{"id":5877,"date":"2020-11-30T12:37:57","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T12:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/?p=5877"},"modified":"2020-12-17T18:12:30","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T18:12:30","slug":"amazons-success-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/amazons-success-secret\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon’s Success Secret?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

When Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1995, it was just a simple bookstore he ran from his home garage. Source: BusinessInsider<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

25 years later, it was worth $1.7trillion. Source: CNBC<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How did that happen?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Amazon<\/a>
Amazon growth – how did that happen?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why do some small companies grow into mega-giants, yet others fail?<\/span><\/p>\n

Why do some ideas spread like wild-fire?<\/span><\/p>\n

Why do some YouTube videos go viral?<\/span><\/p>\n

Why are some expensive restaurants much in demand when you can buy the same food far cheaper elsewhere?<\/span><\/p>\n

I think the secret is: Word of mouth<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, word of mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Word<\/a>
Word of mouth. We tell our friends when we find something good.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That’s what Jonah Berger claims in Contagious<\/em>, the brilliant book I’m reading right now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Please explain, David.”<\/span><\/p>\n

OK. Do you remember that fabulous restaurant you went to once? When you simply had to tell everyone on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? And again, the next day at work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes we discover something that’s different – and just have to tell our friends about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
“I need to tell someone about this!”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amazon, The Everything Store<\/span><\/h2>\n

I’m also listening to The Everything Store<\/em> on Audible. That’s about how Amazon started.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two books at the same time, David?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, I know. But I don’t do both at precisely the same time. I’m a man – and we don’t multi-task well.<\/span><\/p>\n

We tend to criticise these mega-giant companies like Amazon, don’t we. And often rightly so.<\/span><\/p>\n

But I wanted to discover how Amazon humbly began with a 70% chance of failure, find out what made it so successful, and to get inspired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>
How did Amazon go from a garage to a giant business?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The First Time I Heard of Amazon<\/span><\/h2>\n

I can remember the conversation very well.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’d gone to rectify a fault.<\/span><\/p>\n

And in the premises, a chap was looking at some books that had just arrived.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being a book lover, I struck up a conversation. And the chap told me he’d received the books from Amazon.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Amazon?” I asked. “What’s that?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s a brilliant new company. They sell books at discounted prices. You order online. And Amazon delivers them for free… to anywhere in the world.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Really? How do they do that?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t know. But we buy books to send abroad to charities we sponsor. This is saving me a fortune in postage.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"We<\/a>
“I bought them from a new company called Amazon.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now I know Amazon has since changed that free postage – because they want you to become a Prime<\/em> member.<\/span><\/p>\n

But back then, it was a brilliant new concept.<\/span><\/p>\n

And this chap wanted to tell people all about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was contagious.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, if you want your idea to spread…<\/span><\/p>\n

Do something that’ll get people talking!<\/span><\/p>\n

Do something to get people talking.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How To Benefit From Amazon’s Growth<\/span><\/h2>\n

Amazon’s share price hit a record high in April 2020, giving the company a value of $1.7trillion<\/strong>. Source: CNBC<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Its founder, Jeff Bezos, is worth around $200billion. Source: CNBC<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>
One man with one great idea worth talking about<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why such growth?<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the reason you and I can most benefit from has to be<\/em> this one:<\/span><\/p>\n

People spread news.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amazon got people talking about it. <\/span><\/p>\n

And its founder became the richest person in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My Three Recommendations<\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Read Contagious.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Read The Everything Store.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Get inspired by the books. Then come up with a good idea, business or product that everyone will want to tell their friends about.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n