My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Create story-worthy customer experiences
Why It Works
People naturally share memorable experiences, especially when they feel genuinely surprised or cared for. Stories get retold multiple times, creating compound marketing effects.
Prerequisites
How to Execute
Implement three-category hospitality framework
Train staff to listen for opportunities
Create systems to enable quick execution
Document and scale successful gestures
When It Fails
When gestures feel forced or inauthentic, when execution is inconsistent, or when stories aren't actually worth sharing
Real Example
“Restaurant serves hot dog to European tourists, creates story they tell repeatedly about unexpected gesture at fancy restaurant.”
Related Knowledge
No-Menu Family Connection Restaurant
Modern restaurants focus on impressing through complexity rather than facilitating genuine human connection.
Grassroots word-of-mouth: Create exceptional customer experience that naturally drives referrals
Satisfied customers become authentic advocates when the experience provides genuine value and social currency
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.