Back in 2014, I wrote a list on Medium.

It celebrated 100 companies and people who ‘Do One Thing Well.’

It took me months to research, curate and build.

I was a communications team of one.

It got 27 reads.

I was four of them, at least.

Regardless of what data told me, I was into it.

So I kept going.

Every year.

The proverbial stubborn mule.

Over time it became one of the most-read things we publish each year.

My hunch was to do something useful.

Give value.

That I would want to read.

I look at ads like having a shower.

Makes you feel good in the moment, but doesn’t last long.

But if you can do something useful, that’s like having a bath.

You stay longer, and the after-effects prevail.

I say this because that list that showed no promise, in the beginning, is now blooming.

It is becoming a podcast.

A YouTube.

A blog.

And soon to be an annual book.

Every company is in the attention business.

Regardless of what you do.

Therefore every business is a media company now.

The old school way was to buy attention with ads.

If you are good at it, it still works.

But the new media companies are building community.

Attention is being granted to them because they are trying to be useful.

Hope that was useful.