Value 2.0

First off, the fact that craigslist only has 24 employees is mind-boggling, but I guess when you look at the layout/format of their site, you can see where they have scrimped.

In my previous job at Mayo Clinic, we had a little different spin on Pareto's Law. I worked as the Assistant Supervisor of the outpatient desk training program. We hired and trained Clinical Assistants and Patient Appointment Coordinators. Because of the vast number of outpatient desks (70+), we hired over 200 new employees a year. We figured (tweaking the numbers a bit) that we spent 90% of our time taking care of/disciplining/giving additional training to 10% of our hires. I still honestly think we should have incorporated the European soccer rule that if you finish in the bottom 3 of your division that year, you're out, and some new folks get a chance. Anyway...

Full disclosure- I paid $0 for In Rainbows. Worth every penny.

I think one of the difficulties of the Embracing Customers rule is that it would be difficult for start-ups to find their customers first. They could have a top-notch interactive, easy to use site, but if they have a small number of hits, its all for naught. They have to rely on other sites to provide commercials and advertisements for their new sites. Its not like going to the mall and walking by and into a new store you've never seen before.

Being flexible with your company, and in other words utilizing forward-thinking is in my opinion one of the most difficult tasks of a growing business. You need to know when to cut losses, and you need to have some sort of insight into where your customer base is headed. You don't need to be able to see the future, but it would help.

You have to think that there may be some businesses that may be too eager to jump into the virtual world and social software. Some customers out there love the routine of going to the same place, at the same time of week, to get the same sort of goods. Is there a way they can be reached? Obviously, they can't be ignored, and if they are your most reliable customers, they deserve the most attention.