“It’s their brand before ours,” I said again.
(for perhaps the thousandth time since founding the company)
“But wouldn’t people know us better if we put our logo on the donation pages like Kickstarter and GoFundMe?” our new product manager asked.
“Without a doubt,” I replied.
She paused. “Then why don’t we?”
“Because that’s not our job.”
She looked confused.
“Nonprofits come to us because we keep our brand out of the way of their relationship with their donors. We want to make them look good, not the other way around.”
“So that’s why our campaign pages look just like the nonprofit’s website and brand?”
“Exactly. And it’s why we give them such a crazy amount of design control. We want every Classy page to feel like an extension of their brand, not ours.”
She nodded.
“So every product decision starts with the same question: Does this strengthen the relationship between the nonprofit and its donors?”
“You got it. And if the answer is no, we don’t do it. It’s as simple as that.”
“Just remember that one standard I said before.”
“It’s their brand before ours,” she said back.
“Exactly. Every product decision becomes obvious after that.”
I smiled. She got it. But it wasn’t just this new PM.
That one sentence influenced thousands of product decisions over the next decade.
It didn’t need to be a 50-page handbook. It just needed to be memorable.
⁂
Every CEO I coach says they have high standards.
Few can actually define them.
Spend an hour with their team, or use their product, and a very different picture emerges.
“My team just doesn’t have the same standards as me. It’s so frustrating.”
“Ok, but have you ever defined those standards? I mean actually written them down so everyone can see them?”
Blank stare.
“Here’s where I’d start. Every company should define standards for three areas: Product, Brand and Performance.
“Take a look at how we did this for Classy’s product standards.
Click to see live version.
“The left column defines what you believe. The right column defines how those beliefs show up in practice.
“Everyone in the company should have access to this, especially the product team. Standards become the filter for everything. The roadmap, the metrics, the marketing.”
“Holy shit. This is exactly what I need.”
Yes, Daniel-san.
Go forth and define that bar.
Till next time,
Never say die 🏴☠️
Scot
→ scotchisholm.com
→ highlandacademy.com
~~~
P.S. Here’s the standards template we use in Highland. Feel free to use it for your own company. Just make a copy. In exchange, I only ask a small favor. Tell one person you know about the Highland Northstar. Help spread the love.
🐐🏔️
1