Business Building

Companies That Have Successfully Implemented Out-of-the-Box Thinking, via Rory Sutherland:

• Octopus Energy

  • They have a software division called Kraken

  • They manage utilities in a much more sophisticated pricing environment, like cheaper rates for charging cars after midnight

  • “It’s very much about marrying supply and demand.” – Rory Sutherland

  • They have a

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1) All businesses are loosely functioning disasters.

2) Operating a small business feels like a daily knife fight where you get out of bed, try not to get stabbed, get back in bed, and do it all over again.

3) Small businesses don't stay small on purpose.

4) Most companies don't make much money.

5) What money they make is almost always reinvested back... See more

Quickly, though, I cared quite a bit—about the mission, my coworkers, the writers we worked with. First of all, I couldn’t fake liking the people. And while work-life balance would’ve been pleasant, you have to get in the pressure cooker if you want to grow. Let a place shape you, at least sip the kool-aid. My generation is well-practiced in the... See more

“If you want to get to the truth about what makes us different, it’s this: We are genuinely customer-centric, we are genuinely long-term oriented, and we genuinely like to invent. Most companies are not those things. They are focused on the competitor, rather than the customer. They prefer to be close followers rather than inventors, because it’s... See more