Synergy is key

The notion occurred when Elon introduced the Model S with the battery pack as the flat floor of the vehicle, increasing handling as it keeps the center of gravity low (increasing handling, making driving safer) and creating more cabin space at the same time. It was one of those Matrix moment when I started seeing things anew. The idea that two really bad constrains can be paired together to become a system that is net positive. Who would’ve thought that the heavy battery pack can become all this and act as an armor to protect the drivers.

Peter has worked his way to a VP from the bottom. He’s an Australian with an always sunny disposition towards life. I think he enjoys watching me grow and like to hear about my adventures whenever I am back. I can always be frank with him with my observations of the cruel business world, but I also keep in mind to not say the wrong thing. Such as: “I miss being hailed and looked up upon as an entrepreneur.” But he understood, like me, his main business is in USA and immediately replied with: “Yeah, entrepreneurs are looked at as evil in Canada and basically everywhere else in the world.”

From these foundations, a new idea is beginning to form in my mind to what the next state of being should be. The last 3 years has been about asset lite, where I make sure that I own the least amount of assets possible and rent to cover the occasional usage. The only things I’d buy are things that I use daily and things that are used to generate income. Cost reduction by headcount is the most important thing of all. After the time in USA, I understand fully that the future for small business is very bleak and that the biggest expense for any small company will be the employees. Along with the vilification of Entrepreneur with a stronger socialist approach, it is best to not have any employees. So reduction of cost and reinvesting everything back into my business will be the way going forward. Everything I earn from now on will be spent and I will spend them on my business. Money is just energy you shift around and use for your next creation. But that is not enough.

The future of commerce seems to be to provide the absolute best services as a monthly charge but allowing the user to have a peace of mind so they are not liable for anything. A sort of insurance-for-activity deal. People pay a certain premium for a state of being, but does not want to be bothered with the details. Like how people will lease cars for only 3 years and exchange for a new one after 3 years. AirBNB, Tesla motors, Zipcar, Founders Card,  Ebay, Amazon are all taking up the bill for anything that went wrong, but in return, asks for premium and market share. Product and service will be tightly integrate together to offer a lifestyle.

It is not something that people can afford in poverty, but if you are willing to spend the bucks, the combined synergy actually saves more money and time as it reduces costs of ownership and time lost for repair. It is most likely for the middle class who can spend and who value their time above all else. My recent experience with my own lifestyle further confirms that this is the life style for me.

Bus pass, Microsoft Surface Pro, Photoshop and Surface Pro armor

I’ve been lamenting about all the wasted time I lost riding on the bus, but I absolutely cannot justify owning a car with all the problems that comes with it. Riding the public transport everywhere allows me to get to places more refreshed at the same amount of time during rush hours and long trips. Microsoft surface pro gives me freedom to work on my drawing that I previously had no time for and in turn make those time on the bus productive. However I was always afraid of denting my expensive surface pro until the invisible armor finally arrived. The mentality shift afterwards was mind boggling. I now bring it everywhere with me and just throw it into all sorts of places with no regards to protection.

So the equation of a product designed for this lifestyle seems to be:

1. Excellent all problems inclusive service. One bill, one function from customer’s point of view, no haggle. Corporation handles the risk of all the unexpected cost.
2. Fixed price. Late comers subsidize early adopter’s less expensive monthly charge.
3. Asset lite, no ownership, renting or on demand model
4. Comparable experience to actually having bought the products
5. Removal of ownership service and repair cost of money and time
6. Finally full protection against destruction to allow the free usage of all functions, even if outside the scope of the design