Is Your Startup a Servant or a Guide?
There’s a central core to all businesses on earth, and that’s the act of serving in return for a price. And almost always, serving comes first.
I’ve learned through the years that the act of serving is a very complicated matter and beeing better at it certainly pays off.
But what exactly does it mean to be a good servant, and how can one stand out in today’s business jungle where startups are popping out every day like mushrooms?
There are many shades in the spectrum between great and not so great servants, but overall I found 2 main types:
- Those that serve just so that they can survive. The Simple Servant.
- Those that go beyond serving and help people transform. The Guide.
Let’s forget about the business talk for a minute and imagine these 2 types as (human) beings rather than companies or business.
Guides are often found in stories, and their role is vital in the upbringing of the main character. Imagine a Guide we all know from a story most of us love:
Yoda from Star Wars.
Is Yoda a servant? Quite so! Luke he serves, mmmm, he does, indeed!
But it doesn’t look like serving, it’s way beyond that. It’s a selfless act that develops far from a simple transaction between the 2 characters. He helps Luke go through a transformation process with internal and external benefits. The hero gains confidence, knowledge, mental power and physical strength while entering a new culture that opens up his understanding of the universe. What’s Yoda getting out of it? He mostly cares about balance in the galaxy and peace to all beings in it. He includes Luke in his big cause, and they both benefit in this win-win situation.
So great guides focus on 2 things. To transform people into their better selves, and to achieve a higher cause aka eradicate a problem or pain from the world (or galaxy):
Transformation: Yoda is turning young people into Jedis so that they can reach their true potential
Cause: Yoda is bringing balance to the galaxy
In the business world this is what the 2 types do:
- Simple servants create commodities
- Guides create engaging brands.
I’m not saying that commodity-type businesses are bad in any way; Actually, a product that is now a commodity was once an innovation that had massive success by reaching huge markets that were not there before.
But that success quickly attracts swarms of entrepreneurs that want a piece of the pie. At that moment in time, those who don’t have an effective branding strategy to make their offering super memorable, lovable and unique become lost in a sea of repetition where only the lower price matters.
To illustrate the fate of the commodities:
I buy honey from the supermarket downstairs every month or so, but I don’t remember the name on the jar’s label. The only thing I read on the label is actually if it comes from eco-farming or not. If say, next year I’ll live somewhere else, whatever supermarket is downstairs will decide what honey I buy. Those that produce the eco honey may seem one step closer to beeing brands because they ride a trend. But this trend has been itself commoditised because these days 1/4 of products are eco-friendly.
On the other hand, authentic brands make their customers fall in love with them because they aren’t only serving artfully; they’re also transforming people on a deeper level by helping them become better. The best ones also strive towards a bigger-then-themselves cause as in the case of our small green Jedi master.
The cause element in a startup shouldn’t be just another line to your checklist. It has to come from the depths of your companie’s motivation to achieve something great, it should be a mirror for the reason you exist as a business, and it should inspire a vision of a better life for your audience.
To illustrate how Guide type brands work, let’s look at it this way:
Luke = You
Yoda = Apple
In this narrative, you are the hero (main character) in your life story. You are a creative person, say a graphic designer in the late 90's. Apples’ main focus is to enable the true potential of creative people by offering them super easy to use tools with great user experience while all the other tech companies go on with the preconception that computers are for mature, serious scientific people.
At the same time, Apple embraces the geeks of the world and creates a parallel with the genius people of the century. They basically invented the trend chic geek, which is today’s hipster.
So, through the 90' Apple didn't only help creative people with great technology; they also empowered them, made them feel good about who they are and eventually helped them become more productive and successful.
3 steps to becoming the guide type.
- Become an authority in the market place.
- Make sure your business is unique in your market category. If there’s no more market to share, create a subcategory by finding a blank space. To find it, always think of going in the opposite direction from the big companies. David will beat Goliath.
- Prove your company is the best instead of just saying it. Offer free insightful reports or articles that can genuinely help your customers before expecting sales.
- Show a compelling plan for your customers when they land on your website or marketing material. Explain how you will solve their problem in 3 to 5 simple steps.
2. Truly understand your customers
- Focus more on your customer’s needs rather than your product’s features. Always put yourself in their role and ask questions like: “What am I getting out of this”, “Is this something I need?”, “Why should I trust you?” “Ok, I like this but how do I start?”
- Customers have not only external problems but also internal ones. Understanding their hopes, dreams, what keeps them awake at night, will help you focus on solving their most “hair on fire” problem.
- Choose a set of trends that embody your customers, to give more meaning to your brand.
3. Find your purpose beyond making money.
- Be in the business of transforming people into their better selves, not only solving external problems.
- Have a strong vision of the brave new world that your business will help create.
- Have a clear plan for making that vision a reality. Strong brands don’t just serve, they promise a better world and then deliver on that promise.
About me
Hola! I’m Virgil Horghidan, full-stack designer partnering with startups to help them cut through the noise and engage their audience so that they can grow their business and close funding rounds.
If you have any questions email me at hi@virgilh.com.
If you’re interested in working with me, Schedule A Free Appointment.
