“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
Creating a seed economy
Growing customer connections
For over 300 years, businesses in most industries have operated according to the principles of what is commonly known as the “factory economy.”
It all began with Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations”, originally published in 1776. Smith’s concept of breaking work down into smaller tasks, combined with technology, has ensured low cost production with great benefits (profits) to those providing the capital.
Furthermore, those providing the capital hardly ever have to get their hands dirty in the day-to-day running of the company. Instead, they place their demands for return on investment squarely on the shoulders of management. Should management fail to meet these demands, they are replaced.
Management, in turn, is not required to actually do the work. Their job is to ensure the work is broken down into the smallest possible tasks (processes), and allocate these tasks to the cheapest available labour (workers). This happens in blue and white collar industries. Management then implements policies and procedures to ensure the workforce fits into the “mould” needed to control the business.
So it’s all very organised and efficient… but where is the customer in all of this?
Over the past few decades, a new challenge for businesses has emerged – the demands of the customer.
No longer satisfied with average, mediocre products and services, customers are driven by their need to feel engaged, connected, valued and understood.
Consulting businesses have tapped into this gap in the market – and a huge trend has begun. Businesses are becoming more customer-centric, measuring customer satisfaction and designing products and services to enhance the customer experience.
Uber is the world’s largest taxi company – yet it owns no vehicles. It creatively connects the needs of two groups of people: Individuals with a passion for transporting people are given the opportunity to “own their own business” – and people in need of transport are able to quickly and conveniently organise transport for themselves. Uber is a great example of a business that brings individuality back for the supplier of goods.
Cultivating real solutions
SlightlySkew promotes the concept of a “seed economy”.
A seed economy is an economy that is driven by business owners who want to create a better world for themselves and those around them through what they do. Delivering on this gives them and their teams a true sense of fulfilment.
They are not afraid to “get their hands dirty”, and take full responsibility for identifying their customers’ true needs and wants.
These business owners are free, original thinkers who craft offerings that are useful to people, and deliver them in an artful manner. They have a clear and just cause that not only inspires their employees, but their customers too. They empower their employees – to the point that they feel comfortable enough to expose their own individual form of art and, in doing so, become indispensable to the business.
Being free of the factory economy, these business owners can afford to be:
- Energetic: they can be full of passion and look for opportunities to be generous.
- Art creators: they can make judgement calls and connect people and ideas.
- Flexible in the face of change and resilient in the face of confusion.
- Contributors that interact with people in a beautiful manner.
- “Artistic”, motivated, connected, aware, passionate and genuine.
- People that do the job that doesn’t normally get done.
- Someone that would take the risk to upset the market with their initiative, innovation, and insights.
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Thank you so much.
Be blessed