On this day, April 2nd, back in 1902, Thomas Lincoln Tally opened the Electric Theater in Los Angeles.
It was LA’s first full-time movie theater. Prior to that, “theaters” were makeshift spaces in the back of stores, showing silent films on coin-operated machines.
People didn’t quite know what to make of this new “moving picture” phenomenon. Early advertisements for the Electric Theater compared it to vaudeville and described it as “refined entertainment for ladies and children” with matinees priced at 10 cents.
Early movie titles were “The Capture of the Biddle Brothers” and “New York in a Blizzard.”
While the Electric Theater was initially popular, it closed its doors in 1903. Tally reopened as the Lyric Theater vaudeville house, where he continued to show films as part of the program.
Tally had a problem:
No one understood his offer. And because no one understood it, few people bought it.
If you’ve ever shared an offer for your business that got zero response, or if you’ve had friends and family ask, “Wait – what do you do again?” – you’re not alone.
Even brilliant ideas often struggle to gain traction when people don’t understand their value. Tally had to adapt, and he even added vaudeville acts just to stay afloat.
But he didn’t stop there. He market-tested, refined and persisted.
A decade later, he co-founded First National Pictures, signed major stars like Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, and became the first to show a color movie in Los Angeles.
Tally’s once misunderstood idea paved the way for today’s $77 billion global film industry.
What makes for a great offer?
- Clarity. People instantly understand what it is and why they’d want it.
- Specificity. It delivers a clear result for a specific person.
- Emotion. It connects with the desires and struggles of your audience.
Creating a compelling offer is a learnable skill, especially when you market-test it with real people. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing in the CREATE program and now our members are ready to unveil their brand–new offers!
And now…another Grand Opening 🎉
The IMPACT Community Silent Auction is officially open!
See these shiny new offers in action, learn what makes them great — and maybe even snag an amazing deal before the auction closes.
https://www.theawakenedbusiness.com/auction2025
Here’s to making offers that change lives (and maybe even industries.)
Yours in love and play,
Steph
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