“So you’re basically a middleman?”
He didn’t mean to be offensive, but that’s how I took it.
Whenever I’m insulted, I try to pause and zoom out and look at the bigger picture. Middlemen, and women, are everywhere. They’re adding value, context, convenience, and process and packaging and marketing.
They’re seeking the value upstream, magnifying it and providing more value downstream. Along the way, there are middlemen everywhere, in all industries.
Or maybe it’s speed. The middleman can produce at a higher velocity. Also sourcing, trending, and materials to build a better mousetrap.
Does the company making radio button for a car manufacture feel insignificant? Probably not. When they specialize and make a button so darn good the manufacturer can’t keep pace, a win-win situation is created.
Of course, it’s the end user who really wins. Because nobody wants a car with a broken radio button.