Maurice Blanks and John Christakos
This lesson is an episode of Twin Cities Business's By All Means.
Listen to the episodeWhat you'll get
Blu Dot co-founders Maurice Blanks and John Christakos tell Twin Cities Business how they and a friend started a modern furniture brand that launched at a trade show in 1997, ran the company with a designer's mindset, and grew by reinvesting profit instead of taking outside money, and how changing retail shifted their sales strategy. It is the module's only furniture story, so hear it if you make home goods and want to grow without investors; the last part of the episode is a short segment with a business school professor.
Do this week
Pick one decision you have made by default, such as how you take orders or set prices, redesign it on paper the way you would improve a product, and try the new version for two weeks.