Low price is the last refuge of a marketer who has run out of generous ideas.
This is a powerful book – Tiny is mighty. Sharon Rowe’s simple shift in thinking is a profound idea, precisely what we need to hear.
The best marketers are farmers, not hunters. Plant, tend, plow, fertilize, weed, repeat. Let someone else race around after shiny objects.
We’re so obsessed about the risk of shining brightly that we’ve traded in everything that matters to avoid it.
Like the fox, we’ve been trained to stay inside the fence, because inside the fence is where it’s safe – until it’s too late.
We assume that what makes us comfortable also makes us safe.
Those places that felt safe – the corner office, the famous college, the secure job – aren’t. You’re holding back, betting on a return to normal, but in the new normal, your resistance to change is no longer helpful.
There’s still a safety zone, but it’s not in a place that feels comfortable to you. The new safety zone is the place where art and innovation and destruction and rebirth happen. The new safety zone is the never-ending creation of ever-deeper personal connection.
Organize your project, your life, and your organization around the minimum. What’s the smallest market you can survive on?
Alas, there isn’t a pain-free way to achieve your goals.
Art isn’t a result; it’s a journey. The challenge of our time is to find a journey worthy of your heart and your soul.
The only choice we have is to begin. And the only place to begin is where we are. Simply begin. But begin.
Writers write. Runners run. Establish your identity by doing your work.
Shipping, because it doesn’t count if you don’t share it. Creative, because you’re not a cog in the system. You’re a creator, a problem solver, a generous leader who is making things better by producing a new way forward. Work, because it’s not a hobby. You might not get paid for it, not today, but you approach it as a professional. The muse is not the point, excuses are avoided, and the work is why you are here.
Your work is too important to be left to how you feel today.
If times are tough, your peers and your boss may very well say that you can’t afford to be remarkable. After all, we have to conserve, to play it safe; we don’t have the money to make a mistake. In good times, however, those same people will tell you to relax, take it easy; we can afford to be conservative, to play it safe.
Let’s start with their slogan, “Fair and Balanced.” While one could argue whether their news is fair and balanced, the slogan itself is brilliant. It flatters the audience, reminds them that they are not a tiny minority and reinforces a message that their worldview is valid and appropriate. “News for Conservatives” is precisely the wrong message. Subtlety makes the story work. By acting as though they represent the majority opinion, they frame their story in a way that this audience understands.
Response is always better than reaction.
When you identify the discomfort, you’ve found the place where a leader is needed. If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.
It’s insulting to call a professional talented. She’s skilled, first and foremost. Many people have talent, but only a few care enough to show up fully, to earn their skill. Skill is rarer than talent. Skill is earned. Skill is available to anyone who cares enough.