Jeff Bezos; you may probably be thinking, that this methodical, analytical, humorous smart entrepreneur does not get the attention he rightfully deserves from the world, and you may just be right. Jeff does not impeccable business skills possessed by implementation consultants or a movie dedicated to him, like Mark Zuckerberg, or have the charisma seen in Steve Jobs, or have the dedication to share his wealth like Bill Gates. Despite that, why should he not do any of these exempt him from joining the list of these powerful entrepreneurs? Maybe you even think Jeff should be on top of this list.
Here are some of the tricks you can learn from this summa Princeton graduate.
- Be stubborn but also flexible
You need to be stubborn when it comes to vision and business performance improvement, and be flexible enough when handling details. You may think that most entrepreneurs are very stubborn and close-minded, and you are right. Entrepreneurs prefer to take control of what they are doing. You need to pick up on this, be flexible enough when it comes to details.
- Sticking with the two pizzas rule
Bezos believes that a group needs to be small enough to be fed by two pizzas, thus the “two pizza rule.” Maybe this is a habit from way back when Jeff was the startup CEO of his company. As you may have probably figured out by now, this can mean between five and seven individuals in a team according to Bezos. When you think about it, you see that teams that grow very big in business tend to reduce its work efficiency, which in turn decreases the total output of your team. Most business management consulting companies will agree to the two pizza theory.
- Never cease experimenting
Many CEOs and entrepreneurs out there will probably tell you this over and over again; experimentation is crucial and imperative for any business to succeed and be a giant in the global market. Jeff goes ahead to say that if you double the number of experiments you do in your business in any given year, then you are going to increase your investments in that said year. CEOs and entrepreneurs are constantly experimenting and trying out new ideas that can further boost their businesses.
- Think long-term
Jeff Bezos is one guy who thinks long-term about his business. You need to do the same with your business as well. Have a long-term plan for your business and how you will get it off the ground. When you set your mind to think long-term about your business, you will realize many ideas cross your mind that most business owners haven’t considered of yet and this will give you an upper edge over your competitors.
- Prepare and discuss memoranda, not slideshows
Let’s use this example, you get into a flow of writing and realize that your brain produces ideas and thoughts faster than you can type them. The same applies to a six-page script that will force the author to think things through; you will have to read through the whole script to understand what the author is saying. The same doesn’t apply to slideshows.
- Have the willingness to invent and innovate
Amazon has a wide variety of products and services for its clients. All these can be traced back to the experimentation and invention philosophy of Bezo. There are philosophy is the opposite of the Steve Jobs philosophy. If your business can offer consumers a wide variety of useful inventions then you should full maximize on this opportunity. Just like Bezo, look for people and staff who have an eye for new inventions and innovations. If you’re an entrepreneur or owner of s start up, despite the industry you are in, you will have to make use of inventions and innovations.
- Let it always be about your customers
When Bezo started his company his main focus was his customers. In one of his famous quotes he says: “Focusing on the customer makes a company more resilient.” . Bezos strategy is to identify the customer needs then start working backwards from there. Most companies start with having idea, building a product and then trying to match the product with the target audience. Bezo believes that what is best for the customer is best for the business. This will also mean inviting consumer reviews on your products and services.