Tag: writing

If it works with ten people

FabrizioLeave a comment

The idea that by hiring more you will get more business is flawed.

The idea that by implementing more processes things will be running more smoothly is flawed.

The idea that by buying a new tool your employees will suddenly start to make sense is flawed.

The idea that by acquiring more customers your product will finally take off is flawed.

Hiring, processes, tools, and customer acquisition are fantastic ways to achieve goals, but they do not work in the same manner in all contexts. And particularly, they are not a cure for some fundamental flaws your organisation might have.

A general rule of thumb: if it works with ten people, you are ready to move to one hundred, one thousand, one million.

If it does not work with ten people, though, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and find a new way to make it work.

Faith in success

FabrizioLeave a comment

Success – however you define it, in whatever field you are pursuing it – is a matter of faith.

Faith that what you are doing today is going to bear fruits. Faith that despite not seeing any sudden improvement, change is happening in small increments every single day. Faith that even failure is important. Faith that the good work you are putting out there is worth it, for you and for the people you serve.

Always believe in the method and apply it systematically.

That’s what faith in success looks like.

Capstone

FabrizioLeave a comment

When you extend beyond your domain, you stretch past your comfort zone and find things you have never met before. It’s the way you learn, and it’s also the way you collapse under the weight of everything that is new.

Your purpose is your capstone.

What to aim for

FabrizioLeave a comment

The biggest problem with self-help books, business reviews, parenting blogs, marketing podcasts is that they give you a kick when your mind is at peace and make you feel awful the exact same moment things get hectic and you fail to follow their advice.

Hearing about what somebody else has done in similar circumstances is not going to shield us from pain, frustration, anger, and thousands of other feelings when the situation comes to us.

Life is tough, no matter what.

Finding your way, the way you can call your own and be proud of, is what you should aim for.

The ocean of sameness

FabrizioLeave a comment

Messaging is the equivalent of defining. And when you define something you put a limit to it.

If I say tree, everybody understands what I am talking about, but at the same time everybody will have their own image of a tree in their mind.

If I say birch, fewer people will understand what I am talking about, but those who do will have a clear image in their mind.

If I say betula pendula, most people will not understand what I am talking about, but the very few who do will have a very powerful image in their mind, and a very strong connection with me.

Messaging is ineffective for many products because the limit is pushed further and further and further again, until the message itself loses any power to define what the product actually is. And for the fear of losing opportunities and market shares, all you end up selling is trees. Just like anybody else.

If your work involves some messaging, remember that your goal is to limit, not to expand. You can have different messages for different people and for different channels, but each one of them needs to be limited in order to resonate and actually mean something.

The alternative is drowning in an ocean of sameness.