On May 8th, 1886…. Coca-Cola was first served at Jacobs Pharmacy.
132 yrs old. Today. Let’s be honest… that’s impressive.
It’s impressive because we keep hearing about companies going bust, blaming technology, not adapting… we’ve heard all the Darwin based quotes before.
It all started with with John Pemberton…
I think a number of startups and businesses can learn from the above poster.
1. The What – (what is it?) A drink that is… delicious, exhilarating, refreshing… description is excellent. How would you describe your product in a few words?
2. The How – (do you get it?) – dispensed from the soda water fountain… bottles came later. So how do I get your product/service?
3. The Why – (why should I buy it?) – it delights every palate… (also a Brain Tonic….). So why should I separate from my hard earned money for your product/service?
Anyway… back to the story. 132 years old… and still going strong. And there’s reasons why…. from the change in top management and leadership recently, where the strategy has slightly changed… to introductions of new products and moving drinks which are successful in one area of the world to another…. adaptable is the key word here.
Another key word is Innovation.
Share a Coke with…. how awesome was that? Did you know the idea was first generated and shared in Australia? But everyone was sharing a Coca-Cola around the world.
But going back to this blog post and remembering it’s 132 years ago… when the beverages was first available.
When you look at your organisation, your business, your startup…. how long will it keep going? Are you working short term or long term?
A number of startups fail. Why? – Going too fast?… Not doing it properly? Trying to over-achieve? Stretched goals? Profit in the first year? Expectations too high?
My advice… and my thoughts I’ve shared with a startup recently is… take your time. Evolve… learn… and grow.
As hard it is to appreciate… don’t spend all your time thinking about profit and monies now. Focus on your product, your service and your brand. Get the name out there. And then build on that…
