What can you do different? Everything has been done. The internet is already created. Uber and Lyft already pick people up from their home, replacing the taxi service that was once innovative on its own. No new ideas are ripe for market because no new ideas exist. Geoff Bainbridge believes this is the mentality holding back so many would-be entrepreneurs in an ever-growing space. The secret to business is based on the Three D’s: Distinct, Dependable, and Different.
Business is a culture. In any organization, the organizational culture is a reflection of the people. The people are the driving force behind success, and without them the business is just a pattern of indifference. Bainbridge states, “You can’t simply replicate a competitor offering and expect to succeed.” Now, this may not be news, or even relevant as a statement in many circles. We know that copying another business will not yield entrepreneurial results. Passion for people drives success. Passion for business drives profit. Passion for difference drives innovation.
“Surround yourself with good people…”
The business offering must be sufficient in difference, succinct in dependability, and sufficient in distinction. The taxi industry, unfortunately for traditional drivers, is a perfect model. The ride-sharing services were distinct in offering pick-up services on demand through the use of an app. They were dependable as driver performance included a rating system. Non-dependable drivers would not stay drivers for long. Now, we explore the need to be different, where these companies under the Bainbridge model are different in some way, creative or otherwise.
“I do not consider myself a creative but I do understand how creatives work…” – Geoff Bainbridge
People are not instinctively-creative overnight – they do not learn to be creative – rather they have an inherent approach that is creative by nature. Navigating the business environment at the highest level, as Bainbridge has done for decades requires some semblance of creativity. Yet, Bainbridge does not pretend a creative mirage exists or claims to harbor creative thoughts. He is not a creative, but knows how to work with them.
The Three D’s of business Bainbridge introduces, and shares in his business-driven mentality do not require an inherently creative person; they require effort. Find out what does not exist and deliver it. Find out what already exists, and improve it. These are the strategies that have ensured success for Bainbridge in an ever-changing environment, one where he has mastered the arts, excelled in innovative practice, built using technology and introduced a plant-based hamburger before vegan eating was a thing. His accomplishments are not reliant on creativeness, but on the capacity to learn and grow, where distinctness, dependability and difference promote his view of innovation.
Above all, desire brings it all together. If you learn nothing else, Bainbridge emphasizes, learn that desire is never over-stated, only under-estimated. Through desire, all can be achieved, the visionary leader proclaims.
“Surround yourself with good people, professionally and personally…” Bainbridge has made a career doing just that.
