The stump grinding formula

I was on a call this week and we were trying to figure out why certain business stories hit so much harder than others.

Some stories, people nod at politely and move on. Other stories, people lose their minds over. Same length, same energy, same telling. Totally different reaction.

And I think I finally have the pattern.

The ones that hit are the ones where people already KNEW the thing existed. They just never thought of it as a business.

I call it the stump grinding formula.

Everybody knows that when you cut down a tree, there's a stump left in the ground and somebody has to grind it down. That's not a secret. You've driven past a hundred stumps in your life. But almost nobody has ever thought "oh, that's a business. Somebody bought a machine, and they drive around all day grinding stumps, and that's their whole company."

So when you hear about the guy actually doing it, two things happen at the exact same time. You recognize the thing instantly. And you realize you never once considered it. That combination is what makes it land.

Why this matters more than a clever idea

Here's the thing that took me a while to understand. The stories that perform aren't the most innovative ones. They're the most RECOGNIZABLE ones.

When someone hears about a brand new invention, there's a gap. They have to learn what it is, then figure out if it's real, then imagine themselves doing it. Three steps. Most people bail on step one.

When someone hears about stump grinding, there's no gap. They already know what a stump is. They can picture the truck. They can picture the machine. They can do the math in their head on what a job might cost. They're not evaluating the idea, they're already imagining themselves doing it.

Same thing with the kid flipping Legos on eBay. Or people making real money on whatnot, or Amazon, or any platform that already exists. Nobody has to explain what eBay is. The platform is already built, the buyers are already there, the trust is already established. You're just the person who showed up.

That's the whole thing. Known thing, uncommon execution.

How to use this on your own business

If you're trying to figure out what to start, stop hunting for the undiscovered idea. That's the hardest possible version of this game.

Instead, walk around your normal life and look for things you already know exist that you've never thought of as a business. Somebody cleans those gutters. Somebody paints those parking lot lines. Somebody replaces those hood filters in the restaurant kitchen. Somebody hauls off that pile of junk. All of it is boring, all of it is known, and almost none of it is crowded.

And if you're trying to figure out how to TALK about a business you already have, same rule. Don't lead with what makes you unique and clever. Lead with the part people already understand, then show them the uncommon angle.

"I do marketing consulting" makes people's eyes glaze over.

"I get pizza shops to sell more pizza on Tuesdays" makes people lean in. They know what a pizza shop is. They know Tuesdays are dead. They've just never thought about it as a job somebody has.

The recognition does the work. Your job is to give people something they already know, then hand them the part they never considered.

Go look for stumps.

Stay in the fight, Kevin