I think the saying goes: "If the shoe fits, wear it." You can deny you are something as much as you want but actions always speak louder than words.
Lululemon seems shady to me. For those who don't know what it a yoga-inspired athletic apparel company that also offer free yoga classes within their stores. Seems pretty great, but the more I learned about their methods, the more I questioned their motives.
They bring people into their stores with the lure of a free, trendy yoga class. Then they take all your money you didn't spend on the yoga class by selling you $52 tank tops. But no worries, they will give you a 15% off coupon. Whoop-dee-doo.
"If you want to be successful in this industry, it's about being authentic," says Christine Day, Lululemon's CEO.
I am totally not getting the "authenticity" vibe. But maybe that is just me.
In just a little more than 10 years, this company has gone from a single storefront in Vancouver, British Columbia to more than 100 outlets and $340 million in annual revenue. That works out to $1,800 in sales per square foot.
"Our vision is 'to elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness,' and we are growing so we can train more people and spread the word of The Secret -- which to us at Lululemon is not so secret,' says Chip Wilson, the company's founder and chairman.
Lululemon plans to expand into swimming, triathlons, and running.
So, we shall see. Google them, but beware--they will suck you in.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
A Name You Should Know
"It doesn't matter if it's a company or a campaign; you build around commonality. If it's real people and real communities, then it's valuable. Otherwise, it’s just playing around online.”
That’s what Chris Hughes has to say to sum up his philosophy. Remember the name ‘Chris Hughes’, I have a feeling this is not the last time you will hear it. At the mere age of just 25, Hughes has already helped create two of the most innovative and successful start-ups in modern history—Facebook and the online-based campaign that got Barak Obama elected.
What made these ventures so innovative and successful? They acknowledged the importance of communities and how people interact with each other.
Hughes became involved with Facebook on the ground level when he befriended Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard. Little did he know that would eventually lead him to work for the next president of the United States.
When Obama's campaign began to look at Facebook and the options it provided, they found Hughes. Way led to way and Hughes joined the Obama team. He was hired on the spot. He's that good.
“Technology has always been used as a net to capture people in a campaign or cause, but not to organize. Chris saw that was possible before anyone else,” says David Plouffe, Obama campaign manager.
That is what I call job security—to create the very thing your employer or client desperately needs but has no idea what is. Pure gold.
Hughes proved himself a very valuable asset Obama’s quest to the White House by employing his philosophy.
My.BarakObama.com, Hughes main tool, served as a social networking source to empower citizens and turn them into activists without the aid of any actual human field staffer. The site quickly became a place to create groups, organize events, raise funds, download tools, and connect with other Obama supporters. Best of all, it was cheap and effective.
At the end of the campaign, volunteers had created more than 2 million profiles through the site, planned more than 200,000 offline events, formed 35,000 groups, posted 400,000 blogs, and raised $30 million on 70,000 personal fund-raising pages AND their guy got elected. I'd call that a success.
Hughes contributed vastly throughout the campaign and should be credited largely with Obama's victory. Barak Obama was a huge commonality for so many people. Obama knew that he would need a nation of organizers to win--that is exactly what Hughes gave him.
So, take notes on this Hughes guy. I think he may end up going somewhere :)
That’s what Chris Hughes has to say to sum up his philosophy. Remember the name ‘Chris Hughes’, I have a feeling this is not the last time you will hear it. At the mere age of just 25, Hughes has already helped create two of the most innovative and successful start-ups in modern history—Facebook and the online-based campaign that got Barak Obama elected.
What made these ventures so innovative and successful? They acknowledged the importance of communities and how people interact with each other.
Hughes became involved with Facebook on the ground level when he befriended Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard. Little did he know that would eventually lead him to work for the next president of the United States.
When Obama's campaign began to look at Facebook and the options it provided, they found Hughes. Way led to way and Hughes joined the Obama team. He was hired on the spot. He's that good.
“Technology has always been used as a net to capture people in a campaign or cause, but not to organize. Chris saw that was possible before anyone else,” says David Plouffe, Obama campaign manager.
That is what I call job security—to create the very thing your employer or client desperately needs but has no idea what is. Pure gold.
Hughes proved himself a very valuable asset Obama’s quest to the White House by employing his philosophy.
My.BarakObama.com, Hughes main tool, served as a social networking source to empower citizens and turn them into activists without the aid of any actual human field staffer. The site quickly became a place to create groups, organize events, raise funds, download tools, and connect with other Obama supporters. Best of all, it was cheap and effective.
At the end of the campaign, volunteers had created more than 2 million profiles through the site, planned more than 200,000 offline events, formed 35,000 groups, posted 400,000 blogs, and raised $30 million on 70,000 personal fund-raising pages AND their guy got elected. I'd call that a success.
Hughes contributed vastly throughout the campaign and should be credited largely with Obama's victory. Barak Obama was a huge commonality for so many people. Obama knew that he would need a nation of organizers to win--that is exactly what Hughes gave him.
So, take notes on this Hughes guy. I think he may end up going somewhere :)
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