Your Company as a Layer Cake
Delight your market with the right ingredients, baked to perfection and served with a smile.
Author’s note: One of Dangerous Kitchen’s brand guidelines is to avoid trivializing our brand with “cooking” metaphors. This post crosses that line. Mea culpa.
There’s a lot to consider when starting or scaling up a business. One way to envision it all is like a layer cake, where each layer has the right blend of ingredients to win the next marketplace bake-off.
Here’s the recipe.
The Foundation Layer
The core of your cake, supporting, informing and guiding every layer stacked on top:
- Mission
- Vision
- Principles and tenets
- Values
- Behaviors
The Structure Layer
The multi-textured layer that enables the company to deliver on its promise:
- Roles
- Governance
- Process
- Capabilities
- Technology
The Value Layer
The “secret ingredient” layer, delivering transformational value that delights your market, like:
- Products
- Services
- Features
- Functions
The Experience Layer
The yummy, “butter-cream” layer of how it feels to engage with your company at every touch point, such as:
- Brand identity
- Product and service fulfillment
- Customer relationships
- Marketing
Recipe Notes
Helpful hints to ensure your cake is a success
The best cakes are moist.
And dense. The ingredients blend together, cross-pollinate and provide a magical experience throughout.
Everybody loves cake.
Who’s this cake for? Everyone! Customers, staff, suppliers, channel partners, window shoppers. Ensure you make it big enough and serve it to anyone who wants a piece.
Have your cake and eat it too.
This is not a one-and-done deal. As you serve up your cake, learn what works, adjust the recipe, try new ingredients. Remember that everyone’s palate is different and tastes change over time.
One Last Thought
Baking can be messy. You’re bound to spill something, drop an egg or two. No biggie — that’s what aprons and mops are for. But it can also be great fun, trying out a new mixer, whipping up the batter, stealing some chocolate chips and hanging out with your fellow bakers.
Just don’t get too carried away with it all and start a food fight.
