Leadership lessons from previous careers

Less is more
We’ve all had to deal with too many cooks in the kitchen. We’re sure there are a few more project-related analogies we could find. However, the desire to staff up is the death of many a fine project, and organization.

Throughout our individual careers, we’ve consistently seen the best results created with smaller teams. Smaller teams of people who possess the right skill sets, and are focused on specific goals. This is not to be confused with having a lack of resources from the start.

Staffing appropriately is critical. These days, “overworked” seems to be the new “employed.” And that creates just as scattered results as our old favorite gimmick, multi-tasking.

For now, the Known Merchant team is more like a family. Three people with a history of marketing, mobile development, and coding wizardry. We plan on keeping the team pretty tight indefinitely. Even when we are ready to scale operations, we’ll be doing it with a keen eye to ensure we grow wisely.

Keep it simple, stupid
Simplicity is actually really hard to achieve. Instead of being an easier method of reaching consumers, our new digital lifestyles have continued to add complexity to the marketer’s job description. It isn’t just websites — with the social media revolution, every organization is scrambling to respond to, and service, their customers in real time.

However, the medium is not the message. Now that we have everyone online, how do we inspire them offline? The roads that Twitter and Foursquare are paving have certainly helped to bridge our digital and offline lives. However, at Known Merchant we can’t help but we feel there’s more work to do.

Every object tells a story. The story may be an old one. Or a new one. Whatever it is, we want to hear it. Storytelling is a passion for us, and the objects and products around us say something definitive about who we are.

Passion and PoV
Core is core. But, passion is the act of infecting those around you with your vision. Having focused goals is key to the success and health of an organization. You can’t have this kind of focus without real passion. It makes a huge difference when those unexpected bumps in the road translate to a late-night emergency.

The passion we have for creating Known Merchant has drawn some great people into our circle. One great conversation has led to another. Above all, the most important conversation that we feel is the key to Known Merchant’s success is not “What does it do?”, but “Why are we building it?”

We want to feed that passion, and keep all of those conversations top of mind. So, we’re going to be hosting the first ever Known Merchant Sunday Salon in Brooklyn to discuss what the objects in our life mean to us, our customers, and our users — and how we express that in our digital lives.

Drop us a line at info@knownmerchant.com for more details or to receive an invitation. We’d also like to suggest that you help spread Known Merchant by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook.

Next week – THE KNOWLEDGE
Three guys walk into a bar, each wearing a different hat…

The importance of engaging in meaningful dialogue.

That sounds so canned, doesn’t it?

Don’t worry, we won’t launch into a diatribe about how no one talks to anyone anymore, and that we’ve become a society that communicates exclusively in tiny bits through our devices. Frankly, we don’t believe that’s true.

Conversation is very much alive, and still the place where real ideas come from. It’s true, though, that many of those “conversations” are now happening in digital space. It’s also true that the word, “conversation,” has become a marketer’s buzzword. But we’re talking about some good old-fashioned talking at the dinner table, or over a cup of coffee. A Makers Manhattan. PBR if you prefer.

One model we admire is the early work of London’s Tomato group, which was overtly based on conversation. Started in 1991, Tomato included artists, writers, designers, and members from the band The Underworld. In several talks we attended, the problem-solving process started with them sitting in a room talking. Not in just some free-from sort of way: they had a goal, and a time limit. At Tomato, the conversation became the concept and the solution. The work was ground-breaking. As a matter of fact, we still have an official Tomato CD-ROM around here somewhere.

In conversation, you are granted time to figure out the idea in an open, safe environment allowing you to create with less risk. That is, until the bell rings, and you have to make something. We’ve taken a similar tack with Known Merchant, and we’re keeping one
eye on the clock.

Failing Fast

A popular example is when Henry Kremer issued a challenge to create a human-powered aircraft. People kept trying–and failing–for months and months until Paul MacCready discovered that the real problem was that it took too long to rebuild the aircraft. MacCready redefined the problem. He created an aircraft that could be ready for flight within hours so that different parameters could be tested with less time between fixing the plane, and flying it.

Interestingly, MacCready has been cited to us several times recently, as we’ve been encouraged to “Just build it. See if it works. And try again.” To us, it’s starting to sound a lot like being in Barcelona. Yes… we know you’re Catalonian… Not Spanish. Haven’t we already covered this? Can’t we just have a glass of wine and talk about Gaudi?

At Known Merchant, we know what our plane looks like. We know where the landing strip is. We’re just looking at a lot of different flight plans.

Through considered conversations we’re asking the hard questions about why people will use it, what makes it different, how it’s going to be profitable and, most importantly, how Known Merchant looks as we come in for a smooth landing.

Every object tells a story

psy·chom·e·try – Noun – The ability or art of divining information about people or events associated with an object solely by touching or being near to it.

Sort of spooky, huh?

It came up at dinner while we were talking about Known Merchant over a bottle of wine. We find this really interesting if you remove the paranormal element. Every object does tell a story. Again, this is the core concept of Known Merchant that hasn’t changed since day one. So, how does Known Merchant bridge the gap between the objects that inhabit our real lives, and what they mean in our digital lives? We’re in deep conversation about it.

One of our founders spent summers as a kid on a lake in Wisconsin. One evening he was walking up the road with a friend. With flashlight in hand, the conversation was about the components inside the flashlight, that were actually few components in comparison to the size of the housing. Unscrewing the flashlight it was clear that the only purpose of the housing was to reinforce our historical relationship to the object itself and had little to do with the functionality.

That friend went on to become a very successful technology entrepreneur. Conversations can last for years. And in some cases, pick right back up where they left off. Since the inception of Known Merchant we’ve enjoyed revisiting that summer evening. It feels like we’re still talking about that flashlight; if only it could talk.

Next week we’re going to talk some business – THE LESSON
Leadership lessons from previous careers.

Emerging technology: Identifying and executing the right opportunities.

NFC

Will it take over the world? Or won’t it? Everyone says it’s coming, that in 2-4 years every phone and credit card will have NFC. One thing’s for sure: it’s shockingly simple once you’ve used it.

Think about it. You don’t have to unlock your phone, launch your camera, or anything of the sort. You hold your phone up to the tag and it does its thing.

We’ve explored NFC in depth for Known Merchant. In particular, within one consumer product category. We’ve had several meetings with producers, distributors, and retailers. Everyone loves the promise of the technology. One person said that they’ve “been waiting for this.”

Additionally, we’ve spoken to several NFC tag manufactures. At this point, they’re chasing us. Of course they are. For them it means millions and millions of tags sold.
We’d be glad to help.

In one conversation, a NFC tag manufacturer mentioned that he has over 60 active projects on the table, and that never in his professional life has he had such a demand, with no market attached.

So will it, or won’t it? Our guess is it’s all about the iPhone. Once Apple finds a way to use it, it seems everyone wants it. We’re planning to integrate NFC into Known Merchant, in a big way, once the price of the tags to come down a bit.

QR Codes

Have you ever used a QR Code? Or seen someone use one? Yeah, neither have we.

We love it when they’re part of advertising campaigns in the subway. Unless your city has service in its stations, not so useful.

Something else we find perplexing, is that most of the time a QR code will take you
to a site that seems to have little to do with the message the organization is pushing, like just dumping you onto its home page. As we see it, this is a problem. Better yet, several tests have led us to sites that are not even optimized for mobile viewing. Awesome.

QR isn’t bad. But you know, it’s not the idea. It’s the execution.

Barcode recognition

In one of our first conversations with our CTO, he mentioned how RedLaser has changed
the way he shops. He got married recently and there were a few changes to the management structure of his household. In particular, RedLaser has helped this new couple merge their lives providing smarter purchasing decisions for their new home.

RedLaser: It’s so simple. Point and shoot. Or is it shoot and point? How many Kodak moments are now online? All of them? Anyhow, RedLaser Isn’t trying to sell you anything.
It doesn’t connect you to anyone you know via social media. It simply tells you how much things cost. It was clearly developed as a tool to enable existing technology. This sort of task-based focus is a compelling argument to keep Known Merchant simple.

The Lede

We’re still not going to tell you what Known Merchant does. Or how exactly it works.
Soup’s not done yet. But we’re up for serving a spoonful.

One of the elements of Known Merchant that has been in place from day one is critical mass across a platform that everyone knows how to use. Remember that statement about QR codes taking you to a place you’re not familiar with? Yeah, that issue.

LinkedIn. Twitter. Foursquare. YouTube. The Facing Book. These are the platforms that Known Merchant has taken its cue from. Those simple to use life-tools that we all intuitively now have the training to figure out. This universal crossover of social media platforms is what will make Known Merchant no different from what you’re already using. It’s just something very different from what these other services offer.

Everyone was complaining when Facebook updated its user interface. We were quite excited that they keep trying to improve the product. Our propensity for adapting to our environment is much greater than we may think. We’ll figure it out. We’re smart. And let’s not forget that “According to a Pew Internet research report, 65% of all online adults use social networking sites, out of which 32% of that number is comprised of the baby boomer generation — those aged 50-64.” Are you friends with your parents on Facebook?

And how fast The Times change. Was it really all the way back in 2006 when The New York Times reduced the type size (and paper size) of its printed edition? Still, the sound of that Sunday edition slamming on a kitchen table, ready to be devoured, is truly satisfying. And the feeling of passing a section across to your significant other? A tiny gesture that adds up to the history of what our human relationships are made of.

The connection between the physical objects that inhabit our real lives, and what they mean in our digital lives, is what Known Merchant will bridge. Shall we say it again?

The connection between the physical objects that inhabit our real lives, and what they mean in our digital lives, is what Known Merchant will bridge.

The Game

A few weeks ago, Known Merchant was put in front of 3 VC groups. It was a surprise to say the least. We weren’t expecting to have that sort of an opportunity so early. When all 3 passed, it was no surprise. If we were them, we would have passed too. It’s slightly too early.

Known Merchant is still not totally baked. Our prototype isn’t even properly working quite yet. However, it’s great to be in the game. When we’re ready, they’ll know who we are.

Next week — THE PRODUCT
The art of conversation, and allowing the idea to grow.

The Known Merchant Founders' Blog

Remember how checkerboard Vans were your thing in high school? Maybe you still have them rolling around in the back of your closet. Perhaps it’s that favorite shade of MAC lipstick that sets the mood for an evening out. Or that bottle of wine from a special anniversary dinner.

Known Merchant is a new way to celebrate the products you love, to learn more about what catches your eye, and what complements your personal style.

Alongside you, Known Merchant knows what you like, and can map it in our networked world. Known Merchant will ultimately help you be more knowledgeable about the things you buy. Those things that truly add value to your life, big and small.

So what exactly is Known Merchant? What does it do?

Well, we’re not ready to tell you yet. We want to. In fact, we’re dying to. It’s just that we’re taking a bit of time asking ourselves some questions about what we can offer. While the core concept has stayed in place from the initial late-night brainstorm from which it was conceived, the way you’ll engage with Known Merchant, and what you can do with it, has continued to evolve. Or rather, it’s gotten tighter. Simpler. Focused. More fun.
Worth the wait.

In the meantime, we’re looking forward to bringing you along on our product development journey. We’re following the fire in our belly to create something that you’ll love, something that helps solve a few real world problems:

1. Dealing with all that choice.
2. Examining the role brands play in your life.
3. Allowing you to take stewardship of the brands you love.

Through a series of 8 posts you’ll get to know the Known Merchant team, how we think,
and what sort of technology we’re employing to build a solid organization with a
scalable product.

We invite you to strap on a jetpack and join us as we zip around the virtual globe, led by our codernauts, exploring the most innovative ingredients for
Known Merchant.

Next week – THE GAME
An exploration of emerging technology. Identifying and executing the right opportunities.