Years ago, many people desired to be “discovered”, particularly in industries like music. Make some great stuff, and then hope that the right person hears it and can vault you to stardom. Those days are long gone, but it’s ok.
These days, with sharing so painfully easy, any great talent will quickly be shared and become known without the intervention of someone like a record label. As Hugh MacLeod said in his book “Ignore Everybody“:
You don’t have to waste time, sitting around waiting to be discovered. Be proactive, network and use the internet to get your message out to the world.
It’s yours to take! Keep putting out amazing content, and your audience will slowly (or perhaps rapidly) grow.
The same is true for business. I mentioned last month that if your business requires that you buy advertising to survive, you’re likely in trouble. Hugh puts it this way:
“If your business plan depends on suddenly being “discovered” by some big shot, your plan will probably fail. Nobody suddenly discovers anything. Things are made slowly and in pain.”
Ads can potentially help you get there, but you should be able to grow to some degree without them. If you’re not yet where you want to be with your business idea or your artistic talent, just keep being proactive and keep making pots.
