How to start a movement like Trader Joe's
There is no grocery outlet in the world with a cult following like Trader Joe’s. Customers will drive hours from their home despite the fact that Trader Joe’s never offers sales, coupons, loyalty cards, advertising, social media hacks, or self-checkout registers. They have zero branded items and it’s usually very difficult to find parking.
If this store doesn’t appeal to you, that’s perfectly OK to them. Trader Joe’s is leading a movement and you can’t have insiders without outsiders.
As an entrepreneur, you have the decision to start a business or a movement. Starting a movement doesn’t require money or power, just caring and audacity. If you asked a young Steve Jobs about Apple, he wouldn’t talk about his Macintosh, he would talk about how a beautiful computer should sit prominently on your home desk instead of hidden in the garage. He led a movement for beautiful design.
If you ask Elon Musk about Tesla, he wouldn’t talk about his car, he would talk about our planet’s existential dependence on fossil fuels. He is leading a movement for clean energy.
When you lead a movement, you are speaking to your user’s values instead of their tastes. Your product no longer becomes a tool for a problem, but a status symbol that says “people like us do things like this.”
Further Reading: Derek Sivers TED: How to Start a Movement (3minutes)
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