Three Pillars To Rule Them All
No matter if you're tuning in to a creative, a savvy business mind, or a marketing maestro, many of the influential voices of recent decades, from creative moguls like Virgil Abloh and Kanye West to top-notch voices from the music field like Rick Rubin or strategic thinkers such as Simon Sinek, all, at some point, weave their narratives around three powerhouse concepts: Tuning into the True Self, hiper focus, and the imperative to broadcast those convictions to a community that can't help but be magnetically drawn to the same wavelength.
Whether we map it out through a framework brimming with well-tested processes or express it in a more spiritual manifestation, the reality remains constant: regardless of the starting scheme fueling the endeavor, the results inevitably converge towards a single destination—the connection between what's created and the community (call it an audience, a public, a niche, or an individual) that receives it. Then profits can come as a consequence of this kind of planetary alignment.
“In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishment—there are consequences.”
From these three pillars, many strategies, tactics, roadmaps, and more can be outlined and subsequently developed, all tailored to fit into the blueprint of your business model, the market you aim to enter, and the audience you are eager to touch with your message. Yet, these pillars remain immutable at their core, serving as the abundance from which the motivation to create, produce, and reach the heights we set out for originates.
Okay, I know—talking about abstract, otherworldly concepts might sound like we're summoning motivational spirits or something. It turns out you've soared through the clouds of inspiration, high-fived your inner muse, and now you find yourself needing a concrete roadmap.
Let’s play a bit. Here's how each pillar could be associated with business concepts
Pillar #1.- Tune to Your True Self
Business Concept: Authenticity and Brand Identity
Basis: Authenticity is highly valued in business. Tuning into the authentic self of the project you are working on aligns with creating a genuine brand identity. When a business embodies its core values and beliefs, it connects with consumers who share similar values; therefore, you are no longer trying to give attributes to a product or service; you are tuning into something that transcends it, an energy that drives a desire to whatever you are planning to deliver to the market. The guiding principle here is: To recognize that genuine endorsement, rooted in authenticity, becomes a magnetic force that resonates with audiences, fostering brand loyalty and long-term profits.
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
Pillar #2.- Hyper Focus on Your Idea and Master It
Business Concept: Specialization and Expertise
Basis: In business, being an expert in a specific niche or having a focused approach to your brand identity can lead to a competitive advantage. Directing tenacious attention toward one's very own narrative allows for mastery beyond mere competence—it lays the foundation for expertise. The guiding principle here is: To create impact, focus is not just a choice; it's a strategic imperative. It allows you to become a master in that domain, positioning your brand as a go-to authority in the market.
“You cannot be everything to everyone. If you decide to go north, you cannot go south at the same time.”
Pillar #3.- Build a Community.
Business Concept: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Brand Loyalty
Basis: Building a community around your brand is akin to cultivating a loyal customer base. In business terms, this relates to CRM strategies where consumer relationships are actively nurtured throughout the entire customer journey. A strong community fosters brand loyalty, encourages repeat business, and can serve as a brand advocate, promoting your products or services to a broader audience. This is, creating a community isn't merely a consequence of success; it's a deliberate, strategic move. The guiding principle here is: To build a community is not just an outcome but an ongoing process, where the focus shifts from product-centric to community-centric, recognizing that sustained success lies in the strength of these connections.
“Building a startup community is not a zero-sum game in which there are winners and losers: if everyone engages, they and the entire community can all be winners.”
But… What if we want to connect with some specific financial concepts? Let’s try, then…
Financial Concept: Return on Investment (ROI) through Authentic Marketing.
Pillar + Business Concept: Tune to Your True Self → Authenticity and Brand Identity.
Basis: Authentic Marketing, aligned with your true Brand Identity, can contribute to a higher return on investment. Instead of investing heavily in generic advertising, businesses that authentically represent their values can resonate better with their target audience, leading to more effective marketing campaigns and a better ROI. It is about ensuring that before intervening with advertising tactics increasing pressure on the spending budget, your idea is at its optimal resonance point with the audience you seek to impact, thus making that push more efficient.
Couples concepts to dive into: Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS), Conversion Rate (CR), Customer Retention Rate (CRR), Contribution Margin after Marketing (CMAM).
Financial Concept: Cost Control and Operational Efficiency.
Pillar + Business Concept: Hyper Focus on Your Idea and Master It → Specialization and Expertise.
Basis: Cost Control and Operational Efficiency are often associated with specialization and expertise, wielding what is relevant to our business goals from what is not. Being strategically focused on your core idea can optimize processes, reduce unnecessary expenses, and streamline operations. This financial concept emphasizes the importance of mastering not only your product or service but also your business's operational aspects and human resources to maximize profitability. Quality over quantity: not every jelly bean flavor belongs to your business jar.
Couples concepts to dive into: Cashflow Forecast, Burnout Rate, Break-even Point, Profit Margin, CAPEX, OPEX.
“Watch the costs, and the profits will take care of themselves.”
Financial Concept: Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and Loyalty Programs.
Pillar + Business Concept: Build a Community → Customer Relationship Management and Brand Loyalty.
Basis: Building a community around your brand directly relates to customer loyalty. Investing in loyalty programs and strategies that focus on enhancing customer lifetime value can contribute significantly to long-term profitability. Loyal customers tend to make repeat purchases and are more likely to engage with additional products or services, increasing the overall financial value they bring to the business. In essence, we can assume that the end customer is the leverage, where leverage means power, influence, or advantage. It suggests that the end customer possesses a critical force that can be harnessed to achieve success or effectiveness in a business. Therefore, your community is your long-term revenue force.
Couples concepts to dive into: Cost Per Lead (CPL), Churn Rate, Cross-Selling.
At this point, and depending on your work area, you will have seen that the business or financial concepts associated with these three strong ideas can vary, extend, and lead to more specific routes. It's more like a choose-your-own-adventure, but with spreadsheets and a dash of market analysis. A SWOT analysis will even help to glimpse which levers require greater dedication based on your starting point, budgeting, the competitors you face, market barriers, etc. It is pretty relevant to understand that each idea belongs to a context, a time, and a place; it's not a one-size-fits-all scenario; instead, it's a bespoke tapestry woven by the creativity with which you interpret your surroundings; it's basically the haute couture of business strategy – tailor-made, unique, and hopefully trendsetting. These three pillars will help you like a lighthouse when the storm rages—because, let's face it, the storm always brews.
Let's try to turn it into a little sailor’s story, then...
Tuning into your authentic self becomes the compass, ensuring authenticity steers the ship;
hyper-focusing on your idea becomes the anchor, grounding you in mastery;
and building a community transform into the lighthouse, cutting through the fog, illuminating the path forward.
Remember that these tokens are not rigid constraints but adaptable instruments. They must harmonize with the melody of your context.
As a final synthesis exercise, let's break down the initial thought into a heuristic analysis based on the three pillars:
Summary Chart
| Creative Process / Brand Strategy | Business Concepts / Financial Pillars | A sailor's story... |
|---|---|---|
| PILLAR 1 · Tune to Your True Self to Embody Your Idea. · Keyword: AUTHENTICITY |
ROI through Authentic Marketing · Authentic marketing aligned with true brand identity, leading to a higher return on investment. |
Tuning into your authentic self becomes the compass, ensuring authenticity steers the ship. |
| PILLAR 2 · Focus on Your Idea and Master It · Keyword: FOCUS |
Cost Control and Operational Efficiency · Achieving Cost Control and Operational Efficiency through specialization and expertise. |
Focusing on your idea becomes the anchor, grounding you in mastery. |
| PILLAR 3 · Build a Community · Keyword: COMMUNITY |
CLV and Loyalty Programs · Building customer loyalty through community engagement, contributing to customer lifetime value. |
Building a community transforms into the lighthouse, cutting through the fog illuminating the path forward. |
So, it's time to don your metaphorical Sherlock Holmes hat and embark on the quest to find your purpose, your style, and your unique way of decoding this crazy world we live in. It's like trying to find the perfect avocado at the supermarket – a bit squishy, but not too much.
And remember,
“What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first steps to something better.”
