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Occupy Hong Kong's Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Last week the world’s attention was drawn to Hong Kong and the Occupy Hong Kong protests against the Chinese government and in favor of democracy.
Apart from judging the intentions of the protesters, several business lessons can be learned from the movement that can be applied to entrepreneurial endeavors.
Related: Will Your Company Be a Leader of the Customer-Service Revolution?
1. Act now.
Multiple Occupy groups in Hong Kong exist, and student-run groups, including university and high school students, have been among those taking the initiative. Sometimes it’s good to have a plan. Other times action trumps planning.
LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman has repeatedly taught that if entrepreneurs aren't embarrassed when they launch a business, they waited too long. Don’t be foolishly hasty about launching a new product or service. But also don’t become a victim of analysis paralysis.
2. Create a brand.
After photos and video were posted online showing police attacking protesters with pepper spray and tear gas while people defended themselves with open umbrellas, the movement became known as the Umbrella Revolution. The protesters and their supporters embraced this label, using the hashtag #UmbrellaRevolution on Twitter and designing logos and artwork incorporating umbrellas.
The images became news in their own right, bringing more attention to the movement and helping foster a sense of community and common cause among democracy supporters.
A brand represents the story people think of when they consider a company or product. Logos, names and imagery are important elements that can help entrepreneurs create an effective brand.
Another aspect of Occupy’s brand? Being the politest protest movement ever. These activists clean up after themselves and recycle trash and when I visited a protest spot on a hot, muggy, Hong Kong day, they offered me a bottle of water. That’s what I call great customer service. Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and Rackspace have all made customer service part of their brands. Entrepreneurs should, too.
Related: Balance Product Development and Branding in Your Budget
3. Give the team a uniform.
The Occupy movement adopted a yellow ribbon pinned on a black T-shirts as its uniform. PayPal founder Peter Thiel recommended in his recent book Zero to One that startups run their businesses like cults -- to the extent of wearing the same clothing, company-branded T-shirts and hoodies.
At some Silicon Valley startups, T-shirts are worn as a sign of pride and as a conversation starter. Don’t force employees to wear the same T-shirts all the time, but be sure their clothing represents the organization's brand. Entrepreneurs should create a culture and excitement about the business that makes a team want to wear that clothing every chance they get.
4. Adopt a cause.
Protesters involved with the Occupy movement aren’t working for fame or money.
Many of the people working on a team want to cover their basic expenses. Sure they wouldn’t complain about getting rich. But after their basic needs are met, they want to do something that matters.
Entrepreneurs need to discover why their businesses matter. Create a reason for a company to exist that goes beyond making money and infuse that purpose into the core of what the business is about.
5. Stir emotion.
The Hong Kong government gave the Occupy protesters a huge boost when police used tear gas on the crowds. This resulted in widespread condemnation of the Hong Kong and Chinese governments and earned the protesters sympathy.
People do business with those they like and trust, not necessarily those with the superior product or service. Use marketing to make connections with customers evoking emotions.
6. Let employees lead.
While the Occupy movement contains individuals like 17-year-old Joshua Wong, who has become the most widely recognized face of the protests, he and others work hard to push out the evangelizing to the rank and file.
Ted Rubin, co-author of Return on Relationship, posted a YouTube video where he discusses “empowering your employees and they will power your brand.”
Give employees the tools and support they need to make connections with the company's audience and they might do it much better than the CEO can.
7. Turn customers into salespeople.
Who are Occupy’s customers? It’s not the governments of Hong Kong or China. It’s average people who aren’t part of the movement. If Occupy activists can convert regular folks to their way of thinking, they win. That’s why Occupy is going out of its way to educate the public through social media and news media outreach.
Someone might be a great marketing CEO and have a great marketing team at his company. But it’s better if the CEOs of 50 other firms do the marketing for the company because they’re happy customers and spreading the word.
Help customers become the face of a startup's marketing and they might more sell more for the company than a CEO ever could on her own.
Related: 4 Unconventional Ways to Turn Customers Into Brand Advocates
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