SEED Conf. Part 1 (Carlos Segura)

Last week I spent time with Ruinous in Chicago, IL for the SEED Conference. I figured I would give a quick recap and some random thoughts. The conference had a good pace and an interesting feel. I suspect people either left really inspired and excited or completely and utterly bored. I have never been an overwhelming fan of 37 Signals so while I was excited to attend, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

We rode the Red Line from Hotel 71 to Illinois Institute of Technology and found out that it probably added 3/4 of a mile to our walk. Normally this would be no big deal, but with the sub-zero weather it was not fun. Upon arrival we quickly got greeted by two folks and handed a Field Notes journal. I grabbed a bagel and OJ. Got situated and headed into the auditorium for the conference to begin. The crowd was noticeably different than that of Rails Conf . Average age was probably late twenties/early thirties and a mix bag of designer/coder/entrepreneur.

Jim Coudal started by introducing Carlos Segura. It was interesting to note that Carlos was an original partner in 37 Signals. He talked about several case studies and ventures he has been associated with. He was inspiring in noting that recognizing your surroundings and not discounting how difficult that is to do is what helps him succeed. He had several slides about man hole covers to illustrate this. One of my favorite quotes from Carlos was “Communication that doesn’t take a chance, doesn’t stand a chance”. The message was to push the envelope. He talked about a brand being a statement. That Volvo stands for safety, BMW for engineering, Ferrari for performance… What the hell does FORD stand for?

He highlighted how he put this to work in the Rock Shox The Earth is not Flat campaign. I was hands down floored by how much detail went into this campaign. The attention to detail and authority he demanded to make it work was awe inspiring. He transitioned into his work with Corbis and how important it is to convey connection, personality, emotion and value. That it is important to be committed in same fashion as a team member.

He touched on fact that he thought print was not dead and that people like physical things. This was great because I would hate to see my beloved books become extinct. He really emphasized that his brand is TRUTH. Nothing is free, nothing is easy and you have to work hard to make it. He challenged pricing by asking customers what their budget was and then determining if he could achieve the results they wanted within those constraints. This is an approach we have long talked about and I really like. I liked Less Than Allan’s comment about real estate on this subject. I really would like to do a separate blog post on that.

He started to wind down the presentation by stating that you have to build trust with your customers. The easiest way to do this is in the little things (being on time, being honest, etc). He rightfully pointed out that the customer is irrelevant in doing the work and that really we are advocates of the target. This is always difficult, but paramount to recognize. Be upfront in the beginning while you are still friends was a common theme. He hinted that you need to create your space and your environment. You can’t do everything, you have to apply sense and sensibility and be detailed in your craft. Bring in outside resources as necessary.

Last but not least. Consciously manage your brand. A quality brand is a lot like personal hygiene. It takes a lot of effort to be good. Check back for Part 2 and Part 3 later.

SEED Conf. Part 1 (Carlos Segura)

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