The idea for my book lit up before me like an airport runway. I knew the marketing world was about to be transformed. We were being handed an entirely new way to connect to consumers – through these trusted influencers and their fans…and I knew this would happen quickly.
The world had been dominated by elite power brokers – TV network executives, ad industry big shots, and publishing companies. But once we could actually identify these new “citizen influencers,” the power would shift and we’d enter an era of “influencer marketing,” a term nobody was using yet.
New York publisher McGraw-Hill took a risk on the book idea, for which I will forever be grateful because Return On Influence thrust me onto the national stage.
I never had a plan to write books for a living. Everything unfolded from that one conversation in an Austin, Texas hotel ballroom.
Most people think they’re lucky to have a meaningful insight like that once in their lives, but the fact is, these click moments are happening constantly…they’re probably just not registering.
We’d like to believe that exceptional strategy, planning, and leadership are the drivers of success because that’s what is taught in school. All of those things are definitely important. But the truth is, success is far more random than we believe.
I hope you consider this to be exciting and encouraging news. You don’t have to be Einstein – or even Tim Ferriss – to find your own groundbreaking ideas. You just have to put yourself in a place to have experiences that give you a chance.
From “Cumulative Advantage: How to Build Momentum for Your Ideas, Business, and Life Against All Odds” by Mark Schaefer
