If you don’t have a simple answer to that question, it’s time to find one.
Far too many people fall into the trap of building a business around available tools because they can. What they don’t realize is that it’s incredibly difficult to achieve success by doing that.
How many people built fires before someone realized that they can be used to cook food?
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been emailing back and forth with someone (who will remain anonymous) about this. This person started a blog intended to “scout and promote talented artists, musicians, [and other creative-types]“. He is also branching into television, online, and mobile content.
I countered that he built a one-person magazine with a mission statement.
When I asked what problem he was trying to solve, he responded with another question: “How else do you think underground niche entertainment could solve a problem?”
That question is not for me — or any consumer — to answer. It’s up to you to tell me.
If a company can’t explain why they matter to me in a single sentence, they haven’t justified their existence in my world-view. And the easiest way to matter is to solve a problem. Sure, I might not need that problem solved, but if they can convince me of their positive contribution to society, they’re in.
Since I really want to see this man succeed, though, I responded to his question. My answer was another set of questions:
“Think about why art exists. What are the purposes of commercial and non-commercial art in society? Why is entertainment distribution important? What can people do with underground niche entertainment that they can’t with the commercial counterparts?”
I can’t wait to hear what he comes up with.
[...] I’ve been thinking about this today because of an email conversation I had. That story is more specific and doesn’t fit with the general tone of this post, so I’m splitting them. You can find the story-post here. [...]
[...] Aidan explains more. [...]