Why a Startup is Better Than You

Experience, knowledge, a huge list of contacts'yes, they all help in the quest for success. Do you know what these things also bring?

Complacency

It's all very well having a great past, and even a great present, but this holds little leverage in the future. Tomorrow is always changing. It holds mysteries we can't imagine. In other words, complacency offers a whole host of trouble.

That's why a Startup is better than you.

They have to be open minded

They have to be creative and strategic

They have nothing else to fall on

True, some startups have millions of venture capital behind them, and others are fronted by an experienced team. Most of the time, though, it's a guy or girl with a dream. A vision to change the world.

The only way to achieve this is to do what needs to be done. This is where existing businesses often fail.

People Hate Change

When you have success, change can be a scary thought. It ultimately takes you away from the thing that made you great in the first place, so it's understandable that you're weary. A Startup doesn't get this luxury (or hinderance) because they have no choice to adapt and be open to what needs to be done.

This isn't a bad thing. The world is changing all the time, so why shouldn't we ' as People, as Brands, as Businesses ' be open to it? Lets take a look at 2002 (a whole decade ago) and see what now exists, but didn't then:

• Social Media (at least in the way we know it today)
• Smartphones
• The App
• Social Sharing/Reading

These are just a few things that relate closely to communication. We live in a very different world these days, and guess what, 10 years from now will be different, too.

This isn't change, it's Evolution. We can't be scared of Evolution, those who fear this natural order of things become extinct.

Do you want to be the Business equivalent of the Dodo?

Startups Don't Care

Ok, maybe that's unfair, because they do care. However, there isn't much they can do about it. More often than not they don't have the option of TV adverts, huge print campaigns, and a legion of fans.

Personally, I love new things. Whether it's a new way to communicate, a new gadget to spend my money on, or a new idea that gets me thinking. To fulfil my fix I head to sites like Kickstarter and observe what the legend of tomorrow does.

Whether it's an iPhone watch that raises over $10 million or a gadget that cleans and charges your Smartphone, you see some truly remarkable things.

We live in an age where anyone can go to market. If there's a will there's a way. Chris Gullieal's book, The $100 Startup, looks at this in detail. If you want to see how people cross the world are making things happen, this is the book for you.

However, we might all be able to go to market, but this creates one large issue: Competition is tough. To negate this the modern day entrepreneur needs to live her life outside the box. She needs to be creative ALL OF THE TIME, but it doesn't stop there, because every great idea needs a strategy behind it, too.

Creativity + Strategy = Yes Please

I write about this idea in my Free Ebook, What Is Strategic Marketing. It looks at the modern day marketer, but it's something that affects the entire Business World.

It considers every modern day idea there is.

A great idea means nothing until you have a way of making it mean something. This is where Creativity & Strategy come together. How many existing Brands do this?

In my experience, not many. After all, these companies have made thousands (often millions) doing what they do. Why would they need to change? Why would they need to adapt?

Because the world is asking you to. People, Society, Thinking'everything is evolving into something different'unique'better.

This Is Why Startups Are Better

The reason we see a guy in a dorm room making Social Media what it is (Mark Zukerberg), instead, of lets say, a large existing business like Microsoft, is because they have no rules to play to.

Experience, knowledge, a huge list of contacts'they all create a set of rules you adhere to. Structure is great, and rules have a place, but they also prevent you from truly seeing the things around you.

Startups don't have this, and that's why they're better

Are you a 21st Century Brand embracing Evolution?

If you are share your thoughts below'

Turndog Millionaire ' @turndog_million

This article is an original contribution by Matthew Turner.

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