It's always good to know who you're working with, who you're doing business with. We want to make the decision to work, or not to work with us very straightforward.
To facilitate that we've made public our manifesto, a declaration of our intentions, our views, our motives. We don't aim to be brash, but to be honest, to be transparent.
1. WE ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE
We only want to work with people for whom we are a good fit, people for whom we can provide real value, measurable value.
More importantly we only want to work with people who's beliefs and values align with ours, who's reason for existing and doing business is greater than a dollar value.
To be clear we understand that businesses need to be profitable and we try out best to do so as well, but not at the expense of our souls, our values, our beliefs.
Our reason for existing is far greater than our financial bottom-line and we are excited to work with people who share the same ideals. We aren't allergic to money, but it doesn't drive us.
2. WE WILL GIVE OUR ALL
We only want to work with clients who care more about getting the best result available than they do about saving a penny or protecting their bank accounts.
If the project is not something that you would put everything on the line for, most likely we don't want to work on it. We like putting everything on the line to get the best results for our clients and we only want to work with clients who are willing to do the same for themselves.
It's a waste of time when we are more invested in the project's success than the client is. It just doesn't make any sense.
3. WE don't know it all
We aren't always right. We don't have all the answers. Who is? Who does?
We work in a collaborative way with our clients to pinpoint the best strategies to accomplish well defined goals. We never want to jump to conclusions.
Discovery and exploration are our greatest tools. We don't have all the answers and we are comfortable exploring in order to find the best solution to your problem.
Ironically not having all the answers is our greatest strength. It allows us to get over ourselves, and our desire to look smart, and allows us to quickly focus our energies on finding solutions that are unique to our clients' problems.
Not having all the answers helps us innovate and bring fresh ideas to each project.
4. WE WILL take risks
It is famously said that to get results no one has gotten before, one has to be willing to do “things” others haven't done before.
Sometimes these “things” are virtually risk free and sometimes these “things” require taking a calculated risk.
It can be hard at times to tell the difference a calculated risk, a gamble or plain stupidity.
Stupidity, in terms of risk taking, can be summarized as making decisions who's results could, in the worst case, mean catastrophic failure, and in the best case, success that was of very little significance.
A gamble can be very similar to a calculated risk in the sense that they both have the potential for really significant rewards or success that is life changing.
A calculated risk however, understands and accepts that there could be great losses, but takes the necessary steps to prevent or recover from unlikely but possible losses.
We are always looking for ways to grow, to push boundaries, to innovate, achieve results that were once thought to be impossible. All these things go hand in hand with risk taking.
5. FAILURE IS AN OPTION
We know that this sounds like something crazy to say, but there can be no innovation and creativity without failure, and as innovators, we accept the possibility of failure.
We never aim to fail, but if we do, we don't cry over it. We evaluate the situation to see what went wrong and what can be improved. We learn and adapt very quickly.
There are no guarantees on the unbeaten path, and in an attempt to create unique solutions we may experience bumps along the way. Rest assured that we do all in our power to minimize the client's risk.
At the end of the day, you've only truly failed, if you've stopped trying, prior to reaching your goal. We never stop short of our goals.
6. We will be transparent
Simply put, we will be open, communicate our intentions clearly and be accountable to the people we work with.
We hate being surprised by undesirable curve balls hidden in fine print, so we will always communicate our intentions from the very beginning. If we don't we want to held accountable.
Transparency helps us and it helps you. If there is a possible deal breaker, or any unfavorable news, we'd rather find out now than later.
Transparency helps all parties manage expectations, and helps avoid the bitter taste that results from disappointment.
