one word on business as usual: scarcity...
On June 3rd, 2008 Henriette Weber wrote:
Seth Godin wrote a blogpost the other day about getting closer to the pain of the customer.Meaning that if something is scarce - people will pay more for the product.
John backs it up by saying:
The customer who has a scarcity of time will value convenience.
The customer who has a scarcity of expertise will value competence.
The customer who has a scarcity of style will value design flair.
The customer who has a scarcity of contacts will value network effects.
I don't know where my scarcity lies right now, what I am searching for at this point of my life is "substance"...
I am so sick and tired of people and businesses who doesn't have substance and who are just living day by day without any greater vision. They don't contribute to a better cause, and when they do, it's to take advantage of it... these companies are sleek and smiley, probably really good business people, but - when you get to be in their presence for a while, you can see it's a fad....
My problem is... that they are not in business because of the better of the world or the better of their co-worker or employees or anybody.. they are in business because they are all about business...
Business + personality+ attitude + loving thy neighbour = a business full of substance and meaning
Business without the above is just "business emptyness" - nothing except a product and a framework to make money... gah...
In the movie "almost famous" ( one of my absolute favorite movies) the leadguitarist with mystique is looking for something "real" and decided to go to a party with a bunch of teenagers on acid. He's tired of the "industry of cool" - so he goes somewhere completely different - to people who admire and love him for who he is.
I love some parts of the "industry of cool" - and there's a lot of really good companies in business everywhere - but I have to add something to Johns list:
A business ( or a Toothless Tiger if you please) who has a scarcity of substance, will value authenticity and opinions
And I think this is one very important key for the future of business. We need real and we need it to work with the industry of cool.
When the designers did the new design for Toothless Tiger a while ago ( I know it's not up yet - but it's coming.) they asked me how I wanted it communicate. I found out that I am probably 70 % personality and 30 % business. Maybe even closer to 80 % personality and 20 % business.
Anyway when you get people who says that they are more than 40 % business ( I know some people who I would say was 95 % business) you really have a problem...
[business, people, scarcity, substance, authenticity, attitude, industryofcool, opinions]
Mads writes:
You should read 'Meaning Inc.' by Gurnek Bains. It adresses your point very well.
June 3rd, 2008 04:10http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meaning-Inc-Blueprint-Business-Success/dp/1861978839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212386697&sr=8-1
Most businesses are short term. People only think about their personal short term gain and what to spend their money on. When they are fed up (literally) they go and buy something even bigger and perhaps more uselss. And they look at each other and claim they're happy. And then then take another round in the treadmill. It's really sad.
The problem with these people is that they may - in some weird sense - be perfectly happy playing the small part in the big world machine. If they weren't, you would think there had been more revolutions, right?
Henriette Weber Andersen writes:
=) Hi Mads - you are quite right... but some of us needs to shout to them so we can get business to be more "real"...
June 3rd, 2008 04:27I don't think the world is a sleepyville at all.. I just think that people don't know how to use their different talents - so what happens is that they talk their boss after the mouth and become un-opinionated =).-
thanks for the meaning inc -link, I have just read a book called authentic business that was also adressing the subject well