The problem is that school programmed our generation to settle in eating (and not even in a healthy way). So we accept job descriptions and forget we can produce the surplus of gifts.

We should aim for happiness (not relief of hungry).

If we do that, some will achieve it. That would spread happiness to our staff and customers creating a virtuous system that happens to be a business too.

Isn’t Zappos a living example of it? isn’t that the most convincing proof that it works?

If you get convinced about it, then the homework (the hard part) is to maintain the situational context where that happiness can unpredictable be experienced.

And that is an art.
sebastian´s last [type] ..Lucidity is the new capital

And yes, I’d love to borrow the book.

I would any day go for the product first – because your customer very seldom have the fantasy to imagine what the technical boundary are – but this don’t mean that you can skip the very important test of the need of your new product and a discussion of market size and and a sharp price.

I agree with you that management shall focus on th consumer experience and the employee behavior so everybody know that it’s the customers that pays show.

Good luck

If the aim is getting rich as opposed to generating a steady income I would indeed expect the need for some kick-ass element. If new an innovative that might be it and if it’s more of a me-too product there will have to be be differentiators to gain market share. But that element doesn’t have to feature richness – could be anything really.

In a start-up I really think you need differentiators which are clear enough for everybody to believe in. Strategy isn’t enough, there has to be more than that, be that “soul” or some other metaphor. Even with the best laid plans you’ll still need people to put in the extra effort and it’s harder to do so if you’re just the 17th provider of commodity xyz. Differentiators obviously come in many shapes and forms and doesn’t have to have a cost attached to them thankfully.

If you need more content for your most likely growing reading list I’d recommend a nice little book I found long time ago among my wife’s brand management books: “The Big Idea” by Robert Jones: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Idea-Robert-Jones/dp/1846682746/

On the second part I cannot help thinking about a book I got my hands on last year in Toronto. The color of the cover and the clear print almost shouted to me “buy me”. So I followed the request of the book and bought it. Short, nice read, but very much along the lines of what I feel is important – and which you are taking from Ryan Carson… I could surely miss that in many of the daily interactions I have – inside and outside of my professional career.

The book is “Your Management Sucks: Why You Have to Declare War on Yourself… and Your Business” by Mark Stevens (Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Management-Sucks-Yourself-Business/dp/1400054931/) . Give it try and see what you think. The industry he writes about is mainly advertising/marketing, but I felt that he touched some of the nerves, which build my connections.

Yes, you need a product. Would be great if it really “kicked-ass”, but to be honest I’d settle for the best-selling product anyday. Compare revenue in $/€/£ of a number of companies with “kick-ass” products to companies in same industry, but with the best-selling product. I think you will find some intestering ratio … and also some interesting absolutes.

PS: You can borrow the book from me, Steve. Just drop me a note.

Putting “profitability” second is like saying “I’m going to be a great human being but ‘eating’ comes second.” No, eating comes first.

But there’s a difference between comfortable profit and profit at the expense of values. And as you point out, there’s nothing contradictory about creating an awesome place to work and making profits!