My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Go to the Tapes for Successes
When something works exceptionally well, analyze it as thoroughly as you would analyze failures to understand exactly what made it successful and how to replicate it.
Decision Rule
Every time you have an unexpectedly positive outcome, immediately document what happened, why it worked, and how to systematically reproduce it.
How It Works
Most people only analyze failures but ignore successes, missing opportunities to understand and scale what works. Systematic success analysis puts intention to intuition.
Failure Modes
Assuming good outcomes were just luck
Moving on quickly without analysis when things work
Focusing only on failure analysis
Not documenting successful processes for replication
Example Decision
“After hot dog gesture created incredible customer reaction, analyze exactly what elements made it work: being present enough to overhear, willingness to be silly, gesture specific to individual, element of surprise.”
Related Knowledge
The most human moments are perfectly imperfect
Businesses should balance pursuit of perfection with willingness to be silly, human, and connective
Generosity begets generosity
Small investments in customer generosity create disproportionate returns through reciprocity principle
Three Categories of Unreasonable Hospitality
A systematic approach to customer experience divided into three categories: one size fits all (improving every touchpoint for everyone), one size fits some (pattern recognition for recurring situations), and one size fits one (personalized gestures for individuals).
Rules for Productive Criticism
A systematic approach to giving feedback that positions criticism as investment in someone's growth rather than negative judgment.
Enable systematic execution of creative hospitality ideas without bandwidth constraints
Frontline staff consistently execute creative customer experience ideas because someone dedicated removes execution barriers.
Identify and enhance overlooked customer interaction points for maximum impact
Customers notice and remember your business because you care about details others ignore.