Bypass the Gatekeeper
Earlier this month, I told the story about how a neighbor kid was walking up and down the street, asking homeowners if he could mow their yard. I love this kid's entrepreneurial spirit. In my post, I said, "To me, this young man exemplifies the crazy new world order we live in. We used to rely on gatekeepers to decide if we were worthy of the job. Today, we're only limited by our creativity and willingness to put ourselves out there."
One blog reader responded with a question, and it's haunted me (in a good way) ever since. I responded to her with my acknowledgement of receipt, but still haven't provided her with substantive insights. I still owe her a meaningful response, but this post is meant to hash through one related idea. I so deeply appreciate her situation and the heart behind it, and she deserves something far better than she's gotten.
I'll paraphrase her question: "How do we bypass the gatekeepers?"
Gatekeepers are everywhere! Gatekeepers decide if we get an interview. Gatekeepers decide if we are hired. Gatekeepers decide how much we'll make. Gatekeepers decide if we're worthy. Gatekeepers decide if we're deserving. We've all spent our lives dealing with gatekeepers. Heck, some of us ARE gatekeepers!
In the old world order, most paths involved gatekeepers.....especially for younger people. Our fate rested in the hands of a gatekeeper, deciding if we were worthy of an opportunity.
In our modern world (with the technology at our hands), though, we have virtually unlimited paths....many of which don't involve gatekeepers. Take the story of the young man mowing yards. He didn't appeal to a gatekeeper to initiate his business.
It can be an overwhelming concept to implement, but it's also shockingly simple. Here's how I perceive it:
Identify a problem.
Offer a solution to fix the problem.
Receive compensation for fixing the problem.
Serve people well enough to earn the right to fix more problems (for the same people or the people they tell)
Repeat.
This is the model the young mower is following.
He identified a problem: people in his neighborhood are busy and either don't want to mow, or don't have the time to mow.
He has a solution to the problem: his time and a mower in tow.
He gets compensated for fixing people's problems: He charged me $30 for the privilege.
He earned the right to do it again. I loved his attitude and willingness to help me out quickly in a pinch, so I asked if I could put his contact information in my phone for future use. I will also advocate for him if anyone else in the neighborhood asks.
He's come back multiple times since!
Instead of asking people for permission, we could seek problems to solve. That's where our creativity and unique perspective kick in. I recently met a teen who makes a simple product, sells it on Etsy, and makes $2,000/month. No gatekeeper. Creative. Fixing problems. Being compensated for the privilege.
What problems do you see around you?
How can you fix those problems?
What's it worth to people?
Bypass the gatekeeper!