Think of Daniel “Churchill” Ndambuki, Erick Omondi, Basketmouth, Teacher Wanjiku, Jalang’o, and you will find that they all have several things in common. First, they are risk-takers.
Secondly, they don’t fear putting their comedy ideas into action. Thirdly, they always have a way of springing back to life even when their strategies fail. Most importantly, they keep perfecting their craft to suit evolving needs of their audiences.
As it turns out, there is enormous crossover between the skillset of a comedian and the one that defines a successful entrepreneur.
Here are some three vital lessons we (entrepreneurs) can borrow from our incredible comedians.
(1)Be quick to adapt to your environment
Erick Omondi, one of East Africa’s best comedians.
Have you ever observed how our greatest comedians work? One minute they are doing a LIVE TV show, next minute they are gracing a family event, thereafter they are doing charity events.
All of these places have different atmospheres and there’s no guarantee the same jokes will work across all of them. So they have to keep re-defining their comic scripts.
Likewise, you the entrepreneur, must be able to alter your strategy depending on who you are targeting. You must know how to package and sell your information to different audiences. In a nutshell:
- Know your audience and create tailor-made solutions to suit their individual needs
- Keep changing your strategy and keep trying out different alternatives
- Package your products in line with the needs of your target market
(2)Use feedback to make adjustments
Tr. Wanjiku – A renowned comedian.
When a comedian gets many people laughing with his or her new joke, it is a sure bet that the joke will make its way into the next performance. However, if the joke flops, then the comedian will have to do one of the following two things:
- (a) Kill the joke completely
- (b) Rework the joke and try it again with the next audience
In similar fashion, constant feedback is invaluable to a business. If your customers stop buying one of your products, chances are that it is time to either kill it completely (i.e. removing it from your shelves completely) or modify that product. So pay attention to feedback, react quickly and never be afraid to SHUN an idea that is not working.
Related: Why you’re losing so many customers nowadays – 6 reasons
(3)Believe in your idea, set your best foot forward
Lively audience attending a live event of Churchill Show.
Even Churchill will tell you that once he is up there on the stage he has no other option than to believe in the quality of his jokes. Sometimes he cracks a joke, people don’t laugh. Sometimes he tells the audience to clap, they don’t clap. But that does not discourage him, he goes back to the drawing board and looks for a way to refine his ideas and concepts.
That’s the same thing in the world of business. Sometimes, you have this amazing idea that you can’t wait to pitch to your customers, investors or partners. But once you launch it, people don’t seem to appreciate it and you end up losing.
But does that mean that you give up and go back home? Absolutely NO. Going back to the drawing board and refining your ideas and concepts is always the best thing to do.
Final Word
Every good comedian knows pretty well that they have a unique audience to cater to, rather than trying to win everyone over. They understand that their job is to focus on entertaining, engaging and providing fresh content so that some loyal fans can come back for the next show. That’s the kind of approach we’d like you to embrace today as well.
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