How To Create A Market And A Brand Without Doing Either
People want to know how to build a brand. People want to know how to start a business and know what to do that’ll add value to people’s lives.
Many people get these huge ideas into their heads about building massive empires or solving world hunger. Then they get paralysed by the complexity of their visions.
There’s an easier way. You can do just one thing and you’ll have fun, find success and network with likeminded people without even trying.
Here’s the secret ingredient.
Do Some Experiments
This is honestly the most easy and low effort way to get started with anything in the world ever. It’s also fun and you can do whatever you want, however and whenever you want.
Sound good?
Here’s what you do.
You do little experiments. Have you ever wondered, “How does this work?” or “How can I do this?”
It’s time to find out.
Let’s say you want to learn how to make money online. Have you tried freelancing on Upwork? Go and try.
Or maybe you want to sell books?
You can literally take a couple of days out of your schedule and try those two things.
It doesn’t matter if you succeed.
Obviously the goal is to succeed, but you honestly try something and make a note of what happens. Then you try something else. Keep doing this a handful of times, and you’ll get success. You’ll learn new stuff.
Then spread the word.
Tell people, “Hey, I tried this and that happened.”
If you keep doing this, then you will go into directions you never even knew existed. You’ll talk with people who can help you.
If you make a website or social media profile or whatever about it, then you’re on your way to building a brand and business without even trying.
Brand Building
Do you want to have a brand that’s centred on you talking about stuff?
There are plenty of guys – and no doubt you’ll know some – who seem to spend a lot of their time talking about not a lot. They’ll talk in words like “exposure” or “being an influencer.”
Before you say “yes” to the above question, think about some of those examples. What do they actually achieve?
Now, do you instead want to build a brand around actually doing stuff?
Because if you do, then I’ve got good news: It’s as easy as the process I’ve laid out above.
Do an experiment in something that interests you. If it sticks, great. Tell people all about it. If it doesn’t stick, then don’t worry. Just move on to the next experiment. If you want to talk about it, then go ahead but you don’t need to. People literally don’t care about your failures. They’re too busy wrapped up in their own lives.
You cannot fail with this; at the very worst, you build a reputation as someone who constantly tries new stuff. At the best, people start saying, “Hey, this guy is interesting. What will he do next?”
This can be really simple. Rob of 30DaystoX.com recently said on Twitter that he has a new hobby: Make three predictions a day. This is an easy start that anyone can do.
Make three predictions a day. Over time, people will forget when you’re wrong and tally up the times you are right.
Just remember not to fall into the trap of thinking you know better. Then you stop experimenting and then people can pounce on you.
Creating A Market
“How do I know if people will like what I’m writing?”
It’s the biggest problem that stops people from writing books, starting blogs or – to widen the net – starting any sort of productive activity.
“What if people judge me on what I do?”
Again, nobody cares about your failed attempts at something. But the answer is once again keep experimenting.
Here’s the thing.
Even if you are the only person in the world who is interested in a niche hobby, if you can write with enthusiasm and tell people why your experiment is worthwhile, then you’ll build an audience.
In essence, the more experiments you create, the more markets you create.
There are thousands of people who buy books about how to convert old vans into micro-homes. Think that’s been a historically huge market?
Given a few years, you’ll see people building digital nomad Volkswagen Van Hubs.
That’s an industry that’s popped out of nowhere because a few weirdo-hippies decided to put their hobby on YouTube.
Also, you build a market of people who experiment with the same things you do.
Take this blog – it’s a simple, “Try new internet thing. Write generally about it. Give how-to’s on how to do it. Find new thing. Repeat.”
Not only do people read this blog every day, but people who are better than me at these things contact me and say:
- “Great idea” or “useful stuff”
- “Here’s how to do it better”
- “Hey, how can I do this?”
- “Have you thought about doing this?”
Over time, you create a feedback loop where you get more ideas and better ideas. You also get to talk to people who will enhance whatever you do. You can do this in any market, any niche and it doesn’t take much.
All you need to do is start trying little experiments and writing about them.
Final Thoughts
You have a couple of choices.
You can either sit and wait for something to happen – a divine moment of inspiration that’ll give your life meaning and your soul a purpose.
Or you can explicitly go and make things happen.
You don’t have to do anything huge. You don’t have to start by creating a massive movement – and you probably can’t do that even if you want to.
But you can make micro-changes that have lasting effects. Every time you make a little experiment, you gain more knowledge, more exposure and build upon the last.
After a few hundred experiments, you will be completely unrecognisable.
Get started today.