Business is not an accident. You don’t stumble into success. You don’t luck your way into dominance. Building a business is an intentional game and only those who approach it with deliberate strategy win.
At its core, the success of a company is tied to its ability to raise and keep addicted consumers. Not casual buyers. Not one-time customers. Addicted consumers. People whose lifestyles, psychology, and daily routines have been influenced by your product so much that they cannot imagine life without it.
This is when your business crosses the line from being a company to being a culture.
The Comfort of Casual Buyers vs. the Power of Addicted Consumers
Revenue is good. Every company needs it. Repeat buyers are better because they reduce the cost of acquisition and increase lifetime value. But addicted consumers? They are everything.
An addicted consumer doesn’t just return. They evangelize. They build habits around your product. They defend your brand in conversations. And they create organic awareness that no marketing budget can buy.
Think about it: what apps do you open every day without thinking? What brands do you automatically trust when shopping? That is the result of companies that intentionally built addicted consumers.
When people can’t imagine their lives without your product, you’ve built something that transcends the market. You’ve built culture.
Why Awareness Is the Real Scoreboard
In business, revenue is often used as the scoreboard. But here’s the truth: revenue can lie.
You can make money this year, but if nobody remembers your brand tomorrow, you’ve failed. You can sell products in bulk, but if no consumer is conditioned by your presence, you’ve not built capacity for longevity.
The real scoreboard is awareness.
Imagine a room of twenty random people from different backgrounds. If your company’s name is mentioned, how many will say, “Yes, I know that brand”? That is the awareness test. And that test tells you more about the future of your business than last month’s sales.
Because in the end, the most powerful brand is the most remembered one.
How Brands Condition Behavior
The giants of industry, Apple, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Nike didn’t just sell products. They conditioned peoples behavior. Apple shaped how people think a phone should look and function. Coca-Cola conditioned taste and lifestyle. Nike didn’t just sell shoes, they sold the idea of personal victory.
This conditioning is not by accident. It is by design. These companies didn’t only want to sell. They wanted to live rent-free in the minds of consumers. And they succeeded.
Until your business begins to affect the psychology of your consumers, until it conditions their behavior, you don’t have a growing business. You just have a product.
Building Awareness Intentionally
Awareness is not built by chance. It is the product of consistent intentionality.
- Consistent visibility: Staying present in conversations, in media, in culture.
- Consistent value: Delivering products that actually solve problems, not once, but every time.
- Consistent consumer impact: Designing experiences that touch the mind and emotions of your customers.
Awareness is built when every touchpoint reinforces your brand as unforgettable.
The Danger of Forgettable Success
Some businesses chase revenue and ignore awareness. They win in the short term, but they are forgotten in the long term. And forgotten brands eventually die.
If your consumers don’t remember you, you don’t exist. The loudest company can disappear if it doesn’t live in people’s heads. But the most remembered company will always find a way to survive, even in changing markets.
The Real Test of Intentional Business
The test is not, “How much did you sell this month?” The test is, “If twenty random people were in a room, would they know your brand?”
That is awareness. And awareness is the result of intentional business building.
Final Word
Business is an intentional game. It is played by those who build with purpose, who design products that shape psychology, and who understand that the real scoreboard is not revenue but awareness.
If you want to dominate, stop chasing casual buyers. Stop celebrating short-term profits. Build addicted consumers. Build culture. Build awareness.
Because in the end, the most powerful brand is the most remembered one.
Dr. Smith Ezenagu is the Chairman of Esso Group, a diversified conglomerate shaping real estate, finance, education, and media. Dr. Smith Ezenagu is recognized as a real estate & investment mogul, life coach, and private equity expert. He leads Esso Group and its subsidiaries: Esso Properties (awarded Nigeria’s Most Innovative Real Estate Company in 2024 and recognized as the best real estate company in Nigeria), Esso School of Enterprise (the leading institution equipping entrepreneurs), and Esso Capital (delivering smart, trusted financial solutions across Nigeria).
