Have you ever wondered why some businesses are phenomenally successful, and others are not? If you are turning to Rule of Three for a scholarly, exhaustively-researched, painstakingly-edited dissertation regarding the factors critical to the success of an organization, boy, are you barking up the wrong tree.
No, given the limited attention-spans of most Americans, it is our belief that successful approaches to business growth must be encapsulated in pithy soundbites, capable of being reproduced on a t-shirt, or a baseball cap.
But, we further believe that, in an attempt to conform to that standard, oftentimes key elements of the advice end up on the cutting-room floor. It is our aim to shore-up those gaps, and deliver more complete advice for you; we recognize that, through our efforts, some t-shirts might have to feature, of necessity, “. . .continued on next t-shirt.”
Some of our favorite bits of business advice, including our suggested edits:
“Quality is the best business plan.” (John Lasseter - Disney/Pixar) - “. . .but, if quality is not attainable, securing a massive marketing budget is a decent back-up plan.”
“Surprise and delight your customers. There is nothing like that in business. If you delight your customers, you’re a long way home.” (Warren Buffett) - “. . .keep in mind, however, that a pleasant surprise, such as a small plastic toy in a cereal box will delight your customers; an unpleasant surprise, such as a dead rat in a cereal box, will not delight your customers.”
“Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like.” (Brian Chesky - AirBnb) - “. . .but, I think we can agree that building something that 1 million people love would be even better. . .or, perhaps, that 100 million people love - now, you really have something there.”
“There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes.” (Naval Ravikant) - “. . .but, by all means pay close attention to Rule of Three’s “Sage Business Advice” - there is no better guarantee of business success.”
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“To succeed in business you must learn the art of saying no.” (Barbara Corcoran) - “. . .except when the question posed is, ‘Will you accept this $100 million check from me for a 1% share of your business?’”
“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” (Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group) - “. . .just try to avoid getting thrown under it when it comes by.”
“If someone is out in the desert walking around, they’re going to be thirsty. You just have to ask them what they want to drink.” (Arthur Blank) - “. . .and, if you offer them pretzels they’ll be likely to be even more thirsty.”
“It’s more effective to do something valuable than to hope a logo or name will say it for you.” (Jason Cohen) - “. . .but, let’s face it, a cool logo is a lot of fun, even if you’re not doing anything valuable.”
“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” (Reid Hoffman) - “. . .unless that team is the ‘62 Mets, in which case your chances are pretty good.”
“Sometimes the best way to make money is when most people say you are wrong and nuts.” (Carl Icahn) - “. . .although, sometimes those people are right: you’re simply wrong and nuts.”
“What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.” (Dave Thomas) - “. . .and, having a wealthy close relative doesn’t hurt.”
“If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” (Zig Ziglar) - “. . .and if they neither like you nor trust you, you could have a future in politics.”
“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. ” (Henry Ford) - “. . .but, a business that does not make money is a hobby, according to the IRS.”
“Always deliver more than expected.” (Larry Page, co-founder of Google) - “. . .unless we’re talking about potato salad, because, you know, that stuff goes bad pretty quickly.”
“When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.” (Josh James, CEO and co-founder of Omniture) - “. . .unless that idea is how to kill your spouse - that’s probably one to put on the back burner.”
“See things in the present, even if they are in the future.” (Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison) - “. . .a magic 8-ball, or a visit to a fortuneteller, or a Ouija board is best equipped to accomplish that task.”
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” (Walt Disney) - “. . .and if you can’t do it, then teach it.”
“The first one gets the oyster, the second gets the shell.” (Andrew Carnegie) - “. . .and the third gets stuck with the bill.”
“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” (LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman) - “. . .and, if you’re embarrassed by the final version of your product, you probably shouldn’t have launched at all.”
“Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure, it just means you haven’t succeeded yet.” (Robert H. Schuller, motivational speaker) - “. . .and, maybe you never will.”
“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” (Henry Ford) - “. . .and in pretending to do it right when everyone is looking.”
Rule of Three is pleased to be able to play some small role in your future business success, by arming you with the sage business advice necessary to succeed (Ed. note: T-shirts not included). Plus, we’re delighted with Dave Thomas’ strict adherence to the rule of three.
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