion that “Most people who build important businesses build them on a rift, usually one that they find by accident, and usually only once.” Today’s marketers are looking for the rifts where businesses can address the aging baby boomer.
Seth Godin has filled a rift, partly as the author of several bestselling marketing books. He has fully embraced the computer age, writing a popular marketing blog and founding a “recommendation” website. Although someone else will come along and replace Godin’s ideas as fast as you can hit Ctrl/Alt/Delete, his early entry into the Web community brought marketing into a contemporary world.
Seth Godin became remarkable by taking a clear look at the age of technology and assessing exactly what was going on. Then he was able to make sweeping statements about how businesses had to think about this new world, not only to succeed but to stand out. Godin was a small business owner who has churned out books that have made him a big success. Try adding these concepts into your entrepreneurial mix:
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit– Godin promotes the theory that there is a dip in the road that is either the entrance to superstardom or the signal you are hitting a dead end.
Small Is the New Big– Godin discusses the backlash against bigness after several pivotal events, including the Enron debacle. He talks about how “small” can move faster than “big” and how that can mean the difference between success or not.
All Marketers Are Liars– Godin gives countless examples of marketing people “stretching the truth.” But he makes one thing clear: “Your story won’t spread (which is the whole principal of marketing) if the facts don’t back it up.”
Survival Is Not Enough– Successful entrepreneurs embrace change… and change is only happening faster with the Information Age.
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