Hello 👋
Something to get you thinking this week...
How do the top brands manage to constantly attract new customers, and keep their existing ones?
Probably a question you’ve asked yourself a lot as you start to think about growth.
Well, here’s the secret...
They operate on the border of ORDER and CHAOS.
Not sure what I mean by that? This sums it up perfectly:
“Order is not enough. You can’t just be stable, and secure, and unchanging, because there are still vital and important new things to be learned. Nonetheless, chaos can be too much. You can’t long tolerate being swamped and overwhelmed beyond your capacity to cope while you are learning what you still need to know. Thus, you need to place one foot in what you have mastered and understood and the other in what you are currently exploring and mastering. Then you have positioned yourself where the terror of existence is under control and you are secure, but where you are also alert and engaged. That is where there is something new to master and some way that you can be improved. That is where meaning is to be found.” — Jordan Peterson
Surfers are a great example of this. As they master a wave, they physically embody the balance between order and chaos.
Why does this work? Because brands are a lot like people. They’re not perfect, and they are constantly changing. So instead of striving for perfection, brands should be trying to be more human. And what’s more human than a fine mix of order and chaos?!
Those that get the balance right are the ones that stand out and succeed.
But how do you go about finding that balance for your brand?
It’s all here 👇
Yes, many great brands have come out of complete chaos BUT that’s usually down to luck/good timing more than strategy. So we recommend finding your order before finding chaos.
Stability is important. It’s a strong place to learn and grow from. It’s also extremely important to customers. Stability and order in what you do and how you do it shows them they can trust you to deliver what you say you will. Order is the backbone of your brand.
So first, find your order by asking yourself these questions:
Practice ‘strategic chaos’, as I like to call it. Strategic chaos means leaving your comfort zone behind, trying something completely new without knowing if it will work or not, but at the time knowing why you’re doing it and that it won’t completely eradicate your order.
Remember this:
The key to getting order and chaos right is knowing which parts of your brand need to remain consistently correct and which bits can flex.
If you want to build brand trust through excellent customer service, try to keep good order here and find chaos in things like marketing stunts for potential customers or events that people can choose to participate in.
Liquid Death: liquiddeath.com
Despite what it looks like, these guys sell water. That’s it. Still and sparkling. But they do it differently. They keep order by keeping their product line simple, and they found chaos by branding themselves with the look and feel of a heavy metal infused beer brand. They push limits but their core business is in order.
Who Gives A Crap: uk.whogivesacrap.org
A toilet paper brand that’s shaking things up. They keep order in keeping their product simple and an even simpler cause of making sure as many people as possible have access to a sanitary toilet. So how do they find chaos? They’re not like a lot of purpose/charity drive brands when it comes to personality. They’re funny and cheeky, they keep their customers entertained and make them feel good about themselves. When they raised their first $50,000 to start production one of their founders, Simon, sat on a toilet in a draughty warehouse and refused to move until they had raised enough pre-orders to start production. (see the video here!)
Silo London: silolondon.com
Silo is the world’s first zero-waste restaurant and they don’t do things by halves. They push themselves constantly in order to find better, less wasteful ways of doing everything a restaurant needs to do. Part of order and chaos, as I said above, means knowing what can go wrong. Silo knows it can try things, chaotically, and fail without losing the loyalty of its customers because their mission is consistent and their audience has bought into that, not just the quality of the food (although they get that right all the time too).
We believe in the power of human-led brands. Brands that are true extensions of their founders with a clear vision and meaningful values.
That's why we look at human concepts such as order and chaos and apply the thinking to brands.
Yes, it’s a fine line.
But no, not every brand has to find extreme chaos in order to standout.
So ask yourself, is there a part of your brand that could be a little more chaotic?
Keep being an outlier 💪
J + K
For bootstrapped entrepreneurs – how to grow your business without spending a fortune.
Every week, we tell you how an existing brand has overcome a growth challenge, sharing the insight, mindset and actionable tips to do it yourself.
