My notes from Hackers & Painters by Paul Graham:
The way to create something beautiful is often to make subtle tweaks to something that already exists, or to combine existing ideas in a slightly new way.
There are only two things you have to know about business: build something users... See more
Craft is the new "growth hack".
Investing in craft, means you invest in quality of the experience, and that benefits in all of areas of the business.
People talk about you. People want your product. Sales is easier. You create customer champions. Retention is higher.
I think we have so many examples of assholes starting businesses, and if they’re the majority of examples, we’re only going to have shitty businesses. I want to see people with very specific perspectives and opinions on how to manifest things into the world. More people should take business personally.
Our choice of the particular work we do depends on the whole context of our life and society and current needs, of course; but there is also just a general orientation that emerges out of almost any set of accumulated experiences of doing something useful, particularly as part of a coordinated exchange with others. And there is profound, life-giving value in even the seemingly mundane ways we apply our minds and direct our focused efforts toward purposeful ends that matter to us. This could be as complex as building an entire company, or it could be as simple as flipping burgers at a restaurant. It could also be volunteering at a shelter, if we make a serious and sustained project of it.
Most innovation is a new wrapper for an old thing, meaning there's a fanbase already foraging for it. Your marketing job? Make sure the 'new' still 'looks like food' to this crowd. Use the same images, words, and ideas that resonate.