Product intentionality and the right team make the difference. Kevin Michaluk of Clicks Technology shares the journey. In the world of ecommerce, one thing is always true: you can't sell crap.
Well, you can sell it for a while, but eventually the negative reviews and the consumer experiences catch up to you. The difference maker between brands is intentionality. Being intentional about design, the story behind the product, and how you tell that story is what separates brands that grow and tank vs the ones that stick around for the long haul.
Not only does product intentionality matter, but having the right team around you makes all the difference. Getting A players who are willing to be scrappy with you, solve problems, and who you know you want to be in the game with, whether you get an L or a W, is how you build great things and enjoy your work at the same time. There's a reason people, and those cool inspirational posters, say teamwork makes the dream work.
Kevin Michaluk, Co-Founder and President of Clicks Technology, has lived this journey through and through and he joins us on this episode of The Longer Game to share it all. Set down your phone, press play, and let the good vibes roll. What they cover 1.
Ecommerce has evolved like crazy the past 20 years; you can't run the same plays now that you did back then. You have to evolve with the times 2. Product intentionality is the real differentiator between brands.
It all starts with the product. Without a real story behind the product and the quality to back it up, you're dead in the water 3. Hardware companies can't wait until they love the product to launch it.
If they do, they've waited too long. When you do launch, you get a lot of data that enables you to go and improve upon that product, in a way that testing in the lab just can't provide. You just can't make a big mistake when it comes to the product because it erodes trust and is costly 4.
So often people allow their what to drive their why. Your why is the reason you're doing something; the what is just the vehicle for your why. Scale does not have to mean instant growth.
So many people hear scale and think it's a hockey stick up and to the right immediately from launch. It can look like lessons learned over decades and eventually reaching greater growth but not all scale looks the same 6. If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.
Build great teams that you want to play the game with and that you're okay taking some Ls with. Losing could just mean a bad season.