Everything that we once considered essential to becoming an entrepreneur is now reversed.
The standard “Entrepreneurial Checklist” used to go in this order:
- Identify a problem in the market
- Generate solutions and prototypes
- Sell and find product-market fit
- Create media, advertisements, partnerships, and promotions
You can still do it the traditional way, however, you’re putting yourself at a massive disadvantage. This is because it’s too risky to go through the first three steps (which take a considerable amount of time and resource investment), only to get to the promotion side and realize buying Google Adwords is too expensive and/or you’re unable to generate interest on free social platforms.
Conversely, DTC brands have shown us that the proverbial “entrepreneurship mold” has been flipped completely upside down.
The true test today is first and foremost: Can you generate your own free publicity?
If you can, then you’re already putting yourself in a position to be, a
The Robopreneur takes the same prerequisites from the above “Entrepreneurial Checklist” and performs them in an almost exact reverse order:
1. Broadcasting
- Using social media, YouTube, and other free digital platforms to drum up interest.
- Emphasizing the overproduction of content to get a lot of “shots on goal”.
Goal: Can you make a viral hit or find an untapped audience for activities you’re already doing in your everyday life?
2. Validating
- This is where the one-time, lucky media hits are separated from the “media empires”.
Goal: Can you consistently make virals hits and cultivate a community of readers, listeners, or viewers that will follow you?
3. Legitimizing
- Now that you have a loyal community, it’s time to become a real entrepreneur.
- Thus you create a product that your audience needs, make strategic partnerships with existing brands, and/or find already established collaborators.
Goal: Can you find reputable ways to turn this attention into a business?
4. Monetizing
- With a successful business plan in place, it’s time to take care of all the ancillary and necessary parts of running a business… but you’re a small team and can’t hire people.
- Using technology around you to heavily augment or even automate some of the processes a business must undergo: customer service, order fulfillment, accounting, legal, etc…
Goal: Can you create a profitable business that has longevity?
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Who Are Robopreneurs?
The Robopreneur is simply an adaptation to the times. For many DTC opportunities, it no longer makes sense to spend months or years creating a product. It’s far more important to see if you can gain traction (essentially the attention and trust of people) before you go spending time worrying about a product.
Casey Neistat understood this extremely well when he pioneered vlogging on YouTube. He garnered a large and loyal audience for years until he finally took his talents to CNN – collaborating on the Beem app (which largely failed). Now he’s taking his next shot on goal with his 368 venture.
Kylie Jenner (and the entire Kardashian family for that matter) understand the process of
However, don’t get this mistaken, most so-called “Internet Influencers” do not fall into the category of Robopreneurs. They do a phenomenal job with Broadcasting and Validating. However, they often never Legitimize – usually relying too much on selling other people’s products via sponsorships.
Of course, we cannot talk about Robopreneurship without mentioning many of the DTC brands that have shaken up the e-commerce game. Casper, for example, spent years running online mattress review sites – establishing an audience until they finally decided to create and sell their own Casper mattress.
I could talk for days about relevant Robopreneurs and their secrets to success.
If you’re at all interested in this anomaly in entrepreneurship, please join our Digital Hangout tomorrow, April 17th at