I decided to become a corporate raider when I was 13. Being a corporate raider, I thought, would allow me to do something more realistic than something like being a professional athlete, while still having people watch me duke it out in business land.
I first heard the term “corporate raider” from Jax who was a character in GH (General Hospital – my parents used to watch it). I didn’t know what being a corporate raider meant, besides that Jax did a lot of mergers and acquisitions, or M&A’s as Jax would say. This was neat because it meant people on GH thought he was worth watching because he could do big, powerful things like M&As that made him the best. I thought he showed a light of business that would let me be a part of a spectator sport.
The problem was that being a corporate raider really wasn’t as much of a spectator sport as I thought. There was a lot of policy and management and legalities. All of this for maybe one press conference. It was much more boring in reality than GH made it out to be.
Then web 2.0 came along and provided the perfect platform for finding spectators and provided the means for people to become more involved. It’s the perfect opportunity to create fans and advocates who root for your company (or mine).
I love this because it levels the playing field for micro-brands vs. big companies, or even small, or mid-sized companies. It gives anyone the chance to show their talent, or why they’re remarkable. And it gives anyone the chance to become the best at something, regardless of so many factors that have traditionally held companies back.
I realize the impact of web 2.0 isn’t exactly new information, but I always wanted to be a part of a spectator sport, and this is what’s continuing to be created through the influx of fans, followers, and creators as the social web continues to grow. This means you no longer have to become a football star to have the influence of one.