There’s a tiny market in Potts Point every Sunday. Each week the stallholders show up and hope. They hope that someone who might be their customer will show up too. The stallholders sell things that a passer-by might want, usually things that they could get somewhere else if they weren’t going to buy it on impulse between 8am and 4pm on a lazy Sunday.

The guy selling jewellery made from LEGO has a different strategy. He understands the worldview of the grandmas who come to buy LEGO earrings and necklaces. They don’t want to look more stylish or glamorous, they want to feel more connected to their grandchildren. A LEGO earring-wearing grandma definitely has a cool factor.

The earring maker knows his customers and what makes them tick before he sets up his stall, and he creates things just for them. It turns out that understanding your customers is a better strategy than hope.

Image by Becca Nelson.