Lições dos campeões escondidos

"No," Max Krawinkel replies mildly, each time I press him on the seductiveness of a potential new market for his company's LED signs. "We only do them for gas stations."
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"I know I could use my technology for a lot of other applications," says Krawinkel, tenting his fingers. "People always ask, 'Why don't you go there?' But I don't want to lose my focus.
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"Underlying this is a fundamental understanding of markets," says Simon. "If you stick to a market that is unlikely to disappear, focusing and optimizing and perfecting over decades, you become the best at this market. Then it is unlikely that anyone will beat you."
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Mittelstand companies are antimagpies: untempted by shiny objects.
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"We are bonsai global players," he says. "We do it with the same quality as the big companies, but at a very reduced scale."
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Innovate incrementally and internally.
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Go the extra mile for customers.
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Run your business as if you expect it to live forever."

Trechos retirados de "How to Build a Company That Lasts Forever "