Do you have a business idea? A brand that you want to share to the world, a talent or gift that you want to use to tap into your unlimited potential? The first step is to understand the recently popularized concept of: “Become a creator, not a consumer.”

What exactly is a consumer? A consumer someone that takes more than they give, they are people that follow the crowd rather than carve their own, unique path. These are the people you see on the train every single day, glued to their phone, not unhappy per say but not happy – consuming content, news rather than creating. Do not be that consumer.

If you have a business you are running, a creative endeavor you want to pursue, then you are in fact a creator, and so you want to act with the mindset of the creator.

I’m writing this to you in my office room on a sunny Wednesdays morning, because I’m seeing a worrying mistake that lots of business owners & marketers are making and I would like to help you to avoid this mistake, the mistake of being a consumer rather than a creator.

The internet has been an amazing tool for this planet, amazing work has been shared through these platforms, heck, you wouldn’t be reading this without the internet.

However, at the same time there has been a lot of wasted time, effort and problems that have plagued the internet since its conception. Some of these problems the internet have created are: internet addiction, depression and the inability to socialize.

All of this being caused by the “consumer’s mindset”, and so my goal today will be to help you stop being a consumer and to help you start creating.

What Is a Creator?

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a creator is someone that “creates by bringing something new or original into being.”

It does not matter if you are writing copy for your business, recording a video, or sharing your insights online – you are a creator.

Frankly speaking, we as human beings are creator beings, we use our intellect to make things out of literal thin air. Every single object that you see in the room around you has been created into existence, any favorite brand you follow has also been created into existence.

To be a creator is to simply take the thoughts that are locked inside your head and to bring them forth into the physical world.

If you are an entrepreneur, you are essentially a creator, as you have brought forth an idea in your head into the real world.

Mistakes To Avoid – Being A Consumer

A consumer on the other hand is someone that is a follower, they want to be led instead of leading, want to observe others, rather than participating. Truth to be told, this is 90% of people out there in the world.

Being a consumer causes more harm than good, as you are not able to access your full potential and penetrate the market. It is possible to be involved in the online marketing space and still fall into the trap of being a consumer. As a consumer mindset stems from a way of thinking.

Social media also adds a whole new level of complexity into this because it’s so much easier to get distracted. Let’s go through the three mistakes that make you fall into a “consumer mindset” thinking:

Mistake #1 – Mindlessly scrolling through social media

Social media has made it easier than ever to be a creator, as anyone with access to a laptop or a smartphone can now create content. However, it’s also easier than ever for you to fall into the trap of mindlessly scrolling through social media.

Have you ever heard of the saying that you are on social media because it’s a part of your job? Yet, you find yourself sometimes mindlessly scrolling through your news feed of your friend’s latest marriage, latest birthday or travels…

Soon enough, 3-4 hours of your day is gone.

Instead, use social media as a tool for market research.

Use it not in a haphazard manner, but in a disciplined and organized matter. Block out time to conduct research on recent trends but outside of that time, get out of social media.

I would recommend getting a Google extension called: News Feed Eradicator, to hide your feed when you are not actively working. You can use this application to activate or reactivate your feed when you please. Only reactivate your feed when you are using social media for market research.

Mistake #2 – Taking social media seriously

It’s really difficult to differentiate your actual real life with your social media life, because after all, it’s social media.

A mistake you can make that will make you fall into the trap of being a consumer is to take social media seriously. Truth to be told, your likes, comments and your views actually don’t mean much, it’s your sales and business bottom line that counts.

But we sometimes forget about that, and attach our self worth to the amount of likes we have.

That’s why you don’t want to take social media so seriously and separate your work and your status in the platform to your real self. You’ve got to develop genuine self-esteem and self-confidence within yourself.

You can explore this topic through this video I made awhile back:

Mistake #3 – Not creating enough authentic content

It’s common business advice to follow the market. This is true, you want to always be giving what the market wants, but at the same time don’t be a copycat. You want to always add your own unique spin to things.

Someone with a consumer’s mindset is someone that copies other people. A creator on the other hand, is someone that gets inspiration from other people’s ideas to build upon them.

Authenticity is lacking in today’s day and age, especially with the recent mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic by many governments around the world, the population is sick and tired of the lack of transparency, authenticity and the absence of realness in their lives.

When you are being fake online, people can sense that that you are not authentic, this is why influencers hold so much power in today’s day and age because they are a breathe of fresh air from celebrity culture.

My advice would be to follow your passions and talk about things you are passionate on your business. Focus on the things that you like, rather than what other people like. Find a balance between the market and your passions that will create what I talked about in my previous articles on the ideal: “Product, market, founder fit.”

The solution? Become a creator of valuable, authentic content

Here are some ways you can shift from being a consumer to be a creator:

1. Be a creator of social media

Instead of mindlessly consuming content. Create useful content that will help your customers, aim to give without any expectation in return. Showcase the world on your business’s latest accomplishments, goals and aspirations. These are things that will be personal to you.

People crave to hear about these kinds of stuff.

2. Schedule out time to reply to comments, post and to conduct research. Actually, just schedule things in general

It’s easily to get sucked into the trap of mindlessly scrolling through social media without any goal in mind. There’s a quote that says: “If it doesn’t get scheduled, it doesn’t get done.” If you want to do activities that engage with social media, you want to block out time in your schedule before you tackle them so you do not waste any extra time.

It’s very easy to get sucked into the drama, the updates and the latest fads of the virtual world of social media. Resist that urge. Use social media only for one goal, and one goal only and that’s to create original content.

3. Creating original, relatable content

Now, we finally have reached the point of “how-to” be a creator. To be a creator is to basically create something so you want to go out there and share. Share content. But make sure the content is original and comes from your own unique perspectives and opinions.

Secondly, when you create content, you want it to be relatable – something where people can connect themselves to. This is why when you see me creating content, I speak to you like you are my friend, because it allows you to relate to my work.

It’s also a good rule of copywriting, write things that your audiences can relate to.

Conclusion

Life can be short. A recent while ago, a new friend of mine David is just about to have a heart surgery soon – he does not know if after this surgery his time on Earth will be up. Having a conversation with him made me realize that life is really short.

It’s not exactly a race to create content, to bring in new clients, or to be the number one authority in your niche, you want to enjoy the creation process as well.

Don’t stress out on things you cannot control; not everyone will be the right audience for you, just like not everyone will be your ideal client.

There’s not a need to force things. Instead, Kaizen your way to success, Kaizen is simply a term for never ending self-improvement. Don’t be afraid to gradually improve over a period of time. As long as you are on the upward trend, getting 1% better each day, then you are doing fantastic. Enjoy the creative process and talk to all of you soon.

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