Saasu minimalism-in-business

CEO INSIGHTS

Using Minimalism to Unlock Success in Business (and Life).

What is

MINIMALISM?

Iñaki Bolumburu on flickr

Minimalism is not less but

WHAT MATTERS * Curating, Selecting, Filtering

Adam Bartholl exhibit photo by Vinciane Verguethen

Minimalism is not anti-complexity it’s

ANTI-CLUTTER * remove the unused, unappreciated, unsuccessful

Stockholm Library Photo by Ian Schmidt

Minimalism isn’t starkness it’s

ESSENTIALISM * fit for regular purposeful use

Oblivion movie art by Thom Tenery

Minimalism turns consumers into

CREATORS

* less being owned by stuff and more creating your dreams

Photo by Michael Tapp

photo by uubergeek on flickr

Minimalism is an Antidote for

DISTRACTION

Minimalism is

INTENTIONAL* Saasu page 30 of our brand guidelines. * Intentionally designing to a grid, topographic treatments. Minimalism in design decisions.* This isn't about software. All businesses should be intentional in every design aspect of their service or product.

Minimalism creates relaxation through

SPACE * space allows people to think and choose. * space creates a clearing for chasing new dreams or possibilities you have been putting off

Minimalism is

LIBERATING * less stuff more happiness, a Graham Hill speech at TED

ARE WE

MAXIMALISTS?

We grazing on

STUFF * It’s just easier in life and business to be one of the sheeple

Photo by Jared Zimmerman on Flickr

Despite consumption

KILLING US * time, health, peace, planet and hapiness

photo by Luke wroblewski on flickr

Minimalism in

BUSINESS

photo by paul of “the lab” on flickr

Business Success

IDEA x EXECUTION2 x FOCUS3

photo by magic on flickr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/archeon/

Driven by a

GOAL FOCUS

what you actually do

what achieves

goal

the stuff minimalism attempts to remove

small crossover fornon-minimalist without focus

stuff you should doyou’re not doing

Saying no is

HYPER SELECTIVE

ALL OPPORTUNITIES

BEST OPPORTUNITIES

Because we collect, consume and say yes so well we operate here

.. but we should be

here

Embrace

DESIGN CULTURE* there aren’t as many details so each one really matters * Absorb design ideas and follow designers like Jonathan Ives, IDEO, Elon Musk

ideo leed plaque

Acquire and consume

QUALITY * Capability, longevity and riskiness

Avoid vanity metrics, create your

EMOTIONAL METRICS * How you, customers and employees feel matters.* How loyal, well crafted, environmentally friendly and honest.

Clean, clear minds allow

CRITICAL THINKING* Decisions add or remove stuff. * Are yours mostly adding stuff, tasks, ideas or are they clearing and simplifying decisions?

RECOGNISE ASSUMPTIONS

TEST CONCLUSIONS

GATHERDATA

A persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports or refutes it and the further conclusions to which it tends.

ANALYSE DATA

Business Model Simplicity

CAPITALISM HIJACKED * Every investor and his dog knows what’s best for your business. A know that their goals are aligned with yours. * There absolutely is alternatives to their version of capitalism that are valid, simple, minimalist in their approach.

• Money is great but what about meaning? • Great companies set product/service goals 1st. • Triple stakeholder model:

Saasu exists for staff, customers & shareholders. • Legitimately you can sacrifice financial returns for

other valuable returns like less stress, debt & risk. • Who hijacked capitalism with a rule that customer

growth is the only new business objective instead of profitability, survivability & emotional stability.

• You’re a cheap call option - a dirty little VC secret.

BLINDSPOTS AND BLINKERS IN CAPITALISM BASECAMP IS A GREAT CASE STUDY

Loving

LEAN * but it’s not for everyone

Rich/Big/Engineered-Growth/Maximalist Lean/Small/Organic-Growth/Minimalist

• Shareholder complexity • Debt or convertibles more likely • Capital raisings to grow • Steep growth curve • Requires momentum • Large risk surface - complexity • More stress • Lazy spend - other peoples money • More exit reward (sometimes) • Suits low barriers to entry

• Shareholder simplicity • No debt • Grow from cashflow • Shallow growth curve • Less momentum needed • Small risk surface - simplicity • Less stress • Very personal spend • Less exit reward (sometimes) • Suits high barriers to entry

Photo by Randy Robertson

Sales & Marketing

OPPORTUNITY STACK * There’s more opportunity then ever - Rank them using a performance index and pick what to do. * Performance index might allow for Return on Investment (ROI) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) * You will need to experiment different ideas within your industry.

7. GOOGLE ADS

9. DIRECT EMAIL

10. LETTERS 11. CHECKIN CALL

12. OUTSOURCE LEAD

13. BUS ADVERTS

14. PAMPHLET

1. SEO NATURAL

2. PARTNERS

3. WORD OF WEB

4. TWITTER

5. RADIO ADS

6. ASSOCIATIONS

8. BING ADS

15. SALE REP

16. NEWS AD

17. COLD CALL

Sales & Marketing

MINIMALIST COPY * How apple and samsung sell. One is still more minimalist than the other.

Apple Watch Samsung GearPhoto credit ChristianLindholm.comPhoto credit AppleInsider.com

Sales & Marketing

MINIMALIST SOCIAL * Be picky about which networks you a allocating resources to

You don’t have a Newscorp size marketing budget so curate what social networks you invest your business in.

Invest small amounts to test them and you will learn which ones to rule out.

Sales & Marketing

MINIMALIST PRICING * Beyond 3 price levels is too much choice

TWO EDGED SWORDINCREASING CHOICE AND CONFUSION

Strategy

PRODUCT MINIMALISM * Production, sales and service complexity

BEFORE STEVE

AFTER STEVE

Strategy

KPI MINIMALISM * Use 3 historical, 3 present and 3 future looking KPI’s per management role

* Not too many or you run the risk of missing the obvious.

• data is costly to gather - do less and be picky about what you collect • too many data collectors - creates complexity and has accuracy cost • trusting the system source - don’t assume the ad provider has accurate stats • human compilation error - is highly likely when spreadsheets and DBS queries are used • common mistake is to collect data you can’t actually action

HISTORICAL Active customersHappy customersCustomer Acquisition Costs (CAC)

➡ ➡ ➡ ➡

FUTURE PR/Event ActionsCampaigns ActionsCustomer LongTerm Value (CLTV)

PRESENT Monthly Recurring Revenue (CAC)

KPI DATA TIPS

" GEN

🌐 INBOUND

👫 NUTURE

% SOLD

& LOYALTY

Strategy

MINIMALIST CHANNELS * Your in the business of channel portfolio selection

Rich Lean

• Buses, Billboards and Banners • Hold Conferences • JV Channel partners • Sales Reps • Radio/TV • Cash incentives • Long free periods • Free install

• Social • Meetups, Mini-conferences • Digital Partners • Direct Sales • Youtube/Vimeo • Referral commissions • Short free trial • Term discounts, lower total price

Strategy

MINIMALIST RELATIONSHIPS * Your in the business of channel portfolio selection

200 People25 Staff

50 Friends

25 Family

100 Clients/Partners

This is a bit cold on face value BUT consider you already do this in an unplanned way that has important people miss out on your attention.

Don’t follow this strictly. I make time for any staff member & even

strangers BUT I say no often to requests of them. I can’t defocus

from the people I need to give most of myself to.

Operations

MINIMISING MEETINGS * They are toxic. Jason Fried is right - Mostly

Operations

DATA SILO EXPLOSION * managing data consumes large amounts of time and adds complexity in logarithmic way as

you add each extra storage method and database

xls

CRM

Operations

DATA SILO EXPLOSION * managing data consumes large amounts of time and adds complexity in logarithmic way as

you add each extra storage method and database

xls

CRM

Operations

CONTACT SILO EXPLOSION * managing contact lists consumes large amounts of time and adds complexity in logarithmic way as

you add each extra storage method and database

Operations

CONTACT SILO EXPLOSION * managing contact lists consumes large amounts of time and adds complexity in logarithmic way as

you add each extra storage method and database

Operations

PROCEDURES AS FILTERS * Only procedures born from service design should exist. All else is speculative & unplanned. * We humans always add more. New procedures without critical thinking can be operationally expensive.

APPLE GENIUS BAR S.O.P’S

APPLE BUSINESS CONDUCT S.O.P’S

Operations

SYSTEM SELECTION * stop being owned by systems and paying for too many systems * leaving aside programming 80% of what we do is covered in 5 systems

More Data Silo’s Higher Staff training cost More Software Licences

Backup/Upgrade tasks increase File search-ability/view-ability reduces

Reporting costs increase Audit costs increase

SYSTEM COMPLEXITY $$

Operations

AGILITY * nimble, light, lean, agile allows change with less organisational impact and mitigate risk

Minimalists Maximalists

• No/little investor pressure • Good change management velocity • Agile product and service design • Quick cost base alterations • Better risk visibility, less risk surface • Clarity of a simpler mission • Cut mistakes fast • Quick start new ideas • Focused “best-of” sales & marketing

initiatives - low acquisition cost

• Pressure from investors & markets • Onerous change management • Scaling agility isn’t easy • Cost base changes slow and difficult • Greater risk via complexity & unknowns • Dispersed focus across many areas • Had to stop mistakes quickly • Slow to start new ideas • Diverse “portfolio” of sales & marketing

initiatives - high acquisition cost.

Minimalism impact of

CUSTOMISATION * personalisation can be quite anti-minimalist

Personalised Collective

• Software • Custom integration • Personalised workspace • Personal software choices • Personality managed • Owning assets • Desktop + Laptop

• Web Applications • Cloud connection • Personality workspace • Service Design web app choices • Procedure managed • Sharing assets • Laptop + Screen

Minimalist

BASIC WORK HACKS * tips for the minimalist business person

Old New

• Work phone + Personal Phone • Make lunch • Backpack packing • Laptop, ipad and iPhone • Internet on iPad • Statements review • 50+ spreadsheets • Scanning paper • Public Transport and read/listen • Cloud, Hard drives, Small Laptop

drive, USB’s and SD’s

• Work phone only • Buy lunch • No bag to pack • Laptop and iPhone • Internet on iPhone • Automated Statements and Emails • 5+ spreadsheets • Stop paper, receive electronically • Drive and listen to podcasts • Cloud, SD

“Less is more” Jason Fired

Business Philosophy

MINIMALIST THINKING * many others have already walked the minimalist path

80% of the effects come from 20% of

the causes. Vilfredo Pareto

“By setting limitations, we must choose the

essential” Leo Babauta

“There seems to be some perverse human

characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.”

Warren Buffett

FIND OUT MORE www.saasu.com

CONTACT Marc Lehmann Chief Executive Officer, Saasu [email protected] @saasu @marclehmann