Category Creation

1Category Creation: The Noble Marketing Strategy That Can Spark a Movement

No one ignores phone calls at 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday.

That’s what I thought, anyway, driving up the I-5 from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The name displayed on the phone (now on its second ring) was Nick Mehta, my former CEO who almost never called—certainly not this late and not this out of the blue. Before the third ring, I played the entire conversation through in my head. Having sold our last company to Symantec, perhaps Nick figured out the next chapter of his career and would offer me an opportunity to join him. Before the fourth ring, I knew I would say yes to this hypothetical job offer should it be extended, even before hello—that’s just the caliber of leader in Nick Mehta.

Looking back, I sure am glad I picked up.

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Maybe you can relate to my position in that story—getting the phone call for the career opportunity that could, just maybe, change your life. Perhaps as an entrepreneur or executive, you can relate to making the call and closing that dream candidate. From either point of view, something about that moment transcends our professional lives and makes an impression deep within our humanity—the prospect of being part of something great, leaving a dent in the universe, and maybe creating some personal wealth along the way.

The energy behind original ideas is electrifying. You find that you’re spending hours of time (maybe even your free time) infatuated with the problem that you’re ...