"Built to last".

Published on August 22, 2011

From philosophy comes everything we see, do, touch and experience. Its the lifeblood of all commerce. Its easy to believe that competition and the watermark of business drives what is available in the marketplace but the truth is that long before customers show up, businesses set in stone what they do. The philosophy of one business may be to focus on a lower price. Wall mart would fit this bill. Another may be driven to innovate and Apple computers would take up this position. Another may look to shock their clientele and that would be Fox news. The product then stems ultimately from the philosophy. Some of the great philosophies of business I expect have been cast aside over the years while in pursuit of profit and market share and instant success. I came face to face with a philosophy that spoke volumes earlier today. My wife and I stole away up north for an evening in Muskoka. The resort we stayed at sits at the foot of a bay on Lake Roseau. At the waters edge is a small marina and set of docks where we like to sit and swim from. A few minutes after we sat down a magnificent old mahogany inboard boat pulled up. I wandered over and struck up a conversation with the proud owner. Turns out it's not from this time. It was a 19 ' Mahogany Duke Playmate with a 135 hp inboard engine. Every inch of it gleamed in the afternoon sun. The engine purred to perfection. There were a good number of fiberglass boats slipped nearby but nothing came close to making the impression this boat did. Incredible considering this exact boat first slipped into the waters here back in 1949. Here is what instantly became evident. The makers of this boat began with a very simple philosophy. Build the best boat we can. The past 62 years have certainly paid homage to this. Not in everything but I expect too many in business have wandered away from that great philosophy from the past. I would put money on the fact that if you make this your own it will pay off in spades in the future and others will stand back in awe of your work many years from now. Whatever you create. Whatever you do, start with the philosophy that it will be built to last. Have an excellent day.