Thanks, Ryan. That was a fun analogy, but I'm going to challenge it. It's not about the product above all else, it's about the CUSTOMER and how you make products and build services and experiences that solve problems and pain-points. There's a very nuanced difference between the two. People spend entirely too much time on products without starting with the people they're trying to serve. I see this time and time again when people think they're creating this amazing product and they go to market and it blows because they never actually spoke to the people they're selling to FIRST.

The product is ALWAYS subservient to the customer because the customer can make it irrelevant or obsolete. I'm of the school of marketers that centers the customer in every single thing I do. Everything--products, experiences, services, etc. is a result of the customer's wants, needs, habits, preferences, etc.

I'm sure others will disagree (and they have and I don't care, TBH), but when I've centered the customer, lead with values and purpose, the company actually makes it for the long haul.