We’ve all experienced the perils of living in environments of scarcity. When resources like money, time, and attention feel scarce, there are definitive winners and, most notably, losers. Conversely, there are ways to create abundance into your life, business, or relationships. That said, sometimes it takes seeing to believing.
I’d like to introduce you to the idea of using white space as one specific way to create abundance where it seems improbable.
There are few individuals that I find more aspirational in the hyper-diluted “thought leader” scene than Rob Dyrdek. Rob’s pedigreed fame as professional skateboarder and reality television star would almost mislead you to understanding his business savvy, which is extensive,intentional, and likely deserves its own article altogether. Nonetheless, the high school drop-out hasn’t just amassed a remarkable wealth to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, his latest venture is a self-proclaimed “venture creation studio” called the Dyrdek Machine that invests in, develops, and ultimately sells companies.
My understanding of the term white space comes first from a principle in Rob’s “machine” model, which seeks out companies that specifically address what they call white spaces in the marketplace. White spaces are the untapped, open areas (abundance) of a marketplace that avoids saturation and complexities of having many competitors (scarcity).
For example, one of Rob’s first business investments that led to a massive sale was a supplement company. Naturally, the supplement market is not a white space. It’s quite the contrary, in fact. The market is very crowded, very difficult to differentiate, and, therefore, generally a market of scarcity. Why did Rob invest? The supplement company had the unique intellectual property of a proprietary delivery system that created white space where they didn’t compete against the rest of the market, but rather became a category of their own and ultimately enticed Rob’s investment.
Similarly, Hall of Fame songwriter Jermaine Dupri (JD) articulated his ability to unlock white space in a hip hop scene full of scarcity, rivalry, and many losing artists. In a recent interview, he shared that “everyone was interested in the fact that I wasn’t interested in what they were doing, because I was doing my own thing,” he explained. “I was cool with them because I wasn’t competing with all that.”
When hip hop producers were scratching to stand out with commoditized male MCs, he signed the first breakthrough female hip hop artist, Da Brat. Before signing her, almost no one would perceive hip hop as an industry of abundance. Nonetheless, JD created abundance by finding white space with the uncontested opportunity of a female sound. Da Brat’s first album sold more than a million records making it platinum under JD’s direction on his way to a career unrivaled by nearly any producer in the business.
When you find yourself fighting for crumbs, needing to tear others down to win, or over-extending to seem unique, look for white space where you can manifest multiple winners and create value being yourself. Despite how it may look, the real world is far from finite. But, first you’ll have to play life like an infinite game.
10/6/21 WOD
DEUCE ATHLETICS GPP
EMOM 5
3 Hang Muscle Clean
Then, EMOM 10
3 Hang Power Clean
Then, complete 2 rounds for quality of:
12 RDL’s + 8 Bent Over Row
Then, AMRAP 10
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
12 DB Front Squats(40/25)
1 Block Run
DEUCE GARAGE GPP
2-2-2-2-2-2-2
Box Jump (with Approach)
Complete 3 rounds for quality of:
6 Jumping DB Split Squats – Left
6 Jumping DB Split Squats – Right
24 Alt DB Rev Lunges
-Rest as Needed-
Then, AMRAP 5
15 Up Downs
10 Alt DB Snatches (70/50)
-Rest 2:30-
AMRAP 5
15 Wall Balls (20/14)
10 Burpees