Okay, so I was checking out this really old video the other day. Like, way back internet days old! It was this guy, Steve Jobs (yeah, the Apple one!), talking about how to sell computers back in the 1980s. Sounds a bit boring, right? But honestly, it was surprisingly cool and made me think about a lot of things, even stuff that isn't about computers, you see!

Imagine trying to sell something completely new. You can't just shout at everyone and hope they buy it. You gotta figure out who would actually want it, right? That's what Steve was saying.

He mentioned that in the beginning, computers were mostly for scientists and really smart engineers doing super complicated work. But then, he noticed that there were other people who could use them too – like people who made magazines, doctors, teachers, even lawyers! They weren't doing the same super-sciencey things, but they had their own work and computers could help them as well.

It was like realizing that not every person who enjoys drawing wants to become a full-time artist. Some just like to casually doodle, some want to make cool posters, and some want to design video games! You can't just treat everyone exactly the same.

What Steve did was kind of like looking at different groups of people and thinking, "What problems do they face? How can a computer make their lives easier?" For someone making a magazine, maybe it was about making the pages look fantastic. For a doctor, maybe it was about keeping track of information properly.

And here's the super interesting point: he wasn't just looking at who was buying computers now. He was trying to guess who would buy them in the future. He saw that people who used simpler computers were going to want something more powerful eventually. It's like starting with crayons and then wanting to try painting with acrylics!

He also talked about who else was selling computers. It's like if you're selling friendship bands at school, you need to see if anyone else is selling them and what makes yours special. Steve knew who his "competition" was, but he focused on what his computers could do for those different types of people.

The most important thing I learned is that even though technology changes very quickly, understanding people doesn't. If you want to sell something – whether it's a cool painting, a new app idea, or even just trying to convince your friends to watch a certain movie – you need to think about:

• Who are the different kinds of people who might be interested?

• What problems do they have that your thing can solve?

• Why would they choose your thing over something else, you know?

• How might things change in the future? Who might be interested later on, right?

It sounds kind of obvious, but seeing this really smart guy from back then thinking about it in such a clear way was quite mind-blowing. It made me realize that even if I'm not selling computers, understanding people and what they need is super important for, well, basically everything! Maybe thinking like Steve Jobs can help all of us come up with our own really fantastic ideas! 😉