The Untold Secret of Steve Jobs’ Empire
(Part 1 of 2)
By Joshua Boswell

The late Steve Jobs built a technology empire that has revolutionized much of the world … and I believe it will continue to do so.

In the next few minutes, you and I are going to explore the kingpin-secret behind this empire.

You might not ever sweep the globe with your products and services the way he has done, but by using this incredible secret, you can make yourself a small fortune.

Best of all, you can do it online, from home (if you wish), and in your spare time.

To really understand the magic behind Mr. Jobs, let me lay the groundwork for you with this true story about A.T. Stewart, father of the modern department store, as told by Russell Conwell in his famous speech, Acres of Diamonds. Listen carefully and you will discover the magic to building an empire …

“A.T. Stewart, a poor boy in New York, had $1.50 to begin life on. He lost 87½ cents of that on the very first venture. How fortunate is that young man who loses the first time he gambles. That boy said, ‘I will never gamble again in business,’ and he never did.

How did he come to lose 87½ cents?

You probably all know the story of how he lost it — because he bought some needles, threads, and buttons to sell which people did not want, and had them left on his hands, a dead loss.

Said the boy, ‘I will not lose any more money in that way.’ Then, he went around first to the doors and asked the people what they did want. Then, when he had found out what they wanted, he invested his 62½ cents to supply a known demand. Study it wherever you choose — in business, in your profession, in your housekeeping, whatever your life, that one thing is the secret of success. You must first know the demand. You must first know what people need, and then invest yourself where you are most needed.

A.T. Stewart went on that principle until he was worth what amounted afterward to 40 millions of dollars, owning the very store in which Mr. Wanamaker carries on his great work in New York. His fortune was made by his losing something, which taught him the great lesson that he must only invest himself or his money in something that people need. When will you salesmen learn it? When will you manufacturers learn that you must know the changing needs of humanity if you would succeed in life?”

Knowing the current and ever-changing demand is vital … but it is not the whole equation.

There are two more things you need to apply in business to really create success …

To illustrate this, let me tell you one other story, this one about Steve Jobs and the iPhone. This story is pulled from a New York Times article titled, “How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work” …

“In 2007, a little over a month before the iPhone was scheduled to appear in stores, Mr. Jobs beckoned a handful of lieutenants into an office. For weeks, he had been carrying a prototype of the device in his pocket.

Mr. Jobs angrily held up his iPhone, angling it so everyone could see the dozens of tiny scratches marring its plastic screen, according to someone who attended the meeting.

He then pulled his keys from his jeans.

‘People will carry this phone in their pocket,’ he said. ‘People also carry their keys in their pocket. I won’t sell a product that gets scratched,’ he said tensely. The only solution was using unscratchable glass instead. ‘I want a glass screen, and I want it perfect in six weeks.’”

Between these two short stories, there is a remarkable secret formula to creating massive amounts of wealth. It is very simple … yet it is usually the number one thing that up-and-coming business owners neglect.

And, let me tell you, the secret formula being used here has never been more needed than it is today with online business development. Steve Jobs mastered it and created the largest company in the world, while changing the way we consume music, documents, videos, the Internet, and social media.

So, let me break all this down into a simple 3-step formula for you so that you can begin replicating it in your thinking, business life, and even in your personal life.

1. First: A Proven Demand.

   Notice that I did not say “need.” We all have needs, but that is not where new wealth is created. New, ongoing wealth is found in human demands. What are the products, services, ideas, and luxuries that we come to “demand”?

   Human beings are funny critters. In most places in the world, we figured out a long time ago how to meet our basic needs. The fact is that you and I could live just fine by eating beans and rice every day. That meets our needs. So, why do we eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products? Because we want — no, we demand — variety. We demand the joy of sitting down to a rich, tasty meal on a regular basis. We demand fast foods and microwave ovens that save us time.

   In a similar vein, we don’t “need” cell phones, computers, or even cars for that matter. Humans lived and survived quite nicely without all of that stuff long before you and I came along. But, we came along and demanded more out of life. And, most of us are getting it thanks to some savvy business owners.

   Don’t look for needs — those are all taken care of. Look for the demand.

2. Second: Improve and Innovate.

   I have a news flash for you. Steve Jobs did not invent the cell phone, PDA, computer, tablet, or any other device that I know of.

   Just like Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook didn’t invent social media. Ray Kroc of McDonald's didn’t invent the hamburger. And, Sam Walton of Walmart didn’t invent big-box retail stores.

   You can’t even tell me who invented those things without a quick Wikipedia search.

   (Oh, and Jimmy Whales of Wikipedia didn’t invent the online encyclopedia or the “wiki” format … that was Rick Gates, in 1993 … but I digress … )

   But, all of these people found a way to improve on products that were already proven to have a demand. They innovated new, unique, better, faster, easier, stronger, tastier, cheaper, and smarter ways to do things.

   For Steve Jobs, part of the magic to the iPhone was getting rid of the standard plastic screen that scratched easily and replacing it with unscratchable glass. It’s a small thing, but after 18 months of my iPhone running around in my pocket, the face still looks new. That makes me feel good … like I’m a man of quality. I demand quality in my life and Mr. Jobs found a way to innovate and deliver.

3. Third: Marketing.

   Even the best products and services that meet the highest demands in the world can fail … and have repeatedly.

   The final ingredient here is your ability to speak to buyers in a way that clearly tells your story and speaks to how it relates to them.

   A personal experience from about 10 years ago sticks out in my mind …

   My wife and I were taking the children on a walk in the park. We saw another family sitting at the side of the pond with a loaf of bread. A flock of ducks had assembled close by the shore in hopes of picking up a mid-morning snack.

   Now, note this … the ducks were already fat and happy. They had plenty of food in the form of pond-scum and bugs. They did not need a slice of Wonder Bread to live. But, if you have ever eaten a bug, you know Wonder Bread is a lot more enjoyable. Even if you are a duck.

   So, the demand was there … and the fluffy white, innovate bread was there. The family was poised for a successful outing with the kiddies to feed the ducks.

   But then, it happened … One of the younger children suddenly grabbed a bunch of slices of bread with both hands and ran excitedly toward the pond, screaming as he went. As he got close to the water’s edge, he hurled the chunks of bread at the now frightened and scattering ducks.

   You know the result. The ducks scattered in an instant and the bread got soggy and sank to the bottom of the pond, much to the pleasure of the carp.

   Moral of the story … The way you present your message is vital to your success. If you look at some of HP’s odd, complex, alien-style tablet ads and compare them to Apple’s rich, warm, personal ads, you can quickly see why Apple is crushing them in this market.

Now that you know this simple, time-tested formula, the question is, how do you implement it?

How do you find products and services that are in demand? Because, as any good copywriter or marketer will tell you, that is the very first and most essential step to success. You MUST have a compelling offer. The offer has to be intrinsic in the product itself. It can’t be something it isn’t.

How do you uncover where there is a need for improvement and innovation? Because we, as humans, demand better and better lives, there is always a way to improve on existing goods and services.

Next week, in Part 2 of this series, I will give you a couple of powerful, but simple and cheap ways to find in-demand products and show you ways to improve them with little innovations that will resonate with your buyers.

The marketing conversation will have to wait for another day … but don’t worry, it will come. It will come because I’m focused on helping you create a safe, flexible online business that brings you six-figures. And, to do that, the market conversation has to come …