…a company that cares more about its ‘consumers’ than its shareholders?
I think we all start with this in mind, and then at the point of success it starts to get off track somewhere.
Can anyone name one?
Category: business
Hema – Wow!
HEMA is a Dutch department store. The first store opened on November 4, 1926, in Amsterdam.
Now there are 150 stores all over the Netherlands. HEMA also has stores in Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany.
Take a look at HEMA’s product page (switch sound on first).
You can’t order anything and it’s in Dutch but just wait a couple of seconds and watch what happens.
Click here to see it.
Click on ‘nog een keer’ to replay, it’s worth a second look…
Startups – get Wow !
Don’t believe what you heard
Cold Calling – is the hardest part of being an entrepreneur. A skill which is game winning.* Don’t believe what you’ve heard, the truth is very few businesses can grow without getting on the phone.
* We’re not talking about selling insurance to unsolicited numbers…no.
We’re talking about contacting people in our world, our place of business, our industry, our corner of technology. Contacting people where a relationship could be valuable to both parties. We’re not selling either, we’re collaborating. But have no doubt, we are still cold calling.
Encouragement
Create a file in your email folder. Title it ‘encouragement’
For the occasions when you get inspired, thanked or congratulated. Keep it. File it. Refer to it.
Delete the insults.
Brick walls
We were told that our business was a great idea. A super concept.
So we went for it.
Then we started work on the blue prints, and they looked great. Everyone said it was a sure thing.
So we built it.
Then once it was built everyone was in awe of how we took it from concept to reality. They told us we we’re sitting on a gold mine of potential, they starting asking us what life would be like when we made millions, if we’d still be their friends!
So we marketed it.
Then all new and potential customers loved it and told us how they’d buy it and tell everyone. sell it for us and keep coming back for more.
Then we realized there was a lot of brick walls between enthusiasm and reality. A lot of brick walls between a great idea, and that great idea becoming a great business.
There was a lot of brick walls. Walls which were hard to climb. Walls that almost ‘consumed us’ to the point of forgetting the easy, early days of enthusiasm.
These walls are put here to test us. They are asking us if we really want it. They are in fact our best friend. They make climbing over hard, and keep the pretenders out. Those who don’t really want it (maybe competitors?)
We ought thank the walls.
Webpreneurs
Dear Webpreneurs,
Click this. Study this. Understand this. Change this.
Thanks to Chris at rawstylus for the heads up!
How to kill a brand – 101
It seems that the National Heart Foundation just can’t help themselves. They’ve put the next nail in the coffin of the brand that was the once respected National Heart Foundation Tick.
A logo which once upon a time meant the food it appeared on was healthy.
If the Mcdonalds disaster wasn’t enough last year. Then surely they’re getting very close to the tipping point now.
By endorsing a certain pizza chain’s pizza, they are saying:
“Oh well, people eat junk food, so we thought we’d recommend the best of a bad lot”
Brands are never about ‘content’ they are about ‘context’. So what if this particlar pizza has less salt and fat? The association with fast food wont change the opinion of pizza, just marginalise the heart tick. Our world view on pizza is already formed.
You can read more about it here.
“If you can’t beat them, join them” ?
Startup blog says: such a mentality is a sure way for you and your brand to be absorbed into nothingness.