This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Hey, what's up? Everybody, welcome to Side Hustle School. My name is Chris Guillebeau, and welcome to the final week of the year. We are reaching the end of 2021. What a year it's been.
Now, I've got a listener question for you today to kick off the week. Got a bunch of other stuff coming up as well, of course. Listener question. We have looked at the question of whether you build your idea with a platform in mind, like where you have a specific network or medium that you're looking at like TikTok, Instagram, whatever it could be. And you're asking yourself, how do I suit or adapt my idea to fit the unique qualifications, requirements, et cetera, of this network?
Or, you start with an idea and then consider which platform or network might be best. Now, both approaches have merit. I tend to lean more toward the second where you're thinking idea first and then figuring out how to apply or functionally adapt that idea. But we have also seen plenty of successful case studies over the years that use more of the first. So with all that in mind, today's caller has a similar but different question.
These are always my favorite, similar but different. What's the best platform for his idea? And can he just remain platform agnostic in the sense of not being loyal to any of them? So let's see how we can help him and perhaps some of our other listeners as well. Thanks so much listeners.
I'm glad you're out there. Question and answer coming right up. [Music]
Hi Chris, this is Ray and I've been following the show for a couple of years. Is there such a thing as being platform agnostic? I think a lot of people get their ideas for a business by looking at Instagram or TikTok or some other app then developing a version of whatever seems to be working.
From what I can tell, this is especially true in the beauty of makeup category which is what I'm interested in. But might it be better to not have a platform in mind at first and instead start with business fundamentals like customer avatar and my unique offer. What do you think? Thanks. [Music]
Great question.
Thanks so much for being out there. And it's good to think about this in advance of executing your idea, right? 'Cause it's good to know, you know, what is the output? Where am I going to market? Where am I going to recruit customers, subscribers, readers, viewers, et cetera, followers.
So you can absolutely be platform agnostic. I actually like that phrase a lot. In fact, I think it's usually better to have that mindset because platforms come and go, networks come and go. And the only reason you wouldn't be, like the only reason you wouldn't be platform agnostic is if your idea was specifically developed with a certain network in mind. Otherwise, you know, you need to be aware of the general vibe and style of any network or forum or medium, et cetera, that you participate in.
It doesn't usually work well to publish the same kinds of content everywhere, but you certainly don't need to modify everything, okay? That's why I tend to lean more on that side of idea first. Now about the beauty and makeup category, let's think about that briefly. You know, it's a very visual category, but it also relies a lot on warmth and personal connection. You know, the influencers, for lack of a better word, who built up a lot of profile in that space, they tend to, you know, form this very close relationship, you know, with their viewers and followers, or at least the viewers and followers feel that way.
And that's why YouTube and TikTok influencers in that category tend to do particularly well. Of course, there are beauty podcasts and blogs too, you know, some of which are successful. But it's probably most appropriate to think about, you know, where your potential customers are and how you can best communicate with them, then make any decisions about where to publish based off of that information. So that's what I think about that as we come to the end of the year. Thanks again for the question.
Listeners, thank you for tuning in. You're awesome. And if you have a question, as we're working on stuff for next year, come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. Excited to roll out an all new season for you. And I'm excited to keep bringing you daily stories, tips, actions, questions, and answers, anything that supports you in your mission.
All right, take care of yourself out there. Subscribe, follow, come back tomorrow. Happy New Year, almost. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School.
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