How to win.

This is the question I get asked more than any other.

"Hey Dave, how can I get my customers to love my brand?" And, there is one simple answer. "You have to love it the most, first."

Let me repeat that, you have to love it the most, first.

You have to sweat each detail. You have to work out why it won’t work. You have to think about it in the shower. On the bus. While you are running. You have to obsess over it. The little things. The big things. Everything.

Now, to do that requires that you put in the hours. But when you 'Love' something, work never feels like work. So, the time flies, because you are into it. And it’s fun. And quite simply, you put more hours into it. So, in the end, you get better at it than others.

It amazes me how overlooked 'Love' is.

People dismiss it. Like it is a soft-power. But this is a superpower. But here’s the thing, customers know when someone has poured their heart and soul into something. They can tell. Their bullsh*t detectors are on another level.

• That moment when you walk into a new restaurant, and you say wow. That is not luck, that is 'Love.' That first time you order from a company and everything is just so easy. That is not luck, that is 'Love.' That time when you go to a hotel and they remember how you take your coffee. That is not luck, that is 'Love.'

'Love' is the differentiator.

Because not everyone loves what they do. For many, it's just work.

When your budget is small, 'Love' is very affordable.

It’s free.

But, quite rare.

If you use it, it will allow you to win.

It's your superpower.

For example.

Jake Burton. Burton Snowboards.

“For the first few summers, he returned to New York City to work as a bartender and tennis coach to keep his business afloat. He had better luck making cheaper boards—with no bindings for a traditional ski boot, as his first product boasted—that sold for under $45, and these caught on with teenagers. The sales helped keep his company afloat, but by 1980 he was still more than $100,000 in debt.” Love kept him going.

 Another example.

After the initial boom years, the world fell out of love of Skateboarding. But Tony Hawk didn’t. The sponsors went away. The crowds went away. The money went away. He ended up doing demos in carparks for $100.

He still loved it when it was no longer cool.

My example.

 In 1995, I started howies.

I didn’t receive a salary until 2001. The thing that kept me going was 'Love'.

My Workshops.

Newsletter for Growth. London. May 24th.

Do Breakthrough. The Life-Changing Magic of Sorting Our Sh*t Out. 2-day Seminar. New York. June 13th.

My Do Online Course.

How to build a great brand with very little money. Online course.

My Books.

Do Open. How a simple email newsletter can transform your business. (And it can)

Do Purpose. Why brands with a purpose do better and matter more.