“I can’t believe nobody’s doing this yet!”
Comes up a lot when we get an idea or new concept.
It creates a kind of urgency and excitement – if we “fill the hole” there’s going to be demand!
It can be a great place to start, but soon two problems pop up if we are just focused on the hole.
Firstly, it’s comparative, and secondly, it’s based on scarcity.
The extension of this mindset is that if you fill the hole, and someone else comes in next to you in the same “hole,” (inevitable) they’ll just do it cheaper.
The alternative is to figure out who you are, and look at the bigger change you want to make, with who?
This is figuring out your story – what you’re about, your values, and what you’d like to see happen in the culture, then communicating this with the people who might be interested.
Patagonia started by filling a hole around a need for climbing pitons. Soon it was the story of great outdoor products for silent sports, and a sustainable future.
Adobe started by filling a hole with software for creatives. Soon it was about empowering the whole creative community and building networks.
Who Gives a Crap toilet paper filled a hole by creating responsible TP. It’s really about the story of those who want to live sustainably and have a laugh doing it.
Holes or new concepts pop up all the time…
But most of the businesses that we love to engage in have created much more. Developing a story that connects us to our purpose or vision, or helps us reinforce our core values is how we can create long term engagement.
[Two great books on this concept – Story Driven (Bernadette Jiwa) and This is Marketing (Seth Godin)]
