If there’s one entrepreneur you should have on speed dial, it’s the loveable bald-headed Seth Godin. We unpack some of his best advice.
It would seem that there’s not a lot Seth Godin can’t do. He’s an author, an entrepreneur, a marketer, a public speaker, and an all-round incredibly smart and witty guy. Most famous for his worldwide bestseller, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, he also changed the way that marketing is seen, and introduced us to the idea of spreading influence through tribes. Here are a few of his extraordinary pearls of wisdom – find more at www.sethgodin.com
“Just about every successful venture is based on an “unoriginal idea” beautifully executed. Ideas are easy, doing stuff is hard.”
Godin turned marketing on its head by decrying the idea that we should all be doing what everyone else is doing in order to reach the mass audience. Beautiful execution of simple ideas is part of what makes his brand so unique – and so powerful.
“Find inspiration instead of it finding you.”
Most of the time, entrepreneurs are so busy getting through the endless To Do List that we don’t take the time to get inspired about our work – and all those things on the periphery of our work. A bolt of inspiration will probably only strike one time out of a thousand, so if you really want to stay on the cutting edge of your industry, you’re going to have to go out there and find inspiration on your own.
“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”
One of the key messages in all Godin’s books, blogs and public speaking is the necessity of passion as a driving force behind any work. But not just passion – enjoyment. Being excited to start the week, feeling fired up about new projects and wanting to work even when you don’t have to: these are all key components to living the kind of live (and running the kind of company) Godin suggests.
“The people who are the best in the world specialize at getting really good at the questions they don’t know.”
If there’s one thing Godin is famous for, it’s his questioning mind. If you shy away from the questions you don’t know the answers to, how will you ever find out more? The emphasis here is on finding out what isn’t working well and why it isn’t working well, and creating solutions that are different to the status quo.
Hungry for more wisdom? Check out www.sethgodin.com.