James Cameron has comfortably beaten his own world record, as Avatar roars past Titanic to become the biggest grossing movie of all time.  Whatever your criticism’s, there’s no denying that he delivered something that’s redefined the term “blockbuster”, and if you’re looking for blockbusting success as a freelancer or entrepreneur, here’s a guide to doing things his way.

1. You Create a Game Changer

Avatar has set new standards.  New standards of story-telling, new standards of imagination and new standards of technology.  “You’ve never experienced anything like it, and neither has anyone else,” said the Los Angeles Times, but the impact is spreading far wider than Hollywood.  The technology developed to make Avatar is already being hired out to other film-makers, football matches are being shown in 3D, the first 3D TV channel is about to appear and it’s rasied the bar on production standards on films and video games.

Nobody in the world has seen a movie like Avatar before, and it’s Cameron’s refusal to play by existing rules and his commitment to innovation that made it happen.  He didn’t simply follow the rules, he created new ones.

2. You Risk It All for What You Believe

Jack and Rose risked everything they knew for love.  Jake Sully left everything he knew behind him for what he believed in.  Ripley risked her own life to kick that Aliens’ ass to ensure nobody else would get hurt.

James Cameron earnestly, fervently and confidently pursued his vision and put his reputuation on the line by developing and producing Avatar.  The risk was huge, but his willingness to step into the possibility were bigger.  You gotta welcome risk if you want to play big.

3. You Can’t Not See It Through

There were many twists, turns and setbacks as Cameron tried to get the project off the ground, and at times it didn’t look like Avatar would ever get made.  Perhaps other directors would have got demotivated, disillusioned or have given up, but Cameron always found a way to solve each and every problem.

His self-confidence and unshakeable personal commitment meant that he didn’t stop at the first hurdle and he wasn’t thwarted by the 100th.  When you make a deep choice to commit, everything you do counts towards the whole.

4. You Care About the Audience

Avatar has bust every box-office record going, but Cameron never went about the project with the aim of making the biggest grossing film of all time.  Front and center of Cameron’s vision was the experience he wanted to create for the audience.

That’s where his passion came from, caring deeply about the content and caring about the audience.  The fact that he cared is the only reason it worked.

5. You Don’t Do It Alone

From the very start Cameron knew he couldn’t get his project going by himself, and so he connected and nurtured his socks off.  Relationships were a key focus, and he recruited the best people to the project, from the entrepeneur who helped developed the camera technology to mentors and champions within the movie business who could advise, teach and support.

To deliver something great you need to recruit the right people to your team and create an environment where everyone can do great work.  Nothing worthwhile is done in a vacuum.

6. It’s Not About the Awards

Would James Cameron not have bothered developing and making the movie if he knew he wouldn’t win the big awards at the Oscar’s?  Of course not, silly.

Awards and recognition are great and the thrill of being honoured by peers or mentors is fantastic, but if you go about something with the sole aim of obtaining external validation, praise or recognition then the focus is wrong.

Put your focus on making the best darn product or service you can and place the value of what you’re doing on the project itself, not how someone else might judge it or compare it.