zeitgeist-driven business strategy.

here’s a tip if you’re starting a new business, product, or any investment of your time and/or money.
tune into the “zeitgeist” — the spirit of the times. it’s the secret sauce that spices up the business world and paves the way to success. think of the zeitgeist as the mood of the moment, a flavor of the era that gives you the context to create something truly ‘now.’
but here’s the catch — it’s a bit wild.
you’ll need years of watching, analyzing, and thinking about the world’s changes and shifts. the reward? you’ll become a societal researcher, anticipating trends before they’re even a blip on the radar.
while riding this zeitgeist wave, don’t forget your own authentic flavor. consider it the surfboard uniquely designed to your taste. without it, you may ride the wave but lose yourself in it. the wave is everyone’s, but how you ride it — that’s purely yours.
remember the importance of your audience. connecting with them is like finding the perfect beach where the waves meet the shore. understand their needs, their dreams, their fears. they’re your fellow surfers in this ocean of opportunity, guiding you to uncharted waters.
don’t leap too far ahead! being ahead of the game is like showing up to a party before the host. it’s a delicate dance between riding the wave of the era and your own path.
let me tell you about my first startup, relate, to illustrate this point.
i wanted to create something big — a new way of bringing together web design and development. i thought i was perfectly in sync with the zeitgeist, but the world wasn’t ready for the big change i was proposing. both culturally and technologically.
ai was around the corner, a missing puzzle piece i didn’t even know was needed.
it’s like electric cars — they needed both technology and a culture shift to really take off.
nikola tesla, spinoza, and maybe even vincent van goh, were pioneers who couldn’t catch the wave of their time despite tuning into the “zeitgeist”. maybe they were too tuned?
this brings me to my next point.
sometimes entrepreneurs focus too much on either the tech or the culture. if you’re all about one and ignore the other, you could miss the whole picture.
it’s a balance — know your tech, but also know the people who will use it.
but let’s dive deeper into that balance.
being zeitgeist-driven is mostly about seeing the big picture. but it’s about knowing when to zoom in and out. entrepreneurs often get caught up in their own vision, missing the evolving landscape around them.
never assume you’ve got the full picture. things are often more connected than they seem.
think of a mosaic. each tile is critical, but the collective pattern makes it beautiful. if you’re only looking at individual tiles, whether it’s tech or culture, you miss the art.
don’t just analyze data — interpret it. numbers can only get you so far. your gut feeling, intuition, and understanding of human nature come into play here.
adapt. it’s one thing to catch the zeitgeist wave. it’s another to stay on it. trends change. people change. the world changes. what worked yesterday might not work tomorrow.
it’s tough, but once you’re on top of that wave, you’ll predict the future and shape it.
sometimes, you’ll need to reinvent your surfboard while riding the wave. sounds impossible, but that’s the thrill of the game. you might stumble, but it’s the quick recovery that counts.
the trick is in the timing. like a surfer waiting for the perfect wave, you wait, you observe, and then you strike.
catching the zeitgeist is more than just a strategy. it’s an art, a philosophy, a way of life. grab your board, find your wave, and surf those societal currents.
the ocean’s wide open.