RugbyBricks has become one of the most recognisable names in their niche, Rugby.There's a ton of former professional rugby players. But none of them have created a brand like RugbyBricks.They started as an Instagram page with 0 followers. Now RugbyBricks is on track for $1mil+ revenue this year and growing 100%+ year on year.Yeah, being an authority on a topic, niching down and all that other cliche stuff does help. Building specific knowledge as Naval likes to call it helps. But none of this matters as much as you think.Here's 3 key concepts that have helped RugbyBricks become a household name in Rugby.1. Form A Different PerspectiveWhen starting out, most of us are narrow. We’re narrow in our relationships, we have a narrow set of skills, and, worst of all, we’re narrow-minded. In business however, most success comes from leveraging the accumulated learnings of those around you, to form unique insights.Pete found his inspiration to launch Rugby Bricks this way:“When I started Rugby Bricks, I found a lot of ex-pro players talking about their career with no-one listening. I knew, from listening to people like Gary Vee, that there was a hole [in the rugby market] that others hadn’t explored – exposing players to the skills needed to become a professional footy player. I was unsure if I was doing the right thing, but it’s very reassuring when people who are outside your normal sphere of influence say that you’re on the right path.” – Peter BreenPete’s idea was a kind of rugby ‘infotainment’ (a mix of education and entertainment), solving a problem for the player who wanted to learn the details and not just hear about the big picture. Rugby Bricks’ vision was to lay one brick of knowledge upon another for aspiring and active players, and the content ensured those players picked it up.None of this would have started if Pete had simply copied others, sharing stories from his playing days like everyone else. To build something unique, you need to take a different angle.2. Build For An Audience of OneIt’s been said that if everyone is your customer then no one is your customer.What this actually means is that trying to please too many people at once makes you too generic for anyone to really like.You’re far better off to have 100 people rave about your work than have 1000 people think it’s just okay. Pete reinforces this message with a very specific customer in mind:“After having Tony Brown coach me, I learned that there was so much detail in the game that nobody was talking about. I knew that when I was trying to play professionally, I would have done anything to get that 1% better. So when I retired, I knew that if I was just making the content for me, when I was trying to make it in Otago, someone else would be keen to watch. I couldn’t have been the only person with that problem.” – Pete BreenYou as the individual must become your target market. This strategy is so effective when starting out because it provides you with first hand knowledge of your customer’s needs. If you create anything (content or product) that you’re not satisfied with, you’ll know which parts are wrong and how to make them better.Rugby Bricks was compelling because it comprehensively solved the problem of one person – its founder. And just like multiple of your peers having the same question in class, it turned out there were many more people with similar problems, who loved the new solutions being presented to them.When starting a business, don’t worry about taking over the entire market. Create solutions for a small audience that loves what you’re producing, and scale from there.3. Turn Your Passion Into PersistenceA 2007 paper describes ‘grit’ – a non-cognitive trait, defined as perseverance and passion for long term goals – as even more important than IQ for predicting success.Pete understands this intuitively and knew from the beginning that if he was going to build something worthwhile, he’d require a persistent passion to endure the tumultuous journey we embark on when we start from scratch.“When it’s something you are passionate about, you really give it your all. And that means doing all the things you’re scared of and giving it a real crack to make sure that you’ve put in your best effort. That passion keeps you going because you love what you’re doing, even when it gets tough.” – Peter Breen99% of the work you do is behind the scenes. Just like in sport, you’ve got to make sure that you love what you do, because to be successful, you have to do it day in and day out.If you don’t have the necessary grit, when the rubber meets the road you won’t be able to generate the traction you need. And from there, it’s a slippery slope to failure.Persistence. Grit. Perseverance – whatever you want to call it – is key, because time is the necessary factor to create anything that people will value. The story of Rugby Bricks is no different.If you enjoyed learning about RugbyBricks you might be interested in our weekly newsletter, where we share more lessons like these that will help you become a better entrepreneur. see hubwealthy.com/wealthy
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