Sublime

we can find a group of people we want to serve, people with a need or a desire we care about fulfilling, and earn their trust and loyalty over time.

At the heart of every good idea or great business is a clear sense of purpose and a vision for the future its creator wants to see.

The most common error of all is that competitive success comes from “being the best.” This mind-set is highly intuitive. It is also self-destructive, leading to a zero-sum race to the bottom. Only by competing to be unique can an organization achieve sustained, superior performance.

Brands grow by having (many) more buyers who buy the brand (a little) more (as outlined in How Brands Grow, Sharp 2010).

I think when people are surprised or delighted by how a brand can change their lives by just making it a little bit better—or a little bit more fun or a little more performance-oriented—that’s when they start creating a connection with that brand.

Good brands are authentic, focused, and consistent.

Superlative form

If your business has a virtual home online, make it the place where people come to be inspired, motivated and educated. As the guys at 37signals would say, make it the place where you generously “out-teach the competition.”