What do janitors have to do with James Bond 007? Not a lot – that is, until now.
Friends Dan Teran and Saman Rahmanian were perplexed by a common problem faced by start-ups- office spaces could never adapt as quickly as the companies needed them to. It was such a pain to set up a new workspace, move a wall, order new desk chairs, or bring in an exterminator. They brainstormed and imagined the dream office manager as something like the character Q in James Bond films, a quiet genius who understands technology and creates the tools that help Bond do his work. That was how Managed by Q was conceived.
Reading the New York Times article, “Managed by Q’s ‘Good Jobs’ Gamble,” I was struck by how Teran and Rahmanian’s thought process mirrored the BrandTwist technique of twisting with a brand completely outside of a company’s category to come up with disruptive differentiating ideas. With the tagline “We make it easy to run your office,” Q uses wall-mounted iPads with an intuitive app for ordering supplies or other services. Q takes care of all the details, quietly and quickly. Specific operators are matched with companies based upon an algorithm determining best fit for clients’ needs in terms of skills and personality traits.
This TWIST warrants premium fees for what is often considered a generic service with a bonus of supporting one of the company’s core values. While actual sharing in the “sharing economy” is rare, Q’s goal is to provide its employees with a living wage. Q’s business model, hiring full-time employees with fair pay, benefits, 401Ks and training, translates to lower turnover costs of employees and clients- reducing both hiring and marketing expenses. Clients are happy to have consistent, reliable support. And the awesome employees, traditionally viewed as pure cost on the P&L statements, are considered value-added embedded salespeople for Q’s higher margin services.
I am rooting for Q to succeed, as this is a win-win for everyone! Now it is your turn. Can you think of a problem facing your sector? Is there a brand in a completely different category whose approach could be TWISTED to turn your sectors negative into a positive? We always love to hear your feedback.
About the Author:
Randi Curhan is founder of MissionBoostConsulting.com, specializing in helping you figure out what you really need to do to bring your business to the next level, get projects off the plate, and get it done. A Wharton graduate, former Goldman employee and an MBA, Randi is also a Brand School Graduate and a member of the Brand School Facutly. Randi’s love of figuring sh** out and getting it done has always made her a valuable part of teams throughout her academic and professional life. Even while taking time “off” to raise her children, Randi was the one to set up fundraising systems, databases, email invitations and graphics for events – which was the beginning of her Mission Boost Consulting.
You can reach Randi via MissionBoostConsulting.com, on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.
Interested in guest blogging for BrandTwist? Contact jamie@herculiz.com.
