Halfway through “Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy” by William H. Janeway. The author talks about what transformed the creation of Enterprise Software, found it worth sharing.
Enterprise software
moments
There are moments when people would try to run over you. They will try to show you your worth, or what you are selling. They can do that because they are the decision-makers.
It does not mean whatever their opinion is about us is universal. Do not get disheartened, keep building, shipping, and delighting your believers. You cannot win or please everyone.
For how much is Lettuce sold? Fifty cents, for instance. If another, then, paying fifty cents, takes the Lettuce, and you, not paying it, go without them, don’t imagine that he has gained any advantage over you. For as he has the Lettuce, so you have the fifty cents which you did not give.
— Epictetus
Customer needs
Reading Customer Culture by Micheal D. Basch has been a refreshing read focused on building an organization, managing team, and delighting customers.
In one of the chapters, the author talks about customer needs. He defined the journey in these stages. These are related to his experience in logistics service, as the book revolves around FedEx.
Physical
Will my goods be shipped?
Informational
Where is the package at any instance of the shipping journey? Can I track it at any moment of the shipping journey?
Emotional
The package is going to be delivered on time. It gives me peace of mind.
Spiritual
I can associate with the brand. It is part of who I am as a person.
Each startup is solving a unique challenge. Knowing customer needs help in delighting our customers.
Cats or Dogs
The success of any enterprise product depends on the team it caters. These teams have their working comfort. Some teams work like a herd of dogs, all in together. Success is for everyone resulting in shaping the organization.
Some teams like to work as a herd of cats. Each is unique, in its own way of doing things in silos. It is like a pack tied together. Each has their own opinions and incentives. One heavy hitter defines success for the organization.
Selling to teams with the persona of dogs is always better than that of cats. No solution can please a herd if they are not in it together.
buzzwords
Silence does not mean a sense of fear or some void. During the pandemic, I had the opportunity to interact with many founders. For many of them, nothing has changed because they have been running the business on simple fundamentals.
Go to social media to learn about mambo jumbos around SaaS metrics.
When key should be:
- Customers’ and employees’ happiness.
- Check on income with expenditure.
Spending money on marketing, selling product underprice with investors money is not a growth hack. It is not going to end well for the founders or team.
lazy
Do only we humans fight with our brains? Is our brain lazy?
The brain takes shortcuts and avoids high cognitive tasks. Is it because of our past? When we were hunter-gathers, be alive being the default?
Is this reason we worry before even starting anything? The constant reminders of what we can not do?
Can acquiring good habits and affirmation help?
observation
What happened to our observation skills? We surrendered it to click through advertisement. Or we moved to the virtual world and raising cattle?
Einstein got a clue about apple while being an idler, lazing around and observing.
Wright brothers spent many days watching birds flying and observing.
Once we start observing surroundings we become more aware of the present. We start seeing things as they are instead of dreaming.
Individuality
Individuality has disappeared, we are all in the business of copying be it a persona, work, or product idea.
In random conversation, we get to hear about thought leaders et all. How every entrepreneur looks at the success of X and wants to become like them. Is it because copying, cloning is easy?
We have forgotten to find who we are and all sudden got into a race of becoming like X/Y.
Our education system talks about excelling in a career, getting good marks. What about acquiring self-knowledge or self-inquiry?
We see the glowing successful face of personas we want to copy. We forget their hard work, journey, sweat, and stress.
The virtue of self-knowledge needs more love. We live in a fast-paced world. Does this mean we should outsource our consciousness?
attached
I watched Gulabo Sitabo on Amazon Prime yesterday. The movie got me thinking.
I was born and raised in a small city in Bihar. I have seen how people get so hooked to one thing.
It reminds me of our house my parents built with all sweat and hard work. My mother the idea of leaving it. Moving them with me is not happening.
It is incredible how we humans get attached to something and spend life on it.
Buddha taught detachment because he got everything too early in his life?
stories
I grew up listening to stories of fairies, ghosts, witches, and shrewd foxes from my grandma. It would depend on her mood, when happy it’s about fairies and prince/kingdom. The outcome would be union, happiness, and courage.
When Grandma would be in the mood of sharing wisdom, the knowledge it will be about foxes, cows, and crows. Most of it can be relatable with Upanisads.
There would be days when I annoy her a lot and the result would be stories about evil witches and ghosts. How they would come to eat small kids of my age. My grandma knew I would be scared after listening to these and as a result, I had permission to wake her at night when I had to go for a toilet at midnight. [I would get scared of anything at night, the day was when I was on my own]
Reading fiction has made me go back to memory lane and think.