Back in the 1700s, France was hitting a massive famine.
People were literally starving, yet they flat-out refused to touch potatoes. They were easy to grow and super nutritious, but a rumor was going around that eating them caused leprosy.
Enter Antoine-Augustin Parmentier. He was an army pharmacist who actually survived a war by eating nothing but potatoes. He knew the rumor was nonsense, so he tried everything to change people's minds.
He hosted fancy dinner parties. He wrote articles. But nothing worked.
Antoine Augustin Parmentier (1737-1813), French military pharmacist and agronomist.
So, he decided to play a little mind game.
He got a plot of land from King Louis XVI and planted a potato patch.
Then, he had heavily armed royal guards stand watch over the field all day, but secretly told them to take tiny bribes and totally abandon the field at night.
The locals watched this and thought, "If the King is guarding these things with guns, they must be a priceless delicacy."
As soon as darkness hit, people started sneaking into the fields, stealing the potatoes, and planting them in their own backyards.
Just like that, the most hated food in France became the most wanted.
The OnePlus Strategy
Fast forward over two centuries to 2014.
A new smartphone company called OnePlus was launching its very first phone. They didn't have the massive advertising budget of Apple or Samsung, so they stole Parmentier's playbook.
They made their phone incredibly hard to buy. The only way to get one was if an existing owner sent you a private, highly exclusive invite.
The strategy triggered absolute consumer chaos.
Because people were told they couldn't have it, their brains immediately decided it was a must-have treasure. They sold over a million phones in their first year with zero traditional advertising.
Despite their aggressive approach to scarcity, this was a smart approach that made a natural marketing funnel.
The Psychology: Reactance
When a business begs consumers to buy something, or screams "Look how great and cheap we are!" from the rooftops, it triggers Psychological Reactance.
They think, "If they are pushing this hard, it must be junk."
But when you show quiet confidence, guard your availability, and give people the freedom to say "no," it completely flips the dynamic. Suddenly, they are the ones trying to get in.
🧠 The 5-Minute Practice
If you want to use this "Guard at the Gate" framework in your own business this week, try these two things:
Stop chasing the wrong people. State exactly who your offer is for, make the product incredible, and step back. Give people the space to choose your work on their own terms.
Stop giving away your best work for free. Look at your best insights, templates, or consulting time. Are you giving them away too easily? stop. Put them behind a small barrier. Make it an email swap, an application form, or a selective community wall.
When people have to "bribe the guard" to get your best stuff, they will actually value it and use it.
The Genuine Rule: When you beg for attention, you devalue your craft. When you place a guard at the gate, the world will line up to sneak inside.
If this issue helped you see value differently, share it with a founder, marketer, or creator who is tired of begging for clients and wants to build a brand that commands respect.
Until next time,
With love❤️ ,
Thusharika
1 P.S. I read every reply. Hit "Reply" and let me know: What is one high-value asset, service, or feature in your business that you are currently giving away too easily or pushing too hard? Let's figure out how to put a "guard" in front of it together!
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