Some companies are all about the fast burn.

They go for the quick sale and try to make a quick buck. They are ok with swindling their customers. They are ok with pilfering their environment and community. They are fine with trying to enforce ‘the fine print’.

They are racing against the clock until their money runs out. For them it’s all about short-term profit.

They grind their suppliers. They argue with their customers. They treat every interaction like an annoyance. All they are looking for is ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’am.’

Smart companies realize it’s all about the slow burn. They’re in it for the long haul. Their customers are always right. They could care less about ‘the fine print’.

For them it’s all about long-term brand building.

These companies interact with and care about the community. These companies love their customers. For them, every interaction is a blessing. All they are looking for is ‘how can I add value to you today.’

Fast burn companies are like dynamite. They are flashy. They are loud. They make a big noise; a big boom. When the smoke is cleared all they leave is destruction in their wake.

Slow burn companies are more like a candle. No flash. Little noise. There is no big puff of smoke. Just a steady, unassuming flicker which provides warmth and nourishment (value) for an extended period of time.

Be the candle.

The world lost an incredibly visionary and creative genius today; Steve Jobs passed away.

It’s always sad when somebody passes, but in the case of Steve, although I didn’t know him personally, I feel a need to jot a few thoughts as he has had such a profound impact on my life.

For those of you who know me you’ll know that I’m a huge ‘macevangelist’. Ever since learning to bang out BASIC on the IIE I’ve been hooked. I have owned every major cool Mac device ever invented (except a new iPhone). This includes an original iMac (orange), G3, G4, Powerbook, iPod (several generations), iPad and now an iMac.

Call me crazy but my Apple products have become an extension of myself. To give you a sense of how fanatical I am I once turned down a lucrative job offer because they told me they were a PC-only shop…and I knew we just wouldn’t get along.

Steve taught me a great deal about marketing, business and life. Below are a few notes on things I’ve learned from Steve.

Be Brave

When I think of the word ‘bravery’ Steve immediately comes to mind. He had the cajones to go head-to-head with one of the biggest companies in the world (Microsoft) and not only did he survive, but he beat em’…and he did it while he was battling cancer. It’s a reminder of the courage that one can conjure when needed.

Be Different

Steve taught me that it’s ok to zig while everybody else is zagging. He showed the world that thinking different is an acceptable business strategy and that in some cases is the only business strategy. He built a company that not only talked the talk, but truly walked the walk. That’s rare for any company, but they managed to do it for as long as I can remember.

Design matters

One of the reasons that I loved Apple was that they demonstrated that design matters. Steve proved that people didn’t just want the cheapest crap you could buy. He proved you could build a business around building magical products. It’s refreshing to see a leader who motivated a company to engage in a race to the top.

Sweat the little stuff

Of all the reading I’ve done about Steve it’s clear that he was a stickler for details and quality. I’ve never had a technical problem with any Mac that I’ve owned, and I’ve always been amazed at how every nut and bolt, every sticker, every bit of printed literature looks like they were truly loved. It’s a great lesson that building quality products really can make customers love your company.

Carpe Diem

From Brad Ward’s Facebook post, originally in Steve’s Stanford Commencement Speech:

‎”No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.”

I’ll likely add to this post in the coming weeks, but I wanted to get it out while it was still fresh in my mind.

My heart goes out to Steve and all of those who were close to him. Thanks Steve, for everything.

First, my apologies for not putting up a new blog post the past week. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, but I hope to get back at it next week.

What have I been up to? I’m glad you asked.

Recently I launched Meshy Communications. Meshy is really just putting a name to my freelance consultancy – with a little more focus on digital marketing. I decided to split it away from my blog as I’d really like to keep this blog non-commercial and focused on discussing marketing.  If you’re interested in finding out what it’s all about I encourage you to visit http://www.meshy.ca. I promise to never mention it here again. Although I’d love to hear your feedback on the logo/style of the site.

Second, I’ve been working with a group of local folks to help plan/launch a major social media and mobile conference right here in Saskatoon. The event – Moso Conference – will be bringing in some heavy hitter social media and mobile development speakers including folks @saultcolt, @kk, @danmartell, @snookca, @dunstewart and @whafro and more. It’s gonna be a good time. I’m really looking forward to learning from these folks. If you are interested, I encourage you to visit: http://www.mosoconf.com and join the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mosoconference. You’ll likely see some blogging from me on this event in the coming weeks.

Finally it’s been a busy month for speaking events. Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at a Chamber event (thanks to everyone who came out) and next week I’ll be chatting with the Canada Business Infosource / SYPE folks. I hope to get the presentations posted in the next week or so. Stay tuned.