Get Big Fast.

Context

Resilient. Competitive. Innovative. The characteristics traditionally associated with a WarTime CEO strategy can be found in the leadership style of Amazon’s visionary founder Jeff Bezos.

While many are content to view his business approach through the lens of mainstream and social media, WarTime CEOs understand that much more can be gleaned from his leadership style by delving into his business decisions and overall hunger for success.

Bezos was raised by his mother and adoptive father, Miguel Bezos. Miguel fled Cuba and – after having seen the hardship of life under a strict regime – instilled in his son the values of resilience and hard work.

This fatherly support cultivated Bezos’s entrepreneurial spirit and relentless drive which, industry observers believe, was evident in his approach to decision-making while working on Wall Street, his “get big fast” strategy at Amazon, and how he has handled public scrutiny over the years.

What made Jeff Bezos a remarkable WarTime CEO?

Real-Life Story

The outside world might see Amazon as the juggernaut of e-commerce. It has long capitalised on diversification and expansion to keep its momentum of success. However, many often overlook how Amazon’s longevity also entailed taking risks on ideas that didn’t always resonate with consumers – quite a few of its ventures failed massively. Over the years, Bezos overcame this boom-and-bust cycle of innovation through experimentation and continuous learning.

Failure is par for the course, and the 2010s offer a glimpse into how Bezos views missteps. The decade, for one, could be considered the heyday of mobile phones, and Amazon – much like Google and other technology companies that wanted to foray into hardware – entered the space. 

In 2014, Amazon released the Fire Phone, which aimed to connect device owners straight to the e-commerce platform. The initiative, however, failed to excite the market and was discontinued three months after the launch. The Fire Phone cost Amazon US$170m. From this experience, Bezos understood the importance of tapping into what customers need and not imposing on them what the company wants.

That same year, another short-lived project in the era of mobile devices fizzled out: the Amazon Wallet. The solution was designed to help shoppers manage gift and loyalty cards. Much like the Fire Phone, it failed to capture shoppers’ imagination. After only six months, it was halted.

Far from backing down after such failures, Bezos and his team to this day continue to incubate ideas. He knows not everything will become a success like the e-commerce platform. But, as a relentless entrepreneur, he doesn’t let his meteoric success lead to complacency.

His “get big fast” strategy continues to fire up Amazon and has laid the foundation for many more successful ventures that outweigh the setbacks. 

Part of this signature strategy is Amazon’s agility in diversification: Bezos evolved his company from being a simple online bookstore to a massive marketplace. 

Bezos also invested heavily in innovative services like Amazon Prime, as well as end-to-end logistics to offer faster shipping and delivery than most competitors, and exclusive deals and content. All this bolstered brand loyalty and encouraged customers to spend more because of add-on services. 

A remarkable trait of Bezos as a WarTime CEO is his foresight. Long before the explosion of cloud-based platforms, he poured resources into the development of Amazon Web Services in 2006. With the shift to cloud computing, AWS is now one of Amazon’s biggest revenue streams.

PostScript: Today, Amazon is worth $1.88tn, but it didn’t reach this level of success by staying in one lane. If diversification and expansion meant there would be a few failures along the way, it was a risk worth taking for Bezos. His attitude towards experimentation and innovation gives him the space to test ideas and fine-tune them according to customer demands.

Key Lessons

1) Learning from failures

Bezos understands that not every venture will succeed, but each failure offers insights. WarTime CEOs create a culture where experimentation is encouraged, and failure is seen as a learning tool for future innovation.

2) Customer-centricity over company desires

Bezos’s focus on what customers need, rather than imposing what the company wants, is key to his success. WarTime CEOs prioritise customer feedback to ensure products and services align with market demands.

3) Diversifying aggressively and adapting  

From launching an online bookstore to building a global marketplace and cloud service provider, Bezos has shown how diversification is essential for growth. WarTime CEOs often explore new opportunities and remain agile, expanding their businesses in ways that create long-term value.

4) Relentless drive and long-term vision 

Bezos’s foresight, like investing in AWS long before cloud computing became mainstream, demonstrates the importance of long-term planning. WarTime CEOs focus on future trends and invest strategically to position their companies ahead of the competition.

Find Out More

Do you want to learn more about the practical tools noted above? Are you aiming to find the right support for scaling up your business?

Feel free to click the button below if you feel you might need help.

Until next week, may the force be with you.

Kevin

P.S. Enjoyed this newsletter? Forward it to a friend and have them sign up here.

Whenever You’re Ready, Here are 4 Ways We Can Help You …

1. Business Turnaround and Transformation Tools, including templates, checklists, and dashboards

2. MasterMind Sessions - to teach you how to execute business turnarounds and transformations

3. One-on-One Calls - for mentoring with our expert panel

4. Promotion - amplifying the message of your business through sponsors