Five guiding principles characterise the Business Design approach:
Customers first: We strive to understand the world of our customers (and their customers) - better than they do themselves.
Dream big, act small: We aim high but always start with small steps. We learn under real conditions in an iterative development and learning process.
Think business, not product: We don't rest until we have found a promising business model - technology is never enough.
Action beats intention: Creating innovation is more about doing than thinking. The best intention to find someday a world-changing idea is great but building "something" and improving it passionately and deliberately is way better.
Facts over opinions: Believing in your own opinions on how the future might be is a risky bet. We replace opinions with facts to make better decisions. No facts = no decision.
Other important principles are:
Be visual: Creating something new implies that we have to deal with ideas that are hard to imagine. Making the intangible tangible is essential in Business Design.
Demo or die: We don't talk about ideas, we always show a "demo" that visualizes the value or benefits of the idea. If you can't demo your idea, don't waste other's time.
#GOOTFB... stands for "Get Out Of The F*** Building": New business is never built in workshop rooms. The magic usually happens "on the street" when you are with customers or in a workshop building prototypes.
Plan do. Plan do. Plan do: Well, this is the essence of development and learning processes. We don't plan the perfect business, we build it in iterative cycles.
Learn and earn: In an "agile" world, it is easy to end up in never-ending learning cycles. We strive to earn real money as quick as possible (which is also good for learning and your discussions with VCs ;-)
No bullsh*t: Hollow phrases and buzzwords are a sign of ignorance. We try to use a language that is clear, decisive and without ambiguity.
ps: One of our secret weapons is our "Anti-Bullsh*t Spray" (filled with fragrance). Use it vigorously whenever you detect a source of bullsh*t. Consider also the W.A.I.T. ("Why Am I Talking?") principle in your next meetings or workshops. It's magic!