The "Alternative" Strategy

There is a music category called "alternative rock."

"Alternative" is an English word that means "substitute" or "replacement." It also carries the meaning of "another option," and it is used to refer to new choices or values that differ from what is mainstream... In other words, it is a word often used with the nuance of being "the other one."

A representative band of alternative rock would be Nirvana. They are an American rock band that gained popularity around 1990 as "the other one" in contrast to the mainstream rock of the 1980s, such as Van Halen and Bon Jovi.

Alternative represents a "strategy."
It is a strategy for the underdog to compete against the mainstream, and it is a form of resistance against those who have already benefited from being first.

The first thing you must do is acknowledge that you yourself are "alternative." If you think, "I am mainstream!" then you should compete head-on in the mainstream, and you should not be taking an alternative strategy.

Next, study what the mainstream is doing in detail. If you don't know that, you won't know how to approach being "the non-mainstream one."

Once you have prepared that much, think about an alternative approach. You have no choice but to try it out. Repeat small-scale tests.

(In contrast to what the mainstream usually does) there are many things you can try without spending money, such as changing the revenue structure, changing how you perceive the timeline, changing the target audience, or changing the management method.

At that time, what you want to be careful about is not to stray from "what you are good at." "What you are good at" includes not only having a certain level of knowledge in that field but also having a certain degree of name recognition in that industry.

If you don't have those things, then you are neither mainstream nor alternative. You should look for a place where you can be active as a "rookie."