"Founders and Customers: Love and Service - How I approach structured learning after school"

"Founders and Customers: Love and Service - How I approach structured learning after school"

Founders and customers are at the heart of any successful business. When founders truly love their customers, it creates a thriving environment where loyalty, feedback, and positive experiences flourish. The way founders talk about their customers internally speaks volumes about their commitment. When founders know their customers by name, understand why they use the product, and are aware of their long-term goals, it shows a genuine connection. This connection is more akin to a friendship than a business relationship. You can see the excitement on the founders' faces when discussing specific customers.

But why is this love for customers so important? It's because when founders truly care about their customers, they are more likely to persevere through challenges and build something meaningful. Love motivates people to work through obstacles that might otherwise lead them to give up. When founders have a deep love for their customers, they are driven to create products that address their needs. Building a successful company is impossible if you look down on your customers.

Similarly, structured learning after school requires intentionality. The difference between structured and unstructured learning lies in having pre-defined objectives. With structured learning, there is a clear path guided by these objectives. On the other hand, unstructured learning occurs more naturally without explicit direction.

Approaching structured learning involves three distinct phases: discovery of new ideas, sense-making, and experimentation. These phases can take varying amounts of time, and there is no set timeline for each one. Sense-making, in particular, involves diving deeper into a chosen topic and creating visual knowledge maps to understand it better. Keeping track of relevant literature and sources is also crucial for structured learning.

After completing school, many individuals struggle with motivation without the institutional oversight and clear goals. However, the internet provides a unique opportunity to replace this oversight with a public record. Sharing learning and progress in public spaces serves as an accountability incentive. By intentionally sharing what you learn and achieve, you hold yourself accountable and stay motivated.

Platforms like Glasp play a significant role in this process. Annotating and shelving compelling content with Glasp not only helps organize your learning but also creates a public record of your progress. This public record serves as a strong incentive to continue learning and growing.

In conclusion, love for customers and structured learning both require intentionality and commitment. By genuinely caring about customers and building relationships, founders can create successful businesses. Similarly, structured learning after school requires setting clear objectives and utilizing platforms like Glasp to create a public record of progress. These actionable advice can help founders and learners alike to stay motivated and achieve their goals.