The corporate world can be cold and unforgiving so it is important to learn from those who have been successful before a startup launches.
The best lessons that can be learned are from large companies that started out small but then grew into a corporate juggernaut. Regardless of how successful a company has become there were still growing pains during their infancy despite what some founders might say.
Learning what not to do is also another thing that can be learned like avoiding any customer service tactics that even remotely resemble any used by Comcast.
The following are lessons that can be learned from huge corporations that can help a startup run more efficiently.
Any Online Glasses or Contact Provider
There are so many providers of contacts and glasses online that it can be hard to differentiate one from the other. The biggest lesson that can be learned from these ecommerce companies is that of using coupons in an effective way.
The easy way to get contacts would be to order them directly through the optometrist but it is not the most cost effective way. The rebates and coupons that many of these companies offer help close the deal quite quickly as everyone loves $100 rebate for getting something that they needed anyway.
The future of coupons is bright as many aggregators are the first website visited when a buyer wants to save money.
Facebook has simply been killing it for the past decade without any signs of slowing down. The largest lesson that can be learned from this social media royalty is that of continuing to grow a business besides the main product.
Mark Zuckerberg has done a great job in investing in other forms of technology that could become beneficial. The Oculus Rift was one investment that had many people scratching their heads but now it is one of the leaders in virtual reality gaming.
Instagram was another investment that many people disagreed with when it was bought for $1 billion. The value of this now is around $35 billion which is a great return on an investment and helped Facebook corner another huge portion of the social media industry.
The employees at Facebook are also encouraged to work on their own special interest projects with hopes that another huge idea will make the company even more money.
Airbnb
Airbnb has taken the world by storm with a large portions of countries around the world feeling the economic impact of the website. This great idea not only generates money for users but has become the main way that many millennials book lodging as the rates cannot be beaten.
Mistakes have been made by the brand but they responded incredibly with the CEO and Twitter account both apologizing for a user’s home being trashed by people who weren’t appropriately vetted by the company. The most important thing that can be learned from this company is that of not being satisfied.
Despite their incredible success they have continued to do a great job marketing and building a positive brand image in the eyes of consumers. For a company that was rejected quite a few times when trying to find funding, this scrappy mentality makes more sense.
As you can see there are lessons about business all around us and large companies usually write about their story. Take the time to research companies that you as a founder look up to and you will be able to find a lesson from there as well!