Have you heard about Christian Owens yet?
Christian is a 16 year old boy who has created million dollar software and ad companies before the age of 16. The companies sell bundles of popular Mac software and now he has started a company selling ads on websites. It is a great story that you have to read . . . once you are done reading this blog post of course.
What I found interesting about Christian’s story was some of the comments that people left on the blog where it was posted. While some were positive, many comments are mocking him for not having a life, employing his parents, and most egregious of all . . . being unoriginal.
Common Business Beliefs
What the comments illustrate is a common business belief. When most people start their businesses, they think that they have to be 100% original. They believe that they have to sell products on one else is selling, have a store that is totally original, or create new intellectual content from original research. They have it in their heads that they have to be unique to make it in this world.
Let me let you in on a little secret . . .
The most successful businesses in the world are not unique!
A quick disclaimer; I am not condoning the blatant copying of other people’s copyrighted and patented materials for personal gain. That is stealing. What I am talking about is copying ideas about what works and using those ideas in your business.
There are two ways to accomplish this in your business:
Number One: Improve Current Products
For example, think about a few of the most successful technology companies in the world: Apple, Google, and Microsoft. All of these companies were late to the game in their original markets but are now the leaders in mobile technology, search, and office software.
They accomplished this feat by taking something that was hard to use, expensive to operate, and ineffective. They made those products easy to use, cheap to operate, and more effective. In essence, these companies took complex products and services that were specialty products and made them into easy to use commodities.
In the story of Christian Owens, he found multiple mac programs that people wanted to use but couldn’t afford to purchase them all individually, worked with the software authors to bundle them together, and sold the bundle at a major discount. He also used contests, referral bonuses, and limited time offers to give people a sense of urgency to buy the bundle.
Everything Christian did has been done before, but he made it simpler, cheaper, and more useful to his customers.
Could you do that in your business?
Number Two: Completely Copy What Worked for Someone Else (With Their Permission!)
When you drive down any main street in the United States, what do you typically see? Do you see a McDonalds, a Subway, and an Applebees? More than likely you will find a chain rather than something unique.
Why would someone buy a franchise rather than start something unique?
People open franchises because they are proven businesses. Most people that have started a unique retail or restaurant business will tell you, that if they had to do it again they would buy a proven franchise. While it is great when a unique business succeeds, the failure rate is much higher than if you would have bought a franchise.
If you are desperate for a business of your own, a franchised business might be what works for you since you are copying what worked for someone else.
Can you be successful by being original?
It is possible, but with so many people being successful by being unoriginal, why risk it? Do what others are doing, but take it one step further. Make it easier, make it more accessible, and make it more desirable. If that doesn’t work, then consider what licensing and franchising a business could do for your freedom.
Whatever you do, remember to keep moving forward.
P.S. Here is the story on Christian Owens from Gizmodo.
P.P.S. If you are looking for a tool to get you started in creating a totally unoriginal Internet Marketing business, then make sure to pick up a copy of my step by step guide to Creating a Product this Weekend.
Got another minute?
Do you like what I have to say in my blog posts? If you do, then leave a comment and click on one of the share buttons below and let your friends on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn know about my blog. You can also Like me on Facebook by clicking on the like button to the left of this post.
Thank you so much for helping spread the word!
If you liked this post, then you should also check out:
