The return of Arrested Development, 7 years after being cancelled, can teach us valuable lessons about business.
Initially cancelled by Fox in 2006 after three seasons due to low ratings, the show was revived by Netflix with 15 new episodes, premiering last Sunday.
As entrepreneurs, what can we learn from this story?
Believe in a good thing when you have it.
When Arrested Development first aired on Fox, it took some time to gain traction. Though the ratings were low, the people that were tuning in were fanatics.
Despite being cancelled, Arrested Development’s audience continued to grow through syndication and DVDs creating a new tribe of loyal fans. The show’s fans were so loyal they constantly campaigned for the show’s return after it was cancelled.
Netflix, moving into the production arena, realized the opportunity and revived the show 7 years later. The move clearly worked in their favor. A quick glance at social networks will prove that many are signing up for Netflix just to watch the new Arrested Development.
In business, it’s also necessary to understand and appreciate your audience. Instead of constantly looking to increase clients, fans or followers, it’s even more important to value your current clients. A small but loyal tribe can make all the difference. Arrested Development’s story proves this fact.
Allow new ideas to run their course.
Fox is notorious for cancelling shows before their time. Besides Arrested Development, Family Guy and Futurama were also revived from the dead, though only Family Guy returned to Fox.
By jumping the gun through watching their numbers too quickly, Fox lost out on opportunities and now other networks are reaping the benefits.
It’s easy to fall into the same in business. Often entrepreneurs launch a new product or service, but when it doesn’t initially receive the expected results, they move on. Sometimes it can take time for something new to find its market.
If you are truly invested in an idea, you will resist simply walking away if you don’t get the desired results immediately. Instead, it is an opportunity to fine-tune your vision to better fit your market.
As long as you have a few key clients, you are on the right track. New ideas can take time to catch on, but your passion and dedication to your product or service and clients will be contagious.
Be careful about moving backwards.
In reviving Arrested Development, Netflix and the show’s producers had some hurdles to jump through. The original series jump-started many of the cast’s careers. They had moved onto success with other film and television work and were busy. Not to mention 7 years of aging, especially for the younger characters.
Most fans have also watched the original series multiple times and are very familiar with the running jokes. It was surely a challenge for the writers to pick up the story 7 years later.
The revived version of Arrested Development has received mixed reviews from fans. It’s most certainly nowhere near as funny as the original, but that’s to be expected at this point.
It’s similar in business. Technology and trends change quickly. When revisiting past ideas it’s essential to update them accordingly.
The right team is essential.
The main reason for the long-delay in Arrested Development returning was re-assembling the entire creative team and cast. They realized that if there was any hope to recreating the original magic, the entire dream team needed to be involved.
Surrounding yourself with the right team in business is also crucial. When you have a team that is driving your business forward, you must recognize and appreciate how valuable that is.
If your revenue isn’t quite reaching your goals, resist eliminating team members unless absolutely essential. Consider cutting costs in other ways first. Your team is who will help you to achieve growth and reach your goals.
© Tamara Smith, DemGen Inc 2013
