“Day 2 is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful decline. Followed by death." - Jeff Bezos
Day 1 is a concept made famous by Jeff Bezos, Founder & Chairman of Amazon.com. From his first letter to shareholders in 1997 through his last in 2020, he closed the letter with this statement: "It Remains Day 1". This mentality has been part of the culture at Amazon since day 1, and it is a big reason why they have dominated their markets for so many years.
In a nutshell this philosophy means never losing fresh eyes for who you are serving, and why you are serving them. It means always being your own toughest critic, killing your own products/ideas if it makes sense to clear the way for others, and never taking short term gains if it jeopardizes long term company health.
It's Bezos/Amazon's philosophy that if you loose this fresh perspective, you are on your way to decline and ultimately death.
Why is this important for me? A business is like a a human: it grows, it matures, it declines, it dies. The Day 1 approach is an attempt to stay in the growth phase for as long as possible. This is the place where inventiveness, focus, perspective, heart, purpose, and energy are greatest. It is hard to do and requires constant vigilance. Sometimes it means addition by subtraction (see the Steve Jobs quote below). The more complex life becomes, the more we stand to gain from practicing a "Day 1 mindset" in our own lives. Do a "Day 1" check in with yourself right now. Do your activities of late match the life you want to work toward in the long term? If not, some Day 1 housekeeping may be in order. Cheers to your success.
Quotes to ponder on this topic:
"A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have to change." - Andy Grove, Intel
“Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.” - Andy Grove, Intel
"If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will" - Steve Jobs, Apple
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. - Jesus, Matthew 18:3-4 NIV
Resources of Impact:
You can read Bezo's letters to shareholders via the book below. It's an excellent and fun read.
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