What does it take to build the greatest company in the world?
Q: How do you build the world’s greatest company?
A: By doing BUSINESS NOT AS USUAL!
Of all activities known to humanity, engaging in something for the mere sake of merely surviving is the most hazardous to our journey here on earth as human beings. I have never been comfortable with the thought of merely doing things. It really doesn’t make much sense having to spend time, effort and resources doing things just like every other person does it.
In my opinion, the joy of any activity be it in business or in life, is in its outcome or the result it produces. No one cares nor will ever care about whatever you are doing unless it’s creatively being done in such a way that it is significantly different (unique) and significantly affects the life of others (useful).
This statement is true both in life and in business. Your ability to stand out from the crowd (being different) is what will determine whether you will be spotted or not and your ability to consistently add value (making a difference) is what will determine whether you will be rewarded or not.
It is one thing to be spotted as a result of one’s uniqueness and it is another thing to be rewarded as a result of one’s usefulness. Being spotted is good, but being rewarded is better. Greatness in life or in business is a function of these two factors; uniqueness (being different) and usefulness (making a difference). Therefore, the mathematical equation for greatness whether in business or in life is this;
Greatness = uniqueness (being different) + usefulness (making a difference)
Making this equation a reality in your business is what this article is all about. As an entrepreneur, if your idea of a great company is to own a business that makes you loads of money, then I suggest you find another career path for yourself, because being an entrepreneur might not be your thing.
Why? Because true entrepreneurs seek to make a difference by creating something new and exciting; money is never their primary objective. Their sole objective for going into business is to build a significant company. That is; a company that is different (uniqueness) and making a difference (usefulness).
To bring this significant company into existence and nurture it into greatness is the passion of a true entrepreneur. Money is never their main reason for existing, to them, money is only a reward or the result of their commitment and passion to building a great company. As a result, true entrepreneurs don’t do business as usual – they go about business in an unusual manner.
In other words, true entrepreneurs are not motivated by money rather they are motivated by a cause. They go into business to make a vision, idea or dream a reality both for themselves and for others. Their passion is building a significant company and nurturing it into greatness.
In essence, true entrepreneurs see themselves as an artist whose work of art or painting is a great company. This is why their approach to business is so unlike the general norm. This is because they have a picture in their mind of what their company should look like when it is done and it is this picture or imagination that dictates how they go about their business. That’s why they seldom go by the rules of traditional businesses. They play only by their own set of rules. Their approach to business is internally inspired rather than externally inspired.
The making of a great company
1. Define Your Uniqueness:
As we’ve always emphasized on naijapreneur, a business that doesn’t stand for something will fall for anything. The first step to greatness is to decide to be different. There’s no way you can be great by trying to be like others. As it’s the case with we humans, so it is with businesses too; no two businesses are the same. Greatness is a function of finding your own uniqueness as an entrepreneur and building a company that expresses that uniqueness. It involves being true to yourself and sticking to what you do better than any other person.
In the context of business, greatness is about finding a reason for being other than just making profit. Until you can look beyond the money and discover a bigger picture (purpose) for your business, greatness will remain a dream. So here is the challenge for you as an entrepreneur whose desire is to build a great company; “what’s so special about your company?” “What contributions is your company making in the world?” “What will your company be remembered for?” “What cause is your business fighting?”
Dell Computer Corporation has been fighting the cause of providing customized personal computers at affordable prices to customers for the past 26 years.
The Walt Disney Company has been fighting the cause of bringing happiness to many through their films for the past 87 years.
Google Inc has been fighting the cause of organizing the world’s information for the past 12 years.
Wal-Mart has been fighting the cause of providing the average man on the street everyday low prices for the same stuff the rich buy from other stores at higher prices.
If you haven’t discovered answers to those questions yet, now is the time to decide what you want your company to stand for and what you don’t want your company to stand for. In other words, decide what your company is going to be about and what it is not going to be about. For only companies that stand for something can truly become great.
2. Deliver Your Usefulness:
Tthe second step to greatness in business as well as in life is to consistently add value to people; for service to many leads to greatness. Having decided on what your company is going to stand for in the first step now is the time for you to deliver on all that your company stands for. Defining your uniqueness is about making a brand promise to the world, stating clearly what your company is about. Delivering your usefulness is about fulfilling that brand promise every single day to every single customer that comes in contact with your company.
It’s one thing to be unique, but it’s another to be useful. Unless your uniqueness delivers some usefulness to the world, no one will give a damn about how special you are. The very essence of defining your uniqueness (being different) in the first place is to enable you to better deliver your usefulness (make a difference).
Your uniqueness tells the world there is something special about you and what to expect from you. Delivering your usefulness is a confirmation of what your uniqueness has previously suggested to them. Your uniqueness makes them seek you out from the rest of the pack, but your usefulness is what will guarantee if they will stick with you or not after the first contact with your company.
The goal is to ensure that your uniqueness delivers some usefulness. In other words, let your being different make a difference. That is; build a company that is specially known for adding specific value(s) to the world!
So here’s the big challenge;
“what value is your company adding to the world?”
“What difference is your business making in the world?”
“What does the world benefit from your uniqueness?”
“Is your being special impacting others?”
Until there is a perfect blend between these two elements of greatness in your company, there’s no way you can build a great company no matter how much you desire it.
Over to you my dear reader; how have you been able to separate your business from the rest of the pack in your industry? In what way is your business making a difference? Kindly share your thoughts and comments below.
Tito – you brought it again! Quality is your friend – you treat it well!
While I’m an employee of a major corporation, I operate as my own business unit. I’m entrepreneurial spirited; I need creative control, personal flexibility and the ability to operate within my own comfort. While this is easy to say, when you work in upper management of a major/publicly traded corporation, this is hard to achieve. I have to be of the best, I have to know how to show my strengths and prove my worth.
What you described in this post is the very way I go about establishing myself as a business.
Great job!
Much Thanks JK!
As always, your comments are very insightful. I can totally relate with your story about being in top management and how difficult it can be to make change happen. The thing about major corporations is that they are so structured that change is often hindered due to unnecessary bureaucracy, and this is where small businesses come in with an added advantage of being small, they can easily adopt to new trends and make change happen. I’m glad you are going about your business with this approach, no faster way to set yourself apart than being Unique as well as being Useful.
Thanks for being a valuable part of this budding community. Your presence, always makes a difference!
Hi Tito,
Very nice article. Every company has to be different and offer value to people. If a company doesn’t fill a need that people want, then it will struggle. Thanks for sharing
Hello Dia,
I appreciate always your input and presence here, thanks a bunch. You are right about the need for every company to unique [different] and useful [adding value]. Without these two factors, I don’t think any business will last long out there. No longer will companies who don’t exhibit these two key factors of greatness be tolerated in the market.
Hi Tito,
I was just thinking about this earlier today. There is so much recycled information on the Internet, that to stand out, you really have to be unique. I was thinking about it in terms of my own blog, and how I would make it different from others in my niche. In one respect it is unique, because I share some of myself at the beginning of each article and there is only one me but I also want to provide unique value to my readers. This is something that I am going to be thinking more about over the next few days.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for being a part of this discussion and leaving your own thought behind. I’m glad the article left an impression and helped you see the areas you need to start working on. Great companies or businesses are those that truly standout by being Unique + Useful. I have seen so many unique blogs, companies or businesses offline and online, but what is the essence of being different [unique], if you are not making a difference [useful]? Now that you’ve known better, I guess it’s time to make that truth into a reality in your online endeavours.
On behalf of everyone here, I welcome you to naijapreneur! our budding community of unusual entrepreneurs. Hope you come around, again? 🙂
“Q: How do you build the world’s greatest company? A: By doing BUSINESS NOT AS USUAL!”
WOW, what a way to open your blog post! I LOVE this statement!
In all honesty, my favourite blog posts and articles USED to be on the subject of traffic generation, but they have since changed to articles about how to stand out of the crowd, be creative, and just generally do business completely out of the ordinary. In my 9 years of business education and experience, there is NOTHING else I’ve found that matters more than that. I love how you provided examples like Wal-Mart and Disney… true leaders in the business world!
To answer your question, I’m slowly trying to brand myself, my image, and my blog apart from the others. It’s nice to provide unique content, but without a real “brand” that sets you apart from others, it’s hard to stand out. I want to be an inspiration for young online entrepreneurs and try to be as brutally honest as possible, and also thrive on writing about all my mistakes I’ve made (LOL a lot of them). I’m hoping that my “brand” will become a lot more clear as I grow.
Wicked post Tito! I just love reading about this kind of stuff!
Elise,
Your comments are quite thought provoking, to have undergone a paradigm shift from loving traffic generation articles to now building a strong brand online is truly inspiring. I couldn’t have thought of anything better. You see what I have realized, most especially about young entrepreneurs is that they want to pull in the crowd but haven’t yet figured out how to keep them once they come. A company, business, or blog has to not only attract traffic but most also attract loyal fans or tribes as a result of relating to everything the company, business or blog stands for. It is a long term strategic relationship between the business and its intended customers, it simply never ends. It is a lot deeper than the graphics and images on your blog or company logo. It is a relationship built on certain core values and principles which both the clients and the business have both come to hold dear. It is about holding your readers by the hand and telling them where exactly their loyalty to reading your blog will take them.
I am glad you are now beginning to pay closer attention to these details much more than just traffic generation. There just too many online businesses out there promising about the same thing, your readers have just got to know here is what makes Elise different from them all and here is the consistent value she provides that will make us keep coming back because they help us do better than what others offer. In the end, it pays to be a blog, company or business that resonates with your clients than to have all the numbers without any committed member.
Thanks for being so open about your new found knowledge in business, it will take you farther than you could ever imagine! 🙂
Awesome post bro! If you are in business for money, there’s no way you can make it in the business world. Successful entrepreneurs are not after the money, their main aim is to change the industry. That’s why they play the game in a unique way. Before going into the business world, you must be ready to play the game in a unique way. I hope you get what I’m saying? Thanks a lot for sharing. Have fun.
PS: Hope no writing flaws? 🙂 Thanks so much!
Hey Sam!
Thank You for your comment, it is true that entrepreneurs should seek to contribute a unique value in whatever industry they operate if they must build a truly great company. And don’t worry, you did well, no typos 🙂
You are welcome. Will go through the manuscript again.
You hit this one on the nose, Tito. There’s nothing wrong with striving for greatness in the work you do, and finding ways to stand out from the crowd based on quality rather than notoriety. Of course, you have to get known well enough so you can have the opportunity to stand out, but that’s a different conversation. 🙂
Of course, you mentioned Dell & we could take that conversation to many other places, but I won’t go there. lol
Very funny Mitch, thanks for your comment. I would like to go to those other places about Dell with you 🙂 This is the internet, and anywhere you want to go is possible and who knows, I might learn a thing or two that I didn’t know before. So Mitch, I am set, let’s go! 🙂
Very good tutorial.I like the way this has been crafted. Keep up the great work. Retweeted
Hi praveen,
Thank you for dropping by our budding community and sharing your thoughts with us. I really appreciate the retweet. On behalf of everyone, I welcome you to naijapreneur! Will definitely love to see you around again 🙂
Hi Tito,
great sharing, it is always about become unique, to be different. Only this way you can get the attention of others. This applies not only to company but anything in the world. If you want to be successful you have to be noticed, if you want to get noticed you have to stand out of the dull mediocrity, right?
Absolutely Adam, absolutely. Mediocrity is the path to obscurity.
Thank you for coming around and sharing your thoughts with us.
Hi Tito,
I must confess this is a brilliant discourse and i really like the mix of being different and making a difference. i think that was well thought out.
I believe that this write-ups wont only go well for entreprenuers and would be entrepreneurs but also for career-oriented people. People should learn to be different and also make a difference in their various organizations.
Just as entrepreneurs should not be motivated by money to start businesses, no one should work in an organization for the sole purpose of earning a salary.
I believe people should seek to be different and to make a difference in every sphere of life.
Brilliant Work.
Well done.
Hi Tunde,
Thanks so very much for your valuable contribution. You are so very right, it is important to also be different and making a difference even as an employee. We are all capable of being SIGNIFICANT no matter where, who or what we find ourselves doing. Being great is not a function of title or position. Rather, it’s a function interest, or choice.
It would be nice to think that entrepreneurs did value usefulness over money. Sadly, from what I’ve seen, that doesn’t usually seem to be the case. A useful and unique product with a large user base is going to be easier to market, and so will attract inverters for that reason, but a useful and unique product with limited potential profits is not.
Most entrepreneurs seem to get off on the idea of gambling. What the companies they run do often seems of little concern.
Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. To know this domain, is to have an insight on how to re-shape my business. thanks guy. I love your blog. keep it up.