Just finished Jason Calacanis’ analysis of the Monitor110 failure. The part I liked best was his description of the CEO’s role in determining the core purpose of the enterprise:
If you can’t tell me the purpose of your company in one sentence
you’re screwed. As an exercise, I like to write sentences to summarize
the purpose of other people’s companies.– Microsoft makes software that makes people productive.
– Google makes the most effective and easy to use advertising
platform in the world (you thought they were a search company?).
– DIGG makes a never-ending list of fascinating stories for people.
– YouTube provides the largest and most diverse library of videos on
the planet.
– Twitter enables platform-independent communications.
– ESPN provides sports information and entertainment.
– Apple makes technology products that work beautifully and look beautiful.
– Mahalo helps people find information they can trust.
– Coca-Cola provides beverages that people like to drink.
– Southwest provides cheap flights.
– TIVO makes watching TV easier.
So I thought, “what does That Software Guy do?”
“That Software Guy makes your online operation more profitable.”
That’ll do.
