Unre [Marketable]
It's easy to overlook the power of average ...
I spent nearly 15 years in boutique fitness franchising. My co-founder and I had the privilege and pain of scaling a single unit idea into a corporate portfolio and a multimillion dollar franchise system that stretches coast to coast. That initial $10,000 investment became a 15 year MBA in entrepreneurship, business strategy, and brand positioning.
One of the biggest returns from those 15 years was learning to recognize, or at least acknowledge, the power of average. And the protagonist of this short story is the marketing machine known as Taylor Swift.
If there’s a lesson to be learned from Taylor Swift’s meteoric rise, it’s that being average can be incredibly marketable, and it’s partly why she’s become one of the most successful artists of all time.
Before the Swifties come swinging, let me back up and show some love.
I have a deep respect for Taylor’s drive and relentless pace. Based on everything I’ve observed, she possesses many of the same characteristics found in exceptional entrepreneurs, business leaders, athletes, and change makers.
It’s the ingredients of her brand that set the tone for my thesis.
When it comes to her music, Swift’s songs are catchy but not groundbreaking. Her lyrics are relatable but not profound. She’s predictable and remarkably consistent, but not revolutionary. It’s this calculated approach that makes her so appealing to such a broad audience.
Her success is remarkable and well documented. Her catalog, however, is far less remarkable. Or dare I say, average.
Compare her with less commercial, more avant garde artists like Björk, Karen O, Brittany Howard, M.I.A., Sharon Van Etten, Courtney Barnett, Alanis Morissette, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Lauryn Hill, or Sinéad O’Connor. Artists who push boundaries through originality, imperfections, and unique storytelling.
Swift chose a different path. Her strength lies in being relatable enough to resonate with the masses while staying comfortably within the boundaries of what’s familiar and safe.
Taylor Swift is simultaneously remarkable, marketable, and unremarkable.
This strategy isn’t unique to pop music. We saw it firsthand during our 15 years in franchising.
Average is the hallmark of most large franchise systems.
Humor me for a second. Google “top 10 franchises in the USA” and you’ll notice these companies aren’t known for excellence. They’re known for consistency, accessibility, and broad appeal. They’ve mastered the art of being just good enough. They’re not trying to be the best. They’re trying to be the most predictable.
And that’s exactly where their success lies.
To build something that scales, you often need to master the art of average.
Excellence, while admirable, is much harder to replicate at scale. It’s exclusive by nature. It appeals to a niche audience and demands a level of control that’s difficult to maintain as you expand.
Brands built on excellence often grow more methodically because they’re built for a specific someone rather than everyone.
The question every entrepreneur eventually needs to answer is this:
Are you building for excellence or scalability?
Neither answer is right or wrong.
But you do need to decide.
I’ve had this conversation countless times with founders during the startup phase. My advice is always the same. Define your end goal early because it’s incredibly difficult to pivot in the opposite direction once the foundation has been poured.
If your goal is to create something truly unique, something remarkable, you’re probably building a brand that’s more niche, more exclusive, and less concerned with appealing to the masses. Scaling excellence requires patience and restraint.
If your goal is mass scale, however, you need to embrace average. Broaden your appeal. Become more accessible. The secret to scale has always been appealing to the middle, because that’s where average lives.
Taylor Swift figured this out as a teenager.
She built an empire by understanding exactly who she was, exactly who her audience was, and delivering on that promise over and over again.
While her music may be unremarkable, her understanding of brand positioning is remarkable. Her business acumen is exceptional. Her work ethic is legendary.
She understands something many entrepreneurs never do.
Average works.
It always has.
Her success is a direct result of an unwavering commitment to her brand and the understanding that, sometimes, being unremarkable is remarkably marketable.
Brandon Cullen
In search of life’s [im]perfect soundtrack ...