I ran across an interesting viewpoint that asks the question of whether you are an ‘we company’ or a ‘them company?’
This intrigued me because it relates to many of the things that I’ve seen mirrored in small and medium size businesses over the past 20 some years in the newspaper business. The original author of this concept is unknown at this time. I hope to add that later, but the author at this blog describes the notion that Apple used to be a ‘we company’ before they started suing bloggers
Still yet, the idea is worth considering in my own sphere. This is a quote from the web site.
We’ companies are built by and for a community of users. Everything (including profits) flows from this core value of serving the users. We companies and their profitability are incredibly sustainable.
On the other hand, ‘They’ companies are traditional companies that seek to optimize profitability at the expense of everything else. These businesses are not sustainable and they tend to overreach and ultimately end up in a long and steady decline.”
I’ve seen this all too often as new ideas spread. Consumers and customers love value. It’s my belief that people love to buy things that have value. Many times, they see the value even though they don’t have the money. In advertising and marketing, people buy ideas and these ideas are a union of value between business and consumer. Their union is necessary anytime there is a sale and if their is no value, then the sale is only temporary.
A ‘We’ company keeps their senses sharpened toward value and that relates to our product and the customer. It’s obvious that profitability is the ultimate goal for any sustainable business. Value can easily be disquised in a new venture, but over time this natural dicotomy must exist to maintain profits over the long term, especially in this age of change.
Consumers that lose interest in your product or service and fail to see the value, usually take their business elsewhere. This short-term relationship are forged on the belief that a ‘we’ scenario exists, but as soon as the ‘them’ charecteristic becomes apparent, most relationships end in leiu of a more symbotic relationship.
I want to work for a ‘We’ company.