Finding Your Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
January 15, 2019
During a recent all-hands meeting, an employee asked CEO Jeff Bezos about Amazon’s future following the bankruptcies of retailers such as Sears.
In an unexpected reply, Bezos said that the online retailer wasn’t too big to fail. In fact, he predicted “one day Amazon will fail. Amazon will go bankrupt.” To delay his prognosis, Bezos said Amazon would have to avoid focusing on themselves and “obsess over customers.” If not, it would be the “beginning of the end” for the company.
Not only did the headlines from this catch my eye, they also reminded me of a funny moment. As you may know, several of ALTA’s staff work remotely, so we hold many weekly video calls. During an executive team video call, I mentioned something about Alexa, the virtual assistant developed by Amazon. The Alexa in someone else’s home office heard my voice and thought I asked something about “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which is a TV series on—of all places—Amazon.
Set in the late 1950s, the comedy-drama shares the story of Miriam “Midge” Maisel. The housewife appears to have it all—the perfect husband, two kids and an elegant apartment. Her seemingly idyllic life takes a surprising turn when she discovers a hidden talent: stand-up comedy. This revelation changes her life forever as she begins a journey that takes her from a comfortable life on the Upper West Side through the cafes and nightclubs of Greenwich Village as she makes her way through the city’s comedy industry.
Now, while your company already may be crushing the market, think about the possibilities of discovering some new products or services that could deliver an even better experience for your customers. Maybe it’s offering digital closings, having the proper procedures to protect data and money, or confirming your operation in the ALTA Registry to assure lenders they’re interacting with a legitimate business.
The message of discovering your hidden talent may conflict with Bezos’ advice of not focusing on yourself, but you do need to know what you can deliver to make your customers swoon.
As we start a new year and you look to grow your business, rest assured that ALTA is here to help you along the way. I encourage you to find your Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and utilize all the business tools ALTA provides!
Jeremy Yohe is ALTA’s vice president of communications. He can be reached at jyohe@alta.org.
Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or communications@alta.org.