Monetizing Individualism
Individualism is freedom. And who doesn't love freedom? Freedom to pursue what we like. Freedom to live where we want. Freedom to be different. Freedom to be ourselves.
Individualism is on the rise for the past decades. Various factors have contributed. We do not live most of our lives in a village-like environment. Most of us live as a nuclear family. Away from parents. Some of us are on a different coast. Others left the country they grew up in. Desire for better opportunities drove us away. This has led to fewer interactions with extended family and friends. The environment we live in now shapes our views. And some of these views conflict with what we grew up with. Societies have also developed a lot. Many opportunities exist to keep everyone entertained.
Let us explore some random examples and opportunities:
A ton of opportunities lie in riding the wave of individualism. As humans, we are selfish towards self-care. And that means we will pay for it.
Individualism is on the rise for the past decades. Various factors have contributed. We do not live most of our lives in a village-like environment. Most of us live as a nuclear family. Away from parents. Some of us are on a different coast. Others left the country they grew up in. Desire for better opportunities drove us away. This has led to fewer interactions with extended family and friends. The environment we live in now shapes our views. And some of these views conflict with what we grew up with. Societies have also developed a lot. Many opportunities exist to keep everyone entertained.
Let us explore some random examples and opportunities:
- Remote-Work: Working remote gives us freedom. No one peering over our shoulder. No one to check how much time we spend in the office. We can adjust our hours. Take care of our child and aging parents. Spend time with our beloved pets. Run errands. Work out when we want to. And as long as we deliver, our employers seem to be fine. The most forward-looking employers are encouraging and supporting remote work.
- Pursuits: I remember my school days. We had to pick one extra-curricular activity from a pre-defined list. This was a list designed by someone in my school. And I'm sure our societal thinking influenced this list. Doing yoga was nice, but learning fishing would have been cool. Humans are pursuit-seekers. Even the most lazy ones. And the more choice we get, the better. After all, pursuing what we enjoy makes us happy. So why not?
- Relationships: The social fabric today is fragile. It is very easy to weaken or even cut relationships. If we don't like someone in our family, we stop talking to them. If our views don't match, we ignore them. One doesn't need to be in a relationship or marriage to enjoy many related benefits. And many say it is less headache. You can guess where our future is going.
- Products: Modern coffee shops sell us a dozen different types of coffee because we want them. Coffee was simple earlier. Black or with cream. Many sites and forums exist today for product reviews. Professionals review every product we wish to buy. We are looking for features that suit our individual needs. No generic products, please. Expect this to increase.
- Services: Ditto for services. This is one large segment that hasn't seen as much innovation as products. Lucrative segment for recurring revenue. Let us take an example. Someone may feel the child's school environment is lacking in some aspect. And they choose to use a combination of remote or outside-school classes to cover that gap. And if it is remote, delivery can be from a different country.
- Wellness: Every equation has two sides. The other side of individualism? Depression. Loneliness. Boredom. As humans, we are happy when we have acceptance, recognition, and reward. I expect a lot of personalization here. And coming back of the community.
A ton of opportunities lie in riding the wave of individualism. As humans, we are selfish towards self-care. And that means we will pay for it.
Let's Talk: If you have a true experience that resonates, please send me an email.
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