A few months ago, I gave my 2p (2.9c) on how one could find their niche. In short, it was about finding the intersection between your passion and expertise.
Passion is what drives people to work beyond their set hours. It’s an inner drive and desire to be better. Or as the dictionary would put it, an “intense desire or enthusiasm for something”.
I read a book called Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead: (And Other Things I Learned From Famous People)
An interesting recurring question he asked musicians was,
“Could you record what you felt was the greatest album you’ve ever made, and then bury it in the ground somewhere afterward – knowing no one else will ever hear it – and still be satisfied?”
I like the question because it forces people to think and I like to turn this around a bit. Often asking myself that if no-one ever visited by blog, or watched my videos, would I still create?
To security startups and vendors, I’d adapt this to ask,
“if you made the best security product that’s easy to use and stops specific threat vectors, BUT it would never do more than break even financially and you’d never be able to raise any capital – would you still make that security product?”
The trick to this question is that, if someone really makes a great product, the money will more than likely follow. But if your objective is to chase the money, well, then the product will usually be pretty lame.
Javvad Malik 