Dear friend
On Friday I was having lunch with Dev, a dear friend and former client. He was on his way to Germany to consult with a major automotive brand on some very high level ideas on where the car industry is heading. It was such an inspiring conversation and I loved his ideas. We discussed back and forth and I realized that one of the things we were doing was like using mental satellites to see beyond the immediate horizon. We would pick a high level concept – maybe instead of a car company we see ourselves as a mobility company. This is the satellite – high up. Abstract. Then we would beam back to the ground and ask: what products already exist in this space? Nike Free running shoes, city bikes and private jets are also in this domain, serving different ranges of distance.
HOMEWORK
What business are you in? Draw a globe and yourself on top of it. Now try to abstract away from your normal definition and build mental satellites based on the needs you serve. Draw the satellites in orbit. Do at least three different ones. Then for each of them beam back to the surface. What products already exist here? Which of these satellites are your most excited about?
With love until next week.
Mathias
