DEVOID OF MEDIA VIRGINITY

           Do you know who a 'media virgin' is? Reporters from a well-known Ukrainian publication under a global brand used this term for businessmen who first entered the public arena. These 'virgins' willingly or, more often, involuntarily shed their innocence: they were discovered, investigated for articles, interacted with their close and distant circles, and even with competitors. There was no escaping it – they had to give interviews. By the way, I am one of them. I used to manage my factory quietly until one day a journalist came, asked questions, and wrote an article. The process was unfamiliar and strange. As they say, the first time is always painful. Now, not only do I gladly give interviews, but I also willingly share ideas in posts and videos on social media.

           I observe other former "media virgins" from yesterday. Today, they have a different status – they are influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

            What's behind this transformation? From my own experience and conversations with some colleagues, I can identify four reasons:

           1.Security:

           The peculiarities of the national legal system push businessmen to seek alternative ways to protect themselves from raiders, whether private or state-affiliated. Corporate and personal conflicts that were previously resolved in courts or through various types of negotiations can now be resolved by bringing the issue into the public eye. Of course, this makes sense if you have a million-strong audience of followers. Will anyone dare to touch such a person? The probability decreases: offend them, and you'll face a tremendous backlash. Interestingly, in the past, entrepreneurs avoided publicity for the same reason – they thought, "As long as I stay in the shadows, no one will bother me. But once I step into the spotlight, trouble will come my way." However, time has proven, with concrete examples, that being public is more advantageous.

           2. Commerce:

           A well-developed personal brand of the owner helps the company sell its product and sell it at a premium. I can speak from personal experience: if an unknown marketer comes to me with a price tag of $50,000 for a concept or a logo, I'd most likely show them the door. But if representatives from a company associated with a well-known owner, someone with millions of YouTube subscribers, approach me, they stand a chance. It reminds me of the explanation given by a waiter in the movie "What Men Talk About": "In our restaurant, a grilled bread is called a 'crouton'! Because a grilled bread can't cost eight dollars, but a 'crouton' can!"

           In terms of taste, a grilled bread might not be any different from a crouton. Sometimes, it may even be tastier and of better quality. But buying a 'crouton' feels more prestigious. In such cases, along with the product, you're purchasing a guarantee of quality, confirmed by the name and reputation of the top executive.

It's not necessary to sell just one 'crouton.' Sometimes, you need to sell a hundred thousand of them - a mass-market product. For example, a cream used by the founder of the company that created it. Even if only 10% of a million followers of her Instagram page buy the product, that's a remarkable outcome.

           3.Visibility certainly contributes to effective networking.

           When people know about you, it becomes easier to connect with valuable individuals. Over the last few months, I've been speaking at forums, conferences, and exclusive clubs, and I've only been attending by invitation. My main topic is how a businessman can step out of day-to-day operations and find happiness. It might seem cliché at first, and I thought the same initially, wondering if I had anything new to offer. However, after sharing my personal experiences on social media and at a couple of events, things took off...

           Each of these presentations brings me a handful of valuable contacts, and sometimes these connections transform into collaborations. I recently received another confirmation that media activity works. I'm a biker and often participate in biker rallies that can gather up to a hundred people. At one of these rallies, an unfamiliar biker approached me and asked, "You're Suvorov, right? I love what you write and talk about regarding happiness. I've even started using your system." We struck up a conversation, and it turned out he's a businessman with potential areas of overlap in our businesses. We discussed the possibility of working on projects together.

           4.The need for recognition, self-expression, and creativity is significant.

           Business people who have achieved success often want to share their experiences with an audience. They wish to step out of the role of a perpetual student and become teachers and mentors. Businessmen are creative individuals. When their creative energy overflows, and they have no outlet for it, they may feel the need to improve  things inappropriately. For example, if a company operates autonomously without their involvement, the owner might start making unnecessary changes due to their creative energy. Sometimes, this energy can take a destructive path, such as gambling, romantic adventures, extreme activities, or substance abuse.

           The opportunity to express themselves on social media, on stage, in books, and articles serves as an outlet for entrepreneurs. Feedback in the form of likes, comments, and followers is a form of recognition that they may have lacked within their family or among their employees. The next step is to promote their ideas, which can gain a foothold among their prepared audience of followers and admirers.

           The journey from the factory floor or a comfortable office to YouTube and TikTok is not as simple as it may seem. Is it really difficult to share thoughts on camera, string words into sentences, illustrate them with photos, and publish a post or indulge the ego with stories of their successes from the stage? It can be very challenging! This is especially true for businessmen over 50 who have devoted 25-30 years to business, meetings, solving problems, production, and commerce.

           Now they need to delve into an entirely new discipline where the familiar rules and patterns don't apply. Regardless of the end result, this experience is incredibly valuable and can be likened to earning a couple of MBAs. Learning from those who are much younger and diligently working on self-improvement is a genuine way for an established businessman to step out of their comfort zone.