Get weird and have fun in business

If you want to succeed in business you have to have fun.

"Fun is a competitive strategy," said Jeph Maystruck with Strategy Lab in Regina.

Maystruck said being different is a good start.

"You have to be weird, well weird and awesome," he told students attending the TransACTIONS for Youth Conference on Business held in the city Friday. By weird, " I mean different than anything before.

"If you ain't first, you're last."

But with the fun has to come innovation and hard work too.

"I don't like the status quo, the regular," said Maystruck. "If you want to take over the world, put a dint in the universe, I'm your guy."

Maystruck said unfortunately "we've been taught to do the normal," and that usually means not doing things "to your absolute potential. You have to have naysayers, but you can never, ever listen to them."

Maystruck also focused on the need for hard work in business.

"There's a myth about talent," he said. "There's no such thing as talent. It's hard work It's work ethic.

"Life's about doing impossible things" and you do that " by working harder than everybody else."

Maystruck said there are now opportunities for young entrepreneurs, to launch businesses, which did not exist even a few years ago.

"The Internet has changed our world completely," he said, adding there are new tools to help young entrepreneurs popping up every day.

As an example Maystruck pointed to the potential to raise money through a crowd-funding site such as kickstarter.com

"If you have a business idea throw it on Kickstarter. If nobody supports it your plan sucks, but you didn't pay $50,000 for a business pan and office," he said.

Maystruck said business has to change to meet the current consumer too.

"Advertising really doesn't work on you anymore," he told the youth at the conference. He said young people no longer take advertising at face value, quickly turning to the 'Net for more information when an ad sounds to good to be true. " An ad you think is lying to you, you just Google it."

With that in mind consumers have become primary advertisers.

"The most profound form of marketing is word-of-mouth," said Maystruck, adding 'Net sites such as Twitter and Facebook are "gloried word-of-mouth."

Maystruck said as much as the 'Net draws people, business people need to understand its draw.

"We don't go online for any other reasons than to solve a problem, or be entertained," he said. With that in mind, he said a business with presence has to be effective in terms of customer service, and the site has to cover something fun to get people back to it.

For a young person on a shoestring trying to get a business off the ground, there are an increasing range of services available through the 'Net.

As examples Maystruck pointed to zipcar.com, where you "can rent someone else's car." By renting an individuals car "you're cutting out the big corporation."

Similarly www.airbnb.ca can give you access to accommodations and offices.

There is even a site setting up people to eat in other people's homes.

"It's making it easier for the little guy," said Maystruck.