Dec 27, 2021 4 min read Atomic Essays

Learning From Lego

Like baking, sowing, or knitting, being an adult fan of Lego (AFOL) seems to be in vogue these days. It’s not a dirty secret one keeps locked up when they attend dinner parties. And it really does seem to draw in a rather diverse and eclectic mix if the American version of ‘Lego Masters’ is anything to go by.

Now I count myself in the AFOL group. So as a bit of light dinnertime TV I started watching the aforementioned ‘Lego Masters’ and it got me thinking about what Lego can teach the budding online entrepreneur. Here are two simple lessons:

Some Builders Follow the In Box Instructions

Now I must admit that I fall into this category. My excuse is I don’t have a big enough collection of pieces to be that creative. Which is nonsense. I’m just not that creative! You can make some amazing stuff with the basic set. Even so, I still get a lot of joy and pleasure from following the standard builds. Which is no surprise when you see how good they are getting these days. (See below for my top 5 current sets for adults). Following the manual can produce some amazing results!

Lesson: If you enjoy it, don’t worry if it’s not that “creative”, new, “fresh”. If you’re just doing the same things as others are doing online – but in your own way - and you enjoy it, plus you’re getting a good result, then who cares?

Just like my Lego building, this will be my approach to online entrepreneurship.

It’s good to remember there is nothing new under the sun. The difference is you. You will bring a new perspective and voice. You could discuss the same topic but be far more appealing than the current leading voice.

Some Can Build from Scratch

It really is a talent to start with absolutely nothing but a blank baseplate and a palate of bricks. I so admire the creators at Lego headquarters, as well as the thousands of amateurs that appear on shows like Lego masters. What they come up with can be truly mind blowing.

Lesson: You don’t always have to stick to the prescribes rules. Such as start a YouTube channel, use the script from that video for a blog, then use the mp3’s for your podcast feed. You might have a completely different way of doing it. You might think that a TikTok following will migrate to your more “serious” blogposts. Who knows, it might work? As you can see, I’m not that inventive so that suggestion may be a lot of nonsense. But you can guarantee someone out there is making a success of doing it that way. Your way may be way ahead of the curve. Your build may be more grandiose than what Lego can logistically produce. But you can build it. Go for it.

Figure out what kind of builder you are. Most likely you’re a combination of the two. In fact, just like most Lego fans. The sets are fantastic, but sometimes you just want to be a bit creative. Either way it’s darn good fun!