Issue 1 | June 2011

a publication of Fulcruum Publishing

Escaping the echo chamber

of noise and nonsense
 from the publishers
What do you want to be when you grow up? 4
feature Demystifying Creative Phenomena
Interview with Todd Henry 7 pu b l i s h e r

Inside a Treehouse
Interview with Thom Chambers 14
Why being an addictive brand isn’t an option
Analysis of brand addictivity by Abby Kerr 18
Sweet Symbiosis of creativity and health
Interview with Chris Downie of SparkPeople 22
To Niche or Not to Niche
28
y o u
Niche debate between Mars Dorian and Jonathan Wondrusch

p o w e r o f
The power of you
The world through your eyes 35 the
 How many times were we asked that question as a child? Remember
the imagination you would let loose at the invitation to say whatever
was on your mind?
How few of us actually grew up to become what we wanted to?
I now wonder how many adults ask children this question for ideas
that could lead to possible career changes. Somewhere along our
journeys, we began to make our answers align more with what
we perceived to be “realistic” dreams. Instead of astronauts and
firemen, many settle for assistant manager; instead of ballerinas
and marine biologists, how many have become lost in the sea of
factory workers.
The imagination we possessed as a child gave way to a world where
many become cogs in a giant machine. Standing amidst the noise
and nonsense, so many merely repeat what those around them are
saying. Voices echo without the need for canyon walls since everyone

From the Publishers is repeating the same thing. The sound of our words coming back to
us in different voices tells us that what we are saying must be true;
that those things we repeat in the echo chamber are laws of the
universe and that only certain people ever get to live their dreams.
But not everyone stays trapped in those echo chambers.

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 This select group of escape artists have taken it personally that their
dreams were called unrealistic. They are offended at the concept of
“Can’t”. Where others see walls, they see possibilities and a future.
They know of the echo chamber, but they don’t call it home.
When I was in high school, the internet did not exist outside of the
educational channels that it was born into. My adult life has been
spent watching the internet grow up. From my first interactions with
a purely text based BBS, to the immersive world it has become as it
extends from our desktops to our pockets and beyond, the internet
has changed us all.
Many of those who have escaped the echo chamber have used this
technology to change their answers to the question “What do you
want to be when you grow up?”
Career changes that would have been unrealistic a decade ago are
common place for those who realize the monumental significance
of the technology that surrounds us today. Want to leave the
corporate world behind and travel the world doing what you’ve
always dreamed of? I know of dozens of people doing it right now.
Want to stay home with your family and work around their hours
instead of fitting them around a 9 to 5 job? People are doing it.
We live in a world full of opportunities to change what you are doing
to more closely align with your heart’s desire of what you wanted to
be when you grew up.
There are countless millions who populate the echo chamber
rendering them insignificant among the masses. Yet there is a world
desperately in need of the unique contributions of those willing to
escape it.
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This, our flagship issue of Brilliance, is both a tribute to those who
are escaping the echo chamber and a call to arms for those still
in it. It is a testimony that what we are saying is true; if two career
renegades who have never met face to face can create something
that would have been impossible a decade ago, then maybe all
those others dreams are possible also.
As we launch a new company side by side with a new magazine,
Matt Gartland and myself are choosing to step outside of the echo
chambers we found ourselves in.
With our eyes on our dreams of the future, we worked backwards
to design our journey. The result was our new boutique publishing
company Fulcruum and its first publication Brilliance Magazine.
Fulcruum is focused on leveraging the power of you, the individual,
while Brilliance Magazine is meant to be a light for those still in
need of escape and a beacon for others who are already living their
lives of freedom.
We look forward to the road ahead and thank you for joining us in
this journey, this escape.
Hopefully you too are escaping.
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 5
 While creative grit is
universally admired, it’s
usually abandoned for the

Todd Henry easier path...

that of the victim.
Being an addictive brand isn’t an option. I didn’t write “no
longer an option” because I’m not sure there was ever a

Building a business requires

time when a business could thrive
without ardently wonover fans. Abby Kerr
that you know what your
business is, otherwise

Jonathan Wondrusch you’re a

hobbyist.
Blogging and tweeting and emailing and Skypeing are all
brilliant ways to build a community and can be immensely
fun, but they’re also wonderful ways to avoid doing the work

Believe what you say, and say

of actually building a business or a product
or a service that’s going to work for you. Thom Chambers
what you believe. If you get
that right, you have unlimited

Mars Dorian opportunities in

building your brand.
Who among us doesn’t wish,
if only secretly, to be celebrated for their genius?
Who wouldn’t welcome the reverence for triggering the next huge
fashion trend, technology breakthrough, or lifestyle reform?
Put succinctly, who among us doesn’t want to create a marvelous
phenomenon?
Anyone who says “not I” is a liar. That, or they aren’t a proud and self-
identifying creative entrepreneur who has forsaken conventional
enclosures for opportunistic green fields. In these fertile pastures,
being remarkable isn’t an option. Purple cows be praised.
Alas, true phenomena are rare creatures - unique in their
composition and mysterious in their origin. But their nature is not
random. Is U2’s international prestige a fluke? Harry Potter mania
is pure luck, right? And, of course, Apple’s gadgets are gifts from
god.

Nonsense.
 The glamorous veneer of these iconic
phenomena masks the truth - that they
aren’t creative accidents of fate, but rather
accidental byproducts of a deliberate
discipline. Or, as this article’s esteemed
guest says, “you must be intentional if you
want accidental creativity to flourish.”
Malcolm Gladwell, right?
“Why would
Smart guess, but no (though if left incognito
you might just swear my interviewee was
none other). The premise of accidental
you celebrate a
failure? There’s
creativity does, however, possess a certain
Gladwellian vibe. For one thing, it indirectly
glances off of tipping points and outliers.
Accidental creativity is Todd Henry’s
brainchild. Todd is an unassuming genius,
though he doubtlessly will refute that. His
no reason to
humility aside, the Accidental Creative
(AC) mindset he pioneers is perhaps the
best framework with which to comprehend
celebrate failure;
the nature of creative phenomena. And to
cultivate your own remarkable ingenuity you
must first comprehend its laws of nature. you should be
All natures teem with wonders and dangers
alike. The creative ecosystem is no different.
And with any adventure into the wild, it’s
celebrating your
often smartest to begin preparations by
concentrating on the dangers.
That’s where Todd starts our voyage to
successes.
demystify creative phenomena such that
we might navigate the terrain and produce
them ourselves.

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Into Dark Places
“Jason Fried talks a lot about how the present
culture of celebrating failure is really something
that we should be very cautious of. It’s become
a common thing people talk about in the
world of entrepreneurs: ‘well, I failed and I’m
going to celebrate my failure.’ Wait, why would
you celebrate a failure? There’s no reason to
celebrate failure; you should be celebrating your
successes.”
Many transformative phenomena likely die before
ever being born, or so it would seem from Todd’s
(and Jason’s) view. How could phenomenal
success abound if the entrepreneurial community
is quick to praise an entrepreneur’s failures? Is
the wrong behavior being conditioned here?
Perhaps, and our upbringing may be responsible.
As Todd explains, “some people grow up in
a household where the world is seen as very
dangerous. You have to be very careful and not
take risks because what’s going to happen if you
can’t earn a living? I think people hear those
messages and that does definitely condition their
environment.”
Sadly, failure-praising and ultra-conservative
risk aversion aren’t the only degenerates that
risk imploding brilliant ideas. In fact, they aren’t
even the deadliest. “The worst thing that could
happen is people are apathetic toward what
they’re doing,” says Todd, mindful that apathy is
a short step from ignorance.
Todd describes this perilous step thusly, “I think
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that all of us have to search ourselves and ask
‘where am I at accepting and living with limits,
boundaries, or assumptions that are false or
blatantly false that I am using as a crutch to prop
up my self esteem or my pride because I’m afraid
to engage in the work that’s in front of me?’ I think
in many cases such an attitude is an excuse that
we lean on to not have to face up to our fear of
falling short.”
It’s inconceivable to think that Bono, JK Rowling,
or Steve Jobs ever seriously entertained such
limits, boundaries, or assumptions - or, more
improbably, that they ever balked at the hard work
looming before their eyes. Their transcendent
creations prove as much.
And yet, while creative grit is universally admired,
it’s usually abandoned for the easier path - that
of the victim. Todd helps to put this paradox into
perspective...
“It is a lot easier to blame someone else for your
lack of ability to engage in great work than it
is to actually do the work itself. It’s the excuse
that you give so that you can ease the pain of
not doing your best work - to point to other
people and say ‘well, they won’t let me do it’, or
‘my circumstances are conspiring against me.’
It’s just an easy way out; it’s an easy excuse to
mitigate the pain of failure and mediocrity.”
A paradox indeed because to be creative is by
definition to nurture phenomenal ideas, hopes,
and dreams. But many self-sabotage their efforts
via the vices that Todd has helped us identify. Failure-
praising and victim-playing serve as bookends to
this vicious cycle; each begetting the other.
An obvious question that may already be ricocheting
within your mind is, “So what?” So what if a creative
doesn’t produce the next phenomenon, or any
phenomenon, ever? I agree. So does Todd. In my
words, manifesting a phenomenon does not a
creative entrepreneur make. And in Todd’s...
“It’s fine if you want to say, ‘You know what? At this
point in my life I really just don’t have anything else
to give and I’m just going to settle in.’ That’s fine so
long as you’re being honest with yourself. I don’t
see any reason that there’s anything wrong with
that.”
Todd takes his case further. “The point of life is
not to go out and beat yourself against the wall
and try to consistently create something new. Not
everybody is wired like that - to want to start things
and to be an entrepreneur. I don’t think everybody
is wired that way to take those kinds of risks. But
you can’t complain about it if you choose that life.”
That punchline is essential to the core premise of
creative phenomena. Todd hammers it home by
emphasizing that “you forfeit your right to complain
about your lack of ability to express yourself if you’re
not willing to do something about it.”
Assuming that you choose not to forfeit, let’s now
exit the darkness of damnations and enter the light
of creative synthesis.
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 9
the light of renewable creative energy
Todd has interacted with and interviewed
numerous creatives from various walks of life. He
does so as a function of his engaging Accidental
Creative studio and podcast. Such access to the
inner workings of brilliant minds has allowed Todd
to further demystify creative phenomenon. His
distillations reveal clear patterns and repeatable
behaviors for breakthrough success.
Welcome to the wonders of the creative ecosystem.
As Todd illustrates, it all starts with the forward
lean. “The one attribute common amongst all
brilliant thinkers is a very forward leaning mindset.
They’re all looking at (and often obsessed with)
possibilities. It’s about what’s possible versus
what’s practical. I think that’s the tension that
most creatives really wrestle with, the tension
between possibilities and pragmatics.”
This tension is often over-simplified and under-
appreciated. Simply put, pursuing possibilities
requires more than just an active imagination. It
requires a fervent assault upon the unconscious
limitations of one’s own “reality.” And it demands
that forward motion never stop.
I agree with Todd that all creatives struggle to
embrace this perspective, to varying degrees of
course. For those that need it (I did), he offers a
vivid metaphor to help latch on to the idea...
“All creatives begin as an advancing force and
end up as an occupying force. We begin with an
assault on the beach of apathy and often end up
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just circling around the ground that we’ve taken.
The people who seem to be doing consistently
brilliant work are the ones who are saying ‘Okay.
“The one
Yes. We’ve taken ground. But it’s time to take new
ground rather than becoming obsessed with what
we’ve already done.’”
Not only is this a new perspective but it’s one
that requires a new kind of focus. Cultural
instincts make it acceptable to fall back on your
past achievements as a lavish excuse for risk
attribute
management (or avoidance). We’ve all done it at
one point or another, yours truly included. common amongst
But Todd asserts that those who produce
phenomena are concerned far less with what
they’ve already done and far more with what
they intend to do. “I like to describe it as a lot of
all brililant
thinkers is a
people spending their lives walking backwards,”
Todd exclaims. “They’re looking at their past
accomplishments and recognitions as their
present source of comfort.”
“Conversely, the people who do brilliant work
seem to be the ones who are walking forward
very forward
leaning mindset.
instead of looking back while they’re walking.
Instead of embracing their past experiences as
their present source of comfort, they would say
‘No. Comfort is not for me. I’m going to push on
and try to do something new even if it’s risky. It’s
more painful for me just to stay here and try to
guard this territory that I’ve already taken than it is
for me to go out and risk possibly losing it by trying
something new.’”
 Gear-shifting your walking shoes into the opposite direction
is an important piece of the accidental creative paradigm
shift. But Todd presses that it isn’t the only adjustment to

“We can increase

your focus that’s necessary to spark brilliance.
Indeed, if you aspire to forge phenomena, you must first
pick yourself to do so.

our likelihood
Todd reminds us that as “Seth Godin says, ‘No one is going
to pick you. Pick yourself.’ People no longer have to wait
to be picked because the technology lets them express
themselves. The barriers to entry are very low.”

of experiencing Seth’s message resonates with me. But it disproportionally

favors the benefits from the costs. The truth is that

creative accidents
ubiquitous freedom is not a free lunch. Conventional
challenges and excuses may dissolve but are readily
exchanged for a new set. We trade ‘not being picked’ with
‘not being noticed.’

if we’re willing to And really, that’s the whole point - to engineer some art
so remarkable that it achieves escape velocity from the
weighty echo chamber of noise, nonsense, and knockoffs.
be a little bit more Like it or not; accept it or not - the digital explosion of
products, services, and content is suffocating.

purposeful in how Todd’s already shown that the absentminded won’t survive
in this harsh environment. Sorry, but rah-rah freedom-
fighting won’t save you. If you lack magnificent substance
then you will perish. Let’s call it natural selection.
we structure Who then possesses the most favorable odds of surviving,
thriving, and manifesting phenomena in these rather

our life.
turbulent times?
The accidental creatives.

June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 11

Rise of the Accidental Creatives
To repeat Todd’s mantra: “you must be intentional if you
want accidental creativity to flourish.”
But what is accidental creativity really? And how is it the best
framework with which to engineer creative phenomena?
“What I’ve discovered from interviewing and studying brilliant
minds (plus experimenting with my own creative teams)
is that with a little bit of infrastructure and an underlying
rhythm to our life and creative process, we can structure
our lives so that we experience more frequent creative
‘accidents.’ These ‘accidents’ are those ah-ha moments
right when we have creative insights that seem like they
came out of nowhere. In fact, it’s multiple things coming
together converging into a serendipity that’s like ‘Oh wow! I
have a great idea.’”
Creativity and logic are traditionally viewed as opposites; the
right and left brains respectively. So Todd’s marriage of the
two (a logical structure stimulating a creative response) may
incite some cognitive dissonance. But isn’t the ingenuity of a
whole mind greater than the sum (or not) of its parts?
Todd’s not through arguing his position...
“We can increase our likelihood of experiencing creative
accidents if we’re willing to be a little bit more purposeful
in how we structure our life. If you want a brilliant idea, you
need to begin far upstream from the moment you need that
idea. And you do that by building structure in five areas –
focus, relationships, energy, stimuli, and hours.”
Todd goes on to state that energy is unquestionably the
element that most creative teams and entrepreneurs
struggle with. This, at least, I believe most will agree with. As
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Todd phrases it, who among us these days doesn’t feel like
“we’re running ourselves to death; stacking our lives and
going from thing to thing to thing without being cognizant of
“Cover bands
energy management.”
Salvation from our go-go mania may seem unattainable (or
certainly untenable). Todd disagrees and suggests that the
solution is ripening in voluptuous vineyards, ready for our
harvesting.
“In a vineyard there’s a practice called pruning. One of the
main functions of a vine keeper is to go in on a regular basis
and prune out areas of new growth on the vine. Even though don’t change
brand new fruit is growing they will prune out that fruit
because it’s stealing resources from the older, more mature
fruit bearing parts of the vine. I think we need to implement
a similar practice in our life.”
If you buy into Todd’s analogy that fostering creativity is like
the world.
pruning grape vines, then you well appreciate the value
of manual intervention in an otherwise mystical process.
Forging a new creative phenomenon (like tilling nature’s
land for life) requires the delicate care that only human
hands and brainpower can provide.
This is what it means to be intentional. And for those that
are - deeply and truly - remarkable accidents will abound
aplenty. It’s a symbiotic relationship of the first order; a
genuine circle of life.
As it is, if phenomenon manifesting requires accidental
creativity, and if accidental creativity is an intentional
function, then excellence demands repetition. Or, as Todd
says...
 “I think entrepreneurs are made by trial and
error. The life of being a creative entrepreneur
- of trying new things and being an artist in
that sense - is really a life of doing everything
wrong with the right attitude of trying to get
it right.”
That’s surely the driving attitude of U2, JK
Rowling, and Steve Jobs - each a forward
leaning creative (or creative team) just trying
to get it right. Their phenomenal successes,
purposefully nurtured, highlight the essential
message...
“Cover bands don’t change the world.”
U2 does.

Check out Todd’s latest book The Accidental

Creative. Also make sure to visit his website and blog.

AccidentalCreative.com

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 Thom Chambers might just be the most intriguing bloke
you’ve never heard of.
He’s the British gent behind In Treehouses magazine,

INSIDE A
a digital micro-publication dedicated to helping micro-
business reach their 1,000 true fans. As Thom writes,
“lots of micro, basically.”

TREEHOUSE
Thom has stepped proudly into the new dawn of
publishing. As writer, editor, designer, and publisher of
In Treehouses, he is at the epicenter of the revolution.
He’s dually inspired by Seth Godin and Kevin Kelly,
living legends in their own rights and prime contributors
to Thom’s In Treehouses concept. Seth supplied the
engine (by way of support) for the mico-magazine form,
Kevin the rocket fuel in the form of the landmark 1,000
true fans paradigm.

Dreaming of Pixels and Publishing
Thom is, however, very much his own man - standing
perhaps upon the shoulders of giants but uniquely
original and remarkable nonetheless. The wit and
wisdom of his words are moving to say the least. And
the elegant sophistication of his essays leave many
wanting more of their own compositions.
Words aside, the imagery of his publications are striking.
Design, a subject we broach in our chat, is paramount
to the In Treehouses methodology and tantamount to its
popularity. It’s here, in the blissful realm of pixels, that
new publishing kings are crowned. Sir Thom indeed.
On the whole, Thom has quickly achieved that which
many content creators continue to lust for - a notable
brand easily recognized and highly respected apart
from the echo chamber of lesser content proliferation.
As we insert ourselves squarely and fully into the
melee of digital publishing, it was only proper to ask
Thom to contribute his insights into our inaugural
edition. He kindly obliged. In fact, his commentary
was so well-versed that we deemed it an injustice
not to share in long form.
Hence, please enjoy our lively chat with Thom as it
unfolded.
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Matt: The rise of the digital micro-magazine is in
its infancy. In Treehouses is among the few proud
pioneers of this evolutionary medium. As both
evangelist and trailblazer, what are your hopes for
the future of micro-magazines (collectively) and for In
Treehouses (specifically)?
Thom: For me, both answers come back to the individual,
and the individual’s power to publish online.
As more people come to recognise the ease with which
they can start and run a micro-magazine, I think we’re
going to see a lot of experimentation with the form and
a lot more uptake. Sure, there are still barriers in terms
of the software and design skills needed to assemble a
magazine, but other than that it’s a pretty open medium
for individuals to embrace.
The real constraint may be in the terminology; the thought
of publishing a magazine seems a little daunting when
you’ve only ever lived with monthly print versions that
churn out issues on a monthly basis. As an individual,
how do you find the time or the finances to mimic that?
The solution, really, is not to try to imitate the print
model at all but instead to embrace the possibility and
flexibility that having a small, focused audience affords
you. That’s why I think the terminology is important -
I’ve started called each new In Treehouses as the latest
‘edition’, to take the emphasis away from the traditional
magazine-issue idea.
When you’re faced with the prospect of printing a digital
edition, you’re no longer thinking about how to make it
like an old fashioned magazine. It frees you to make
it 10 pages long or 100, to publish it twice a year or a
dozen times, to have it contain one interview or ten. My
hope is that, as more people take up micro-magazines,
they appreciate that freedom and explore it. Not only
does it help free up the creator, it also leads to a bigger
variety in what’s published - which keeps it interesting
for readers, who aren’t faced with the same format over
and over.
As for In Treehouses, it’s now my full-time work. I left my
old job at the end of April. As a result, I’ll be able to explore
the possibilities of the magazine in greater depth than
before. My main project for the coming months, though,
is setting up a digital publishing house. In Treehouses
is going to be one of a number of publications from that
imprint, which will roll out in stages over the course of
the summer. Stay tuned...
David: Magazines in-and-of themselves aren’t original.
In fact, they’re a legacy channel for quality content,
if done correctly. How then, given the dynamics of
digital media, are you pushing the envelope of creative
originality for In Treehouses with the endgame being
a publication that stands out and gets noticed apart
from the echo chamber of superfluous content?
Thom: I’ve only scratched the surface of the micro-
magazine format thus far, which makes me excited for
the possibilities of the medium. It’s a delicate balance
right now between producing something that embraces
the possibilities of the digital medium without alienating
those who don’t have certain platforms or tools. You
know where you are with a PDF, but what about a Kindle
edition? Or an iPad edition? The list goes on.
My current focus is on getting the content up to a
standard with which I’m happy, whilst experimenting
with the possibilities of the medium. As long as the
content is of a high quality, readers will return - that’s
more important than the bells and whistles.
As for standing out from the ‘echo chamber’... I have
a real concern with only creating self-perpetuating
content - for example, the old thing about people who
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 15
make money blogging about how to make
money blogging. Don’t get me wrong, I have
no problem with creating some products
like that (or with other bloggers who make
an income that way), but I’d like that to be
a byproduct rather than the main product.
Take 37signals, for example. They have a
successful blog and they wrote a couple
of books that taught people how they
do things, but those aren’t their main
business. They make software - the rest is
a byproduct of that. I’d like to follow that
model more - there’s a central, undeniable
product that you make, then your
information is a byproduct that you can
sell if you choose. To paraphrase myself
from previous interviews, I’d like to have a
business that’s supported by a blog, rather
than a business that totally relies on a
blog. Perhaps that’s a little old-fashioned,
but it’s one way of standing out.
Matt: You’ve written that “we’re in the
middle of a visual revolution” - that “print
and paper are being replaced by pixels,
and one of the most exciting results of
this is the new freedom to use words and
pictures at a lower cost than ever before.”
Why does this visual freedom excite you
so? And why do you feel that harnessing
it is so essential to those aspiring to have
their content rise above the obfuscating
noise?
Thom: I believe that the web wants to be
beautiful.
You can paint on a bigger canvas than ever
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before, with the most talented designers
and artists in the world giving you the
content and the advice and the tools to
make your work better than you ever could
have imagined. You don’t have to ask
Getty for your images any more - you can
just hop over to the Creative Commons
and get work for free. You don’t
have to limit your images
because you’re not paying
for the ink. You don’t
have to learn Photoshop I believe
for yourself when you
can just borrow from that the web
Premium Pixels.
wants to be
The benefits of this for
the passionate amateur beautiful.
are obvious: you can make
your work better than it ever
could have been if you were
working alone. And, as you hint in
the second part of your question, that’s
becoming necessary. I’m sure I’m not
alone in saying that I have no patience with
ugliness online any more. If your WordPress
theme sucks, I’m gone in seconds - no
matter how great your content. Derek
Sivers is beloved and respected by millions,
but it took me about a dozen visits to his
site to bring myself to read his work fully.
It’s a hideous site to visit. And most people
aren’t Derek Sivers, so most people don’t
get that second chance.
Look at it this way - it’s part of the work,
now. It’s like the difference between
a bestselling non-fiction author and a
university lecturer; they both probably
know the exact same things and have the
same amount of great ideas on their topic,
but the bestselling author knows how to
package those thoughts. How to present
them in an appealing way that engages the
reader. The lecturer might write a solid
textbook, but he doesn’t view the
‘show’ as part of his work. So
your blog or your magazine
or your business might
be brilliant, but if you
view the packaging as
something superfluous
o r unnecessary,
going to lose.
you’re
David: Much of your
recent ‘We’re All
Publishers Now’ issue is
dedicated to the role of
editors and curators. You say that
“with more and more content appearing
online each day, the value of editors and
curators is rising.” Just how indispensable
do you believe these roles to be? And
what are the telltale characteristics of a
skilled, helpful, and accomplished editor
and/or curator?
Thom: They’re not indispensable, but they
are valuable.
‘Curator’ is a word being thrown around a
lot at the moment, so it’s being mis-used
quite a lot. Just because you choose a few
interviewees for a blog series doesn’t make
you a curator. Nor does choosing some
cool stuff once a week make you a curator.
It’s a position earned over time, involving a
lot of dedication and an obsessive passion
for your industry. You’re going to be out
there, finding new content for your readers,
exploring and discovering and judging and
choosing. More than that, you’re going to
be leading. Just putting up content isn’t
sufficient - you need to connect the dots, to
say, “hey, this and this are great, and this is
why, and this is what you can learn from it”.
There is also room, though, for a more
casual curator - perhaps editor is a better
word for this. You rely on the content of
others but repackage and recreate it,
or make sense of it in terms of your own
publication. That’s why I’m the editor of In
Treehouses rather than a curator. I produce
some original content and then edit other
content into a coherent whole. I think the
curator’s role is more clinical, and less
reliant on original creation.
Matt: It’s clear from your publications that
you possess an acute talent for identifying
others with inspiring originality.
Conversely, you’re inspired by those that
radiate supreme ingenuity, such as Seth
Godin. In my view, this places you in a
rare position to observe the chemistry
of original thinking in action. From this
vantage point, what have you learned
about the art (and science) of fostering
creative breakthroughs? What mindsets
and behaviors are most common and vital
to the process?
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 16
Thom: Work. Work is all. Sit down, shut up, and work.
It’s the old inspiration / perspiration thing about which
Edison spoke - you need to put in the hours, not just to
create something, but so that you push yourself
into the right frame of mind. We’ve all
had brilliant flashes of creativity whilst

WORK.
brushing our teeth, or whilst in the
shower, but the truth is that, as the
saying goes, sometimes you can’t
wait for the spirit to move you - you
have to move the spirit.

This is one of my biggest concerns

Work is all.
Sit down, shut
about viewing blogging as the best way
to start a business. Blogging and
tweeting and emailing and Skype-
ing are all brilliant ways to build a
community and can be immensely
up, and work.
fun, but they’re also wonderful ways to
avoid doing the work of actually building
a business or a product or a service that’s going
to work for you.

I think it’s a dangerous mindset whenever I hear someone

say that they’re going to shut down Twitter for a little while You can enter Thom’s treehouse by
to do some work. It implies that the default status is to be visiting his website, where you can
connected and chatting, and that work is something that subscribe to the InTreehouses magazine
for free. And don’t overlook his Free
you need to make time to do. The attitude really needs Fans Kit, his latest gem.
to be the opposite - working, with occasional forays onto
Twitter or Skype. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the InTreehouses.com
most productive people - those who are creating products
and making money and building businesses - tend to be
among the quietest in terms of social media. There’s a
reason for that.

June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 17

 Truly addictive brands have their claim on us - mind,
body, and soul. You already know which ones I’m thinking of: Starbucks.
Chipotle. Apple. Nike. Disney.
Even if these brands and what they purvey aren’t your personal cup of tea, you’re well
aware of their leagues of indefatigable fans. You’ve experienced the power of these brands’
reach, even if from the periphery. They’re unmissable, virtually unmatchable, and seemingly
unstoppable.

In short, big, famous consumer brands are addictive. They have what I call the addictability
factor. They have the power to “addictify” their right people.
Undoubtedly, there are brands you’re addicted to right now. You love their stuff. You dig their
vibe. You’re totally tuned in to what they’re doing next. You’re a brand evangelist. If none of the
five in my opening list are one of them, then you can supplant your own favorites as an example.

Such irresistible brands (and they are few) stand tall well above the obfuscating noise of lesser
brands (and they are many). They possess an elusive juju that allows them to outshine and
overpower all the would-be mega brands.

Abby Kerr How do they magic such enchantment? And what can you, the addictive fan, learn from their
iconic examples to infuse similar addictability into your own brand/business?

Let’s start with the essential characteristics.

 Characteristics of Addictive Brands
Addictive brands know who they are.
They take time developing their own brand
identity – from core values to visual brand
identity to marketing message to social
media strategy to ambassador attitudes.
And they leverage their idiosyncrasies as
an asset. Every decision originates from
an awareness of their identity. They evolve
without overhauling and stay the course
without stalemating.
Addictive brands are the anti-
dime a dozen. You can analyze Apple’s
business model from the outside in but it’s
tough to replicate that je ne sais quoi; that
certain something that evokes so much
more than a business plan can describe.
Addictive brands cultivate their point-of-
view and individuate their approach to
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doing business so much so that they’re
duplicate-proof . Imitations, climbers, and
wannabes’ efforts fall far short of addictive
brands’ original real deal.
Addictive brands are emotionally
invigorating. Have you ever teared up
during a Disney cartoon? Addictive brands
like Disney have the power to draw people
into the fictive dream they create. Each
brand is a universe unto itself; a universe
informed and nurtured by a community,
and communities within communities,
and mores, and values, and taboos, and a
shared language, and biases, and signals.
Addictive brands invest great brainpower
into making sure the signals they’re sending
set the tone they mean to. Addictive
brands are so, in large part, because they
understand the power of staying on-brand.
Addictive brands are compelling
and inspiring. I like how I feel when I hold
a Starbucks cup in my hand. I like being a
part of the world Starbucks evokes for me.
When I’m craving a Caramel Macchiato,
it’s about so much more than the flavor
for me. I like the sensory experience of the
drink, but I like even more the ethos I feel
I’ve bought into when the batista hands me
my drink. I feel like a youthful, intelligent,
tuned-in citizen-voyager of the world.
I immediately feel a bit friendlier toward
everyone I encounter when I’m holding that
cup. I feel just a touch more humanitarian.
I’m a little bit happier for having handed
over that four dollars. Marketing cynics
can laugh at people like me for being such
brand groupies, as Starbucks laughs all the
way to the bank.
Addictive brands earn privileged
space inside their right people’s
heads. They recognize the value in each
individual client or customer and don’t take
it for granted. They never assume that they
have the edge. They keep pushing toward
the next smartest, more desirable, more
valuable iteration of their brand concept
and their offer.
You can probably think of one or two of
your favorite brands that fit the above
characteristics. And as an entrepreneur,
you should care deeply about your own
brand’s addictability factor.
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 19
Being Addictive As a Prime
Directive
Being an addictive brand isn’t an option. I
didn’t write “no longer an option” because
I’m not sure there was ever a time when a
business could thrive without ardently won-
over fans.
These days, in an age of increasingly
insistent media infiltrating nearly every
aspect of our existence, becoming and
remaining addictive is a survival strategy.
Addictive brands have staying power,
enabling them to win the branding wars of
attrition.
So how does a brand pull
it off?
First, let’s acknowledge what you’re smart
enough to already know.
There are no five easy steps to becoming and
remaining addictive as a brand. There is no
blueprint. Being an addictive brand takes an
almost supernatural level of understanding
into what motivates people to buy and buy
in. It takes higher order listening skills, and
it takes a degree of meta-cognition that
most people aren’t willing to spend much
time in.
That said, there are still fundamental
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behaviors that you must respect and adopt
if you are to succeed in creating a brand
gravitational pull. Here are five such habits
that will help you get your branding on the
path to addictability.
Brand identity and accompanying
guiding message precedes all
other operational and tactical
decisions. Most businesses build what
they think is a viable concept and then slap
an “identity” on it – color palette, logo, copy.
What addictive brands know is that the
brand identity and the underlying message
are the concept.
People receive messages visually and
experientially before they receive them
intellectually. They buy in order to align
themselves with an experience they want.
Consumers can feel the foundation your
brand is built on. (Remember my Starbucks
citizen-voyager experience? Not just all in
my head, buddy.)
Listen to your right people as if
they were oracles sent to you
from Zeus, and then trust your gut.
The most important part of this mindset is
rightly identifying your right people. Listen
to your almost right people or your wrong
In short, big,
people and your business will be off in a
ditch before you know it.
This law of brand magnetism demands
famous consumer
you create opportunities to survey your
right people. Dig for the finer points of how
they’re experiencing your brand. Pinpoint
brands are
those essential elements of your brand
that are indispensable to them. Then, once
you’ve deeply drunk on their read of you,
walk away, shut the door, and trust your
gut. Not even your right people know what addictive. They
they want all the time until you show it to
them.
No moment or movement is too
have what I call
small to advance your addictability
factor. Micro-attention to micro-choices
pay off in macro-ways. Don’t underestimate
the addictability
how much the smallest actions contribute to
the overall effect. Gothic horror writer Edgar
Allan Poe said, “In the whole composition factor. They have
there should be no word written, of which
the power to
the tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the
one pre-established design.”
And so it is with business decisions. Non-
addictive brands lose market share every
day due to lack of attention to the details.
“addictify” their
Addictive brands win every second by being
right people.
hyper-focused on the small stuff.
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 20

Love trumps bravado every time. Love is power. Love your customers.
Love your decisions. Love your enemies and competitors. When you’ve flubbed,
admit to it. Ask for forgiveness. Make it up to your people in exceedingly
awesome ways. Being lovely trumps being cool. But if you can’t be lovely, be
cool. Cool trumps milquetoast. But love trumps all.
Watch the market obsessively. If you’re the entrepreneur behind an
addictive brand, the market and its vagaries are your high school crush. You
stalk your market and are all over its every move. You are at once obsessive
about and protective of its interests. It is your darling. You analyze it,
deconstruct it, and write poems about it. You get up early, and stay up late, to
watch it do its thing. And when it’s time to woo, you woo with the best of them.
As you can see, none of the above mindsets are a clear-cut strategy or tactic
for upping the addictability factor of your brand. But each habit positions you
closer to addictability as a stronger possibility.
There are two options in
business these days:
Be addictive.
Or languish.
Play to win...
and win big!
Your Two Options
There are two options in business these days: Be addictive. Or languish.
Let’s be clear - becoming addictive is hard work. Languishing is easy. Playing
the victim is easy. Winning is hard. But winners know this, accept this, and
exploit this. Winners get off the sidelines, get in the game, take the hits, and
keep playing.
After enough time on the field you’ll realize a simple truth - being addictive
is about harnessing the human element. Fancy tactics and complicated
strategies don’t help in this arena. It’s all about understanding and
appreciating the inner desires of your right people, and putting yourself fully
into that intimate space. This requires guts on your part. But you’re not in this
game to simply qualify, right?
Play to win...and win big.
Visit Abby’s website and make sure to check out her fantastic Lustermaker service.
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 21
Follow on Twitter | Subscribe for free | Share this issue June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 22
The best of life is often revealed when forces of nature
unite. Protons with electrons. Adam with Eve. Peanut butter with
banana. Need I say more?
Tragically, many embrace a reductionist mindset despite the obvious dualities (and pluralities) “I had two goals when
that enrich life. Delicate symbioses are fractured into derivatives; lesser fragments that are either
sanctified or condemned. Our daily lives are littered with examples - wealth has become all about
money; productivity about an empty inbox; culture about rules.
I started SparkPeople:
The net effect is inescapable - our collective dogmas. They don’t preach fad diets or advocate number one was to
obsession with monoculture has perversely fitness gimmicks. They don’t have flashy marketing
ordained over-simplification as gospel, spawning campaigns or celebrity endorsements. help millions of people
abundant myopia. And they don’t charge you anything - they’re
Optimal health and creativity are among the
collateral damage.
totally free!
What they do have is a governing belief that
in an authentic way
Conventional wisdom teaches us that health genuine wellness is the vehicle for sustainable,
is all about vanity and creativity all about the holistic health. In their own words, “Our weight reach their goals, and
epiphany. Little attention is offered to the magical loss program teaches people to stop dieting
symbiosis linking the two in their natural forms. and transition to a permanent, healthy lifestyle. number two was to see
And where ignorance exists abuse is quick to Far beyond just weight loss, SparkPeople helps
follow. Deflated true health and creative potential everyone learn to eat better and exercise regularly— if we could build one
are the mutilated outcomes of such negligence. for life.”
Chris Downie is no stranger to these offenses.
And as the founder and CEO of SparkPeople, he’s
The proof is in the sugar-free pudding: over
10 million people have joined the SparkPeople
of the best corporate
actively doing something about it.
SparkPeople is America’s #1 weight-loss
movement.
cultures ever.”
SparkPeople’s success isn’t just
and fitness website. This achievement is nothing
existential. It’s equally personal to the few,
short of unbelievable when you consider that
SparkPeople is contrarian to all populist ‘health’
proud members of the Spark team. And it’s here Chris Downie
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within the happy belly of the SparkPeople
company that an active rebellion is being
waged against the unhealthy and uncreative
rituals of personal lifestyles, national health,
and organizational culture.
More on the healthy imagination of
the Spark team in a moment. Chris “the
Spark Guy” Downie, however, deserves the
spotlight first because had it not been for
his childhood trials and tribulations there’d
likely be no SparkPeople today.
“As a kid I had shyness and anxiety
that I ended up finding runs in my family,”
explains Chris. “I really didn’t like it; I felt
like an outgoing person trapped in a shy
person’s body. Then, almost by accident, I
started figuring this out, first by focusing on
fitness.”
Chris’ forward lean into the challenges of
his health and identity wasn’t easy. “I made
a lot of mistakes like doing a roller coaster
fitness program, which is very similar to a
yo-yo diet program where I would train really
hard for a time period and then something
in life would happen and I’d fall off the
wagon. You just keep going up and down.”
Unsatisfied with his progress, Chris
knew he needed to get more creative and
unconventional. And so he did.
Chris reflects that “it wasn’t until I
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decided to combine things that help your
body like nutrition and fitness with things
that help your mind like goal setting,
leadership, and consistency that I began
making breakthroughs.”
Nutrition and fitness. Goal setting and
consistency. The body and the mind. Each
is a profound symbiotic relationship that
ladders into an even more prodigious one -
health and creativity. A timeless recognition
is hence reestablished: that the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts.
This revelation propelled Chris to an
exercise streak lasting seven hundred
consecutive days. He engineered his
challenge to be fun; a healthy form of
creative energy if there ever was one.
The effects of his “little experiment” were
unpredicted and everlasting. “It just really
changed my life in completely unexpected
ways,” Chris recalls. “I was hoping that this
plan would help me stay healthy and fit
while I was working in corporate America at
P&G. But what it really did that was more
important is it started making me feel more
in control of my destiny. I became a lot more
self-confident at work. And I got better at
speaking to other people. It was just this
virtuous cycle of mental benefits begetting
physical benefits.”
SparkPeople was born several years later -
after Chris’ newly forged confidence had led
him out of P&G and into entrepreneurialism.
Interestingly, SparkPeople is his second
venture. The first was a start-up he co-founded
that became an early eBay rival. eBay soon
gobbled it up, freeing Chris’ to unleash his
enhanced talents and new wealth into the
arena of health, his true passion.
This leads us back to the Spark team, its
creative culture, and the healthy imagination
alive therein.
“From day one,” Chris says, “I had two
goals when I started SparkPeople: number
one was to help millions of people in an
authentic way reach their goals, and number
two was to see if we could build one of the
best corporate cultures ever.” Chris certainly
isn’t lacking of ambition, but neither of
humility when he emphasizes that “we just
really try to live our brand.”
Through my conversation with Chris,
it’s evident to me that the SparkPeople
ecosystem is one erected upon reverence
for freedom, fairness, and fun. With that
right-brain mindset and corporate America
background, one could easily think that Chris
would have orchestrated the Spark culture
perfectly from square one.
Not quite.
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 24
 “At one point we started putting rules in
place,” admits Chris, describing a myopic
reaction to a few team members that
weren’t jelling with the culture. “But then
the team pushed back and said no. So we
ended up severing ties with a few of our
people because they weren’t a good culture
fit. That experience made us really realize
that you have to find great people that fit
so that you can continue not having rules
that restrict people. That’s what eventually
transforms your culture into a really great
place to work, which is going to attract the
top caliber of people.”
Here again is the symbiotic relationship
between health and creativity at play. Not
at first, of course; they made a monoculture
mistake - rules. But when they self-corrected
they discovered that nurturing a healthy
culture attracts the right kind of creative
talent naturally (no artificial ingredients
necessary, thank god). It’s much like an
environmental ecosystem in fact: the
indigenous fruits of the land lure those
species that are best equipped to thrive in
that environment.
Much of this creative culture
rationalization may sound emotionally
oriented. True. But Chris isn’t without
his logical calculus. “The largest source
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of team problems is the symbiotic dynamics more lives? Here’s what Chris shared when
simple personality of healthy teams. “For pressed on the subject...
issues. Say, for example,
When it comes to me, the creative value “We are really interested to get into other
somebody is so tired creativity and problem of doing fitness is an platforms like more books [they already
that they make a dumb intellectually simple have one, The Spark], branded fitness
comment to someone solving, I’d say that a lot equation. If you’re sitting products, and branded apparel. Overall,
else. Predictably, this
of times I come up with in front of your computer we’re genuinely trying to create a new and
other person gets mad. for ten or twelve hours a different type of brand that’s built on top of
A lot of this behavioral my best ideas when day then you’re going to our belief in authentically helping people. I
psychology you can get tired, causing your really want SparkPeople to stand for getting
boil down to how kids
I’m outside bouncing productivity to slowly healthy and reaching goals in all areas of
operate. Essentially, if on the mini-trampoline. drop. Instead, get up life. That mission may lead us into offering
you’re getting quality and go exercise, even for a personal finance program or different
sleep and you’re Yes, I’m still doing work five or ten minutes. This platforms.”
healthy, then you’re
while I’m working out. activity is going to get The Spark team also has the Hollywood
more likely to be happy your blood flowing. It’s twinkle in its eyes. They aspire to bring
and positive in the work going to reinvigorate you. their mission to television in a format that
environment. That will You may even come up showcases the amazing stories of their
increase your chances of having better with solutions to problems. So, in the very Spark devotees. Given categorically-similar
team collaborations.” short term of one day, you’re going to have hits like the Biggest Loser, not to mention
And what is Chris’ exercise escape of better productivity if you exercised than if their automatic audience of millions, this
choice? In true big kid fashion, “when it you haven’t worked out. More meaningfully, dream isn’t at all far-fetched.
comes to creativity and problem solving, I’d if you project out what that means over the And yet, despite their growth prospects
say that a lot of times I come up with my course of a few months or a few years, then and caviar dreams (is caviar healthy?),
best ideas when I’m outside bouncing on the productivity and creativity gains are just SparkPeople is and shall remain first and
the mini-trampoline. Yes, I’m still doing work enormous for both the individual and the foremost about, well, the people.
while I’m working out.” team.” The people, or more accurately the
A mini-trampoline? Seriously, how relationships with and among the people,
So, how is SparkPeople utilizing all of their
wicked cool is that?! are the genesis of their sweet symbiosis.
naturally brewed creativity to diversify their
Chris offers a final logical insight into They’ve cultivated a powerful network effect
business, expand their reach, and improve
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 25
through harmony of health and creativity,
both internally and externally. In a world that
celebrates division, they honor unity.
This spirit couldn’t be clearer when Chris
illustrated their big picture focus. “It’s not
just about losing weight,” he proclaims. “We
want to help people make a true, healthy
lifestyle change where they’re setting and
reaching health goals. But then, at the
same time, they’re really learning how to
reach any goal in life. They can then use that
success as a springboard to reach goals in
all areas of your life, whether its in parenting
or career or finance or whatever else. For
us, really, the health goals are just a part of
everything involved in being a great person.
That’s one thing that sets us apart.”
There’s no doubt that millions of
people agree, including a particular
Spark woman that Chris profiled during our
conversation. This woman had written three
books in her life and had three different
agents. But her passion wasn’t enough, nor
apparently the efforts of the agents. She
was never published.
Depression quickly set in and invited its
malicious symbiotic partner - obesity.
But then the woman ventured a try with
SparkPeople. She began with a humble
goal, a daily walk around the hills by her
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house. In time her health began to return,
slowly. The confidence gains were enough,
however, to spark her motivation in writing
a forth novel.
By the time she finished her forth novel
she was so healthy, happy, and confident
that she self-published the book online and
executed her own online book tour. Within
weeks she was picked up by the William
Morris Talent Agency. Soon after that, she
was offered a two-book deal worth seven
figures.
Concluding this inspiring story, Chris said
“you really can change the entire trajectory
of your life if you get some of these things
right and get to have experiences that
you’ve maybe never thought possible. It’s
what happened to me. And I’ve seen this
replicated with other people.”
Derivatives be damned, indeed.
Stop in at Chris’ site and see the symbiosis in action.
SparkPeople.com
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 26
A lot of this behavioral
psychology you can
boil down to how kids
operate. Essentially, if
you’re getting quality
sleep and you’re healthy,
then you’re more likely to
be happy and positive in
the work environment.

Chris Downie

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 To Niche
s D or i an an d J onat han Won d rTo Niche
us c h
That is the Question
M ar
ween
Should Shakespeare be alive today to behold the booming

at e b et
A deb
digital age, he surely would exclaim such a statement. His

Matt G ar t l an d gaze would absorb the hand-to-hand combat of market forces

struggling to be heard, to be seen, to be accepted. Alas, which is
more advantageous - to niche or not to niche?
As with any war, the conflict between niche strategies and anti-
niche ones is blanketed in a dense fog. The front lines are cast
in uneven terrain rife with each parts methodology and madness.
Each side has an arsenal of arguments - some valid, others duds.
The validity of such arguments you must decide (and decide
quickly) for there is no neutrality or safe harbor here. The
middle ground is a no-mans-land where all who venture are
laid to waste by the crossfire of timidity and appeasement.
Jonathan Wondrusch and Mars Dorian know this terrain
well. Both are staunch proponents for their respective
positions - to niche for Jonathan and not to niche for Mars.
There’s no confusing their points of view; they’re firmly
entrenched on opposing sides. So who better than these
two stalwarts to debate and (hopefully) demystify the
mechanics and merits of this most fundamental business
conundrum.
Before entering the fray, it’s vital to note that Jonathan
and Mars are friends of each other and of us. The war
metaphor is apt but can easily be abused. So let’s keep
this exchange in it’s true perspective, which is one of
constructive discourse. No friendships were harmed in the
making of this essay.
Now, let me introduce our two esteemed guests - Jonathan
Wondrusch and Mars Dorian - who will share first their
personal history and story to root our debate.
Views From the Front Lines of the Niche
/ Anti-Niche Struggle
“When I started out, I was all about the niche because that’s
what everyone advised. I followed that advice like a blind
sheep. Then, about five months into the game, I found out
that having a niche was garbage - it shackles you, forcing
you to write and talk about the same insights ad nauseam.
So, I abandoned the niche in favor of a specific belief (“the
world needs you - become a creative entrepreneur”) that
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appealed to me and the people I wanted to connect with.”
Many online these days appear to empathize with
Mars’ story. They desire freedom of expression and the
opportunity to connect with like-minded lifestyle advocates.
This orientation is as much personal branding as business
model, or so it would seem.
Jonathan has an equally potent history, one however that
has led him to a far different conclusion.
“Choosing to build a brand around and within a niche
has always seemed to be a strategic no-brainer.
Building a business requires that you know what
your business is, otherwise you’re a hobbyist.
The moment that I had decided what my
business was going to be, I had securely
placed myself in a niche.
If you spend time floating between many
areas of interest in your business,
people may think you’re the coolest
kid in school, but they’re not going
to come to you when they need
something done by a professional.
They’re going to go to the person they
know is an expert in what they need.”
Such early insights raise a curious
thought experiment - does a niche
strategy favor logic where an anti-
niche one favors emotion?
Mars may agree, for as he says, “Since
abandoning the niche model, I have
attracted a passionate community
that rides the wavelengths of my beliefs. I can write and
talk about anything that fits this belief. The enjoyment
is a thousand fold because it grants more liberty than
sticking to a specific niche and boring the crap out of
people.”
These are powerfully emotional sentiments about the
undercurrents of his platform. It’s hard to rebuff them
on such sentimental grounds alone. But is such ardent
emotion hollowed of logic?
This surely isn’t a black and white matter. But I find
the contrast with Jonathan’s arguments fascinating.
Jonathan continues his position by explaining that,
“Besides losing out on potential clients because you
haven’t positioned yourself as a niche expert, you’re
also limiting your own potential.”
His calculus feels more algebraic than artistic. That’s
certainly no put-down against Jonathan’s inner-artist
given the talents that he has been honing for years. As
he says...
“My background is in 3D Animation. When I first began
to dabble in computer graphics, I had no idea what I
wanted to focus on. I wanted to do everything. I explored
every area of the production pipeline.
I dabbled and learned to press the buttons that would
make the software do what I wanted it to do. Then, I
moved on to the next thing that caught my interest. It
was fun, but I never progressed to any level of skill that
could be called art.
It wasn’t until a mentor sat me down and told me that
if I wanted to take this to a professional level, I had to
focus on just one area. I chose animation.
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As I focused and dedicated myself to learning everything
I could about animation, my skills in animation started
to progress exponentially. Six weeks out of college, I
landed my dream job as a professional animator. Focus
pays off.”
Jonathan’s success is meritorious, as is Mars’. Are
they completely different however, prosperous alien
creatures from different origins? Thus far, we may
conclude yes. But perhaps the reality is more complex.
Consider Jonathan’s next argument...
“I’ve learned that choosing a niche, while absolutely
critical to long term success, pales in comparison to
your ‘why’ - what inspires you to do what you do - and
how you do it - the style that you bring to your niche.
It’s important to have a niche so that people know exactly
what you’re doing and they can find you when they need
to. But your business (and your niche)
will grow as you do. Being focused
and flexible will get you to where
you want to be.”
Jonathan’s emphasis on a
business’ essence - its why, or
reason for being - is pure emotion.
No doubt Mars would agree with such a n
opinion. Could this then be the beginning of a peaceful
accord?
Perhaps, but we’re not out of the fog yet, as Jonathan
and Mars are only just getting warmed up.
Is Freedom Finite?
And Other Paradoxical Questions
The debate whether to niche or not to niche rages on.
With their positions now affixed, Jonathan and Mars
wrestle with some of the pressing questions of the
day. These issues torment many an entrepreneur with
seemingly endless possibilities. No ambitious self-
starter is immune to these trials. You will come face-to-
face with them, that is if you haven’t already.
Whether you’re pro-niche or anti-
niche, creatives desire the autonomy
to pursue new avenues of imagination
and invention. Why do you feel that a
niche (or anti-niche) strategy affords
more creative autonomy as compared
to its opposite?
“People always say that picking a niche is a great way to
stand out. I completely disagree. Picking a niche doesn’t
make you any different. It’s the skills that you bring to
the table that make you stand out.
You differentiate your brand by establishing a compelling
mission (the driving force behind your brand and
business) and creating offerings that are remarkable.
If you don’t have a niche, you have much more freedom
in expressing this brand creation. You can go any
direction you want - the only thing you must worry about
is being authentic. Believe what you say, and say what
you believe. If you get that right, you have unlimited
opportunities in building your brand.”
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 30
Mars raises noteworthy points, specifically in the realms
of sharp talents, remarkable value, and authentic self.
No thinking person would dare risk their credibility to
assert otherwise. But is the anti-niche vessel the
most advantageous one to the entrepreneur’s
ultimate goal - attention.
Interestingly, Jonathan takes a similar line of
thought, but it leads him to a noticeably different
place.
“Beyond autonomy (who doesn’t want to
do whatever the hell we want?), creatives
desire mastery. There is very little that is
fulfilling about flitting from fad to fad and
becoming passingly decent at it. It’s much
more challenging, rewarding and emotionally
satisfying to ascend to the level of master.
Following a niche strategy is one way to
dedicate yourself to the path of mastery. The
beautiful thing is that when you set out to
explore a niche, the entire world within that
niche completely unfolds for you. You get
to explore the entire iceberg, not just the
snowy white caps that float above the
surface.”
Jonathan and Mars praise similar
ideals (skills with mastery, mission
with fulfillment) as the divine
elements of creative autonomy.
And yet the constructs
they support remain
oceans apart. Perhaps
Jonathan’s final insight on this question offers a clue
as to why...
“In the long run, a niche focus will lead to autonomy
because the better you get at something, the more
lifestyle sustaining it becomes. The world pays for
expertise. The path of mastery leads to a place where
your options are more numerous because your life is
well supported by your focus.”
Focus: perhaps the quintessential divide segmenting
the ideals of skilled craftsman and master craftsman.
The online marketing universe is a very
fluid environment. What are the top
three reasons why you believe a highly
niche (or anti-niche) brand helps in this
evolving ecosystem?
“First, you only have a moment to grab people’s attention.
Second, reputation matters. And third, creativity needs
boundaries.”
Jonathan’s short list is compelling. The focus theme
permeates these ideas, which themselves are very
acute. He goes on to situate these parameters into
context...
Regarding attention, “your entire presence must be
tailored to tell people who you are and what you’re doing
as quickly as possible. Internet users scan more than
they read. If you and your message are unclear, then
you will not stand a chance of holding their attention. A
niche gives you a focus to build around and a reason for
people to stay.”
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 31
If content is king, then attention is the holy
grail of which all kings seek. This axiom
persists in any marketplace, online or
off. If a business can’t cement an outlet
in the minds of perspective customers,
then doomed they shall be.
This mental perception seems to play
into Jonathan’s second point around
reputation. As he puts it, “It’s hard
enough to gain a great reputation
by being amazing at one thing. It’s
impossible to gain a great reputation for
being amazing at everything. The higher
people’s opinions of you, the easier it is
to go with the flow and adapt. They trust
that you’re going to deliver, no matter
what.”
From Jonathan’s vantage point, such
a trustworthy reputation is impossible
without boundaries.
“When you give an artist unlimited
colors of paint and a canvas of unlimited
dimension, what do you get? A mess. To
thrive and create ingenious art, an artist
needs boundaries.
A niche provides boundaries that
business person explores and innovates
within. When the time comes for a
change of strategy (as it always does), a
solid niche foundation gives you a stable
Point A from which to reach a new Point
B. Without a niche, you’re as likely to be
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floating in the wind as not.”
Boundaries and adaptability, not good
bedfellows on the surface. Jonathan
contends otherwise, that boundaries
provide a tethering essential to one’s
liberties. This theme appears to be a
major front in the niche vs anti-niche war,
as Mars’ opinions demonstrate...
“If you are all about the niche then you
are stuck and cannot adapt. Let’s say you
are all about minimalism, and you have
that term in your domain name. After a
year or two, being a minimalist may not
be trendy anymore. Now what?
You are stuck like a bullet in the body;
your whole digital past spent on building
the brand around minimalism. Now you
don’t give a crap anymore because the
momentum has died. You can’t simply
change because the term is still in your
domain. And everything people associate
with you is minimalism.
If you had chosen to be an un-niche, you
would have just moved on. You would
have said ‘good bye minimalism, I need
to evolve now. Let’s move on.’ And it
would have worked, because your brand
is beyond the niche.”
Wow. The energy on this subject is quick
to overwhelm the senses. No one chooses
a cage. Everyone wants to be free. This
instinct is perhaps the defining quality
of the human condition. And yet, though
a simple tenet of humanity, it becomes
contorted when applied to business.
Mars’ believes an anti-niche approach is
the best option for straightening out this
enigma. Like Jonathan, he postulates
three reasons as to why...
“First, you are fluid like water. Second,
you can enjoy great variety. And third, you
can reach a larger audience.”
Mars has his own context to offer...
Concerning fluidity, “as long as you stay
congruent with your beliefs, you can
choose whatever topic is right for you.
That’s what I call true freedom.” On
variety, “if you are un-niche, you can talk
and write whatever you like to talk and
write about, just so as long as it fits your
style.”
Lastly, about audience, “If your topic
is broader, you can attract a variety of
different people. And broader doesn’t
mean generic or boring; you can still be
edgy and deter those that don’t gel with
your philosophies. But if you appeal to a
larger audience, you have more potential
of attracting the “right” audience that
loves what you do.”
If Jonathan hit the bulls-eye then Mars
just split his arrow. Both positions are
equally attractive and tenable. It seems
on this front no one is gaining any ground.
Perhaps the next face-off will yield some
advantage.
Where do you foresee the arc
of branding bending towards
in the future? What should we
be aware of today that will be
of prime importance in years to
come?
Mars maintains his overarching belief
in an anti-niche vision, one that “will
become more and more important in
the future.” He highlights the growing
ability to engineer “micro-businesses,”
operations that are “able to do business
with the whole world from wherever you
want.”
This solo-preneur mentality, I think, is
Mars’ driving force for broad creative
freedoms. The emphasis, and thus
responsibility, is on the single person
more than ever. Thus, to Mars, that single
person “becomes an entire company by
himself, and that’s why it’s incredibly
important to brand yourself right from
the get-go.”
Mars concludes with a somewhat
ominous foreshadowing, that “creating
a compelling vision, building your
trademarks, and developing a (unique
visual) style for your brand will determine
whether you will prosper or vanish into
oblivion.”
Jonathan, not surprisingly, reads the tea
leaves differently.
“The most prescient advice I’ve seen To Niche or Not to Niche
recently regarding the future of branding
“Branding on an individual level is A Tragic Ending?
and business is Gary Vaynerchuk’s already becoming more and more
wisdom from The Thank You Economy. I think not (sorry Shakespeare).
about relationships. Community growth
He describes how early twentieth century and collaboration are accelerating Perhaps this war won’t result in
businesses and brands were built at a dizzying pace. The scale of our the conqueror and the conquered.
on relationships. Later, corporations opportunities will directly mirror the Perhaps a monoculture of niche
dictated the conversation - if you didn’t quality of our relationships.” or anti-niche isn’t healthy to the
like it, good luck finding another option. delicate systems alive within the
Today, we dictate the rules. The world Solo-preneurs vs hyper-local creative universe. Maybe, just
dances at our collective fingertips.” relationships, another tectonic divide if maybe, both can co-exist, even
there ever was one. if regulated into their separate
Gary Vaynerchuk might be the
trump card on this question. No While Mars certainly doesn’t discount the corners.
doubt Gary is an ingenious need for community (he has nurtured a Jonathan and Mars have been
entrepreneur blessed vibrant one), his inclinations hinge upon noble sports for undertaking this
with an abundantly the individual (or more accurately, the commonly divisive subject. Their
creative mind, not to individual brand). And while Jonathan insights cast from their entrenched
mention an ironclad will. doesn’t discount the importance of the positions help all of us to better
leader (he’s a devout one himself), his weigh the merits and misuses of
But Jonathan backs up his proclivities are anchored in relationships
case with more than a fancy (especially narrowly concentrated social branding strategies. Certainly there
name-drop. He weaves in the ones). is no tragedy there.
rising influence of “hyper- But the debate thunders on towards
local” relationships thanks to Yet again, Jonathan offers a potential a distant horizon. And yet, while
the wonders that are Twitter, olive branch, noting... the matter may never be settled
Facebook, and the like. Or, in - remaining adrift beyond any
“Whether we build brands as individuals
his own words... anchorage - we’d each be wise to
or as a business, the interactions will
continue to trend towards the personal. moor our businesses and brands
Whether you position yourself in a niche in a steadfast strategy. Thus, the
or not, who you are is more important paradox remains...
than ever.” To niche or not to niche, that is the
question.
June 2011 | Brilliance Magazine 33
Leverage the power of you.
fulcruum.com
 The process of designing a magazine involves
countless hours of searching through images.
Despite the fact that numerous images are used
for design, inspiration, and as visual counterparts
to the text the reader encounters, they are only
a tiny fraction of the images reviewed before
publish date.
Of these multitudes, there are always images
striking in their own right that do not fit into the
context of the articles being reviewed. We felt it
was a shame to completely ignore these images
altogether.
THE POWER OF YOU highlights some of these amazing
images and gives you, the reader, the opportunity
to contribute in a unique way.
It is our hope that you find these as inspirational
and moving as we do.

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 IC 100 at Chicago
Union Station
Photo by vxla

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 Medal of Honor - Staff. Sgt. Salvatore Giunta Photo Credit Courtesy of US Army
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 Kill the Children
Photo by Nathan Hayag

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 La Barre des Ecrins vue du Dôme de la Lauze
Photo by Rémi Bridot

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 Little Wave
Photo by José Moutinho

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 You are more than a cog in a giant factory.
More than your yearly evaluation.
More than your paycheck.

You are your own secret weapon.

Indispensable. Uniquely creative.

You are remarkable!

And us?

We are YOUR competitive advantage.

Leverage the power of you. fulcruum.com

 publishers David Crandall & Matt Gartland
content director Matt Gartland
creative director David Crandall
Contributors Todd Henry www.AccidentalCreatives.com
Chris Downie www.SparkPeople.com
Abby Kerr www.AbbyKerrInk.com
Thom Chambers www.InTreehouses.com
Mars Dorian www.MarsDorian.com
Jonathan Wondrusch www.ByBloggers.com
Cover Photo Ernest (Flickr: Viernest)
Power of You Photos Links to photographers’ pages listed with photos Thank you to the amazing people who contributed to this issue of Brilliance Magazine.

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