What is my favorite way to discover new startups? It is without a doubt via video. I read and write enough everyday (with BizzVenue and other projects/work) that getting it on video is so much easier and understandable (for me as a consumer). You may have stumbled across a certain video a little over a year ago from Dollar Shave Club.
You haven’t seen it? We’ve got to stop for a minute, and you have to watch it.
It’s taken time, but after simply enjoying the video, we now understand that there are so many lessons for entrepreneurs in the simple and engaging video that go beyond creating a stellar video.
Just Remix
Months ago I sat with a friend trying to hash out a new startup. Step 1 was to find an idea, so we spent day after day throwing out ideas and concepts that had not been done before or had been, but in a lesser fashion. If you guessed that we settled on the same ground-breaking idea, unfortunately you are mistaken. The lesson then, and now, after watching Mike from Dollar Shave Club is that you don’t have to create from zero. In fact, some of the greatest hits of all time are a result of being built upon something that already existed.
Competitive Advantage
Their competitive advantage is clear-cut. You get what you pay for. The question is, are you really getting your money’s worth by spending so much on razors? Probably not, and so DollarShaveClub offers a cheaper alternative while still offering the quality shave you need. It’s a win-win situation
Be Concise
Being able to explain a business aspect in a few words is an art and something we could all stand to improve upon. In the video, within the first 20 seconds we all know what the product is. Can and would the company like to add on to that brief explanation? Yes, and they can because they were able to explain to us all what their product was right off the bat. Many entrepreneurs struggle telling people (at pitch nights for example) what they do, and instead of giving a clear introduction end up going off into another realm. The ability to explain yourself in one sentence is valuable – make sure to add the skill to your toolbox.
Humor Wins
Humor wins because it gets shared. No matter what your product is, you can use humor to market the business. Take BuzzFeed and their video series for example. I am not a big fan of the site, however of the videos I’ve seen shared on my newsfeed, all of them have one aspect in common – humor. Humor is everywhere because our body is attracted to humor, whether it is in relationships or business.
Be Positive
UpWorthy launched in December of 2012, and today is one of the web’s leading content providers and gets shared almost as often as BuzzFeed and Huffington Post. Why? It’s titles are not only quite comical, but also very positive. Heard of the saying, “No one wants a Debbie downer”? It is true; negativity is like a bacteria that we pick up from a friend (it’s easier to collect than get rid of). According to The New Yorker, positivity is one 1 of the 6 characteristics of viral content.
If you’re in the business of making business then the lessons we were able to walk away from are sure-handed lessons that can help any entrepreneur.
