According to Anna Wintour, These Three Points Make You Stand Out as an Entrepreneur
You go nowhere if you just have the idea.
Every day, new projects; business, blogs, events, are getting started all over the globe.
Having an idea to communicate with your team and take decisions from there will make your product a success. Except, it takes more than just this.
When Walt Disney was a kid he wanted to create stories. When Walt Disney grew up he wanted to create stories that would keep people inspired. Through the power of unparalleled storytelling Walt build up one of the most iconic brands in history.
By bringing in talented and committed artists and make them understand his creative vision toward the development of the company, Walt became a unique entrepreneur and entertainer.
We’ve got tons of stories like this. In her MasterClass, while sharing unprecedented advice from her world, and backed up by her personal experience throughout the years, Anna Wintour pointed out:
“Find the bigger meaning in your work, lead with a point of view and know what you’re aiming at with every decision you make. Everyone wants to invent Facebook, but everyone fails to understand how to do it.”
1. Have an Idea Someone Could Connect To Instantly
If we take a look at the most successful brands, we rapidly related them to one specific idea. Take any of them: Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Apple, Vogue, Disney.
In 1977, Rob Campbell, now CEO of Voalte, was pretty excited about the rising class of personal computers. He started his search for a place at one of the many companies taking part in the revolution.
Campbell visited Tandy Computers. “What’s your vision for the personal computer?” he asked. “We think it could be the next big thing on everyone’s wish list for the holiday season!” Tandy Computers response was.
Campbell felt dry and move one to Commodore, another company introducing personal computers. “What’s your vision for the personal computer?” Campbell asked. “We think it could help our stock rise above two dollars a share.” Executives said excitedly. Again, uninspired, Campbell moved on.
He then decided to take Steve Jobs invitation to meet for lunch, and asked one more time, “What’s your vision for the personal computer?” Campbell stated what happened next still continues to grip him every day.
“Steve Jobs was a magical storyteller. For the next hour, he talked about how personal computers were going to change the world. He painted a picture of how it would change everything about the way we worked, educated our children and entertained ourselves.”
Vision was the one thing that separated Steve Jobs from the others.
Anna Wintour believes in the building of excitement through connecting your ideas to a theme someone can relate to in a deeper level. Emotions are there for our ideas to be personal, exclusive, and so unique.
For every new idea she will ask herself: “What is it that I’m trying to say and represent?”
2. Before Anything Else, You Should Invest in the Right People
Irving Penn spent 66 of his 92 years at Vogue magazine. He created more than 160 prodigious covers, starting August 1943.
Penn couldn’t serve in the Army due to his heart condition, so he volunteered for the American Field Service, holding posts in Austria, Italy, and India. In 1945 Vogue published an article titled, “Someone Is Always Watching You,” collecting pieces from these letters sent from the Italian front. The editor said:
“Penn applied the same talent for precision and observation in his writing as in his photographs.”
Maria Morris Hambourg, Met cocurator, echoed the sentiment, saying that Penn’s “seriously arresting” photographs “get under your skin.”
Irving Penn’s career proved and expanded Vogue’s vision through bringing in his unique style, experiences, and vision. Examples of his works are on view in “Irving Penn: The Centennial” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This is why, before investing in anything else, you should surround yourself with self-starter, loyal, positive, and straight-talker people, who — of course — are passionate about the world they’re in.
Give space for creativity and understand each person’s vision, but also let them see your own business’s needs and viewpoint.
You’ll be surprised at how much that person can bring in.
3. Your Brand Has to Be at the Core of All Creative Decisions
Brands that understand their audience desires don’t get stuck. When you get to the core of your brand, you can channel that into your creations, direct a team, and know your customers.
A fast-food local got their start by selling 15-cent hamburgers in California. Today, this company is one of the most recognizable in the world. Those golden arches are what tied (and still do) all the different aspects of McDonald’s branding and marketing.
With the pass of the years, customers became more and more health conscious and tech-savvy, and McDonald’s executives were not to modify their whole image. Yet, they made some changes to their marketing brand, products, and all that could reflect their audience’s changing interests.
Their menu remained. Their golden arches remained. McDonald’s understood the need to adapt to an audience that was constantly changing and growing.
In 1987, they added fresh salads to their menu, and today there are even more healthy options. McDonald’s permanent effort to innovate their brand, advertisements, and products is the reason behind its success as brand-building in the world.
Anna Wintour considers the following inquires a must answer to any brand, business, or entrepreneur:
1. What is it
2. What does it stand for
3. How do you move it forward
You go nowhere if you just have the idea.
Keeping in mind these three points could help you shape your next project into something much more tangible.
The journey of a brand is a long path that takes hard work, a lot of time, a correct team management, and a constant adaptation to changes.
Have a title. Have an idea. But most of all, have a strong vision and stick to it while you move forward.
