I (Richard) can’t remember exactly who suggested I should write this book, but I think it was some combination of Chris Outram, Greg Lockwood, my publisher Tim Whiting, and my agent Sally Holloway, after I had mentioned the possibility. And if it wasn’t them, but something autonomous in my brain, all four of them certainly encouraged me, so they are at least partly to blame. If the book strikes a chord, then I shall thank them profusely. If it doesn’t, I shall hold them entirely responsible for wasting my time over the past four years.
In all seriousness, Greg and I owe a big debt of gratitude to Chris, Tim, and Sally. Let me deal with Chris and his organization first.
Chris Outram is the founder and chairman emeritus of OC&C Strategy Consultants, and I remember discussing the idea for the book with him over lunch in a strangely “English” pub somewhere in the Algarve, after finding all the Portuguese restaurants we wanted to visit were closed. Chris instantly liked the idea, and roped in one of his partners, Nic Farhi, who was also keen to get involved. He might not have been so keen if he had known how long the journey would be and how much time and work would be involved! Although Chris and Nic were often quite blunt about the inadequacies of early drafts, they were also unfailingly engaged and never complained. They and many of their OC&C colleagues made a terrific contribution to the ideas contained in these pages and the way they were eventually structured.
OC&C undertook an extensive research program for the book, uncovering and estimating data on some obscure markets with great diligence and ingenuity. This project was ably led by Aveek Bhattacharya, with first-class support from Richard Brooks, Greg Coates, Matt Cummins, Meilene Lam, and Chris Smith.
Tim Whiting, Publisher at Piatkus, has been wholeheartedly behind the book from start to finish, and his team has been consistently professional. It has been a joy to work with them all.
Nobody could wish for a better agent than Sally Holloway — she has been most patient and supportive yet also perceptive and direct when necessary.
Great thanks also to two academic experts in business strategy — Professors Andrew Campbell and David J. Collis — and to the well-known American marketing guru Perry Marshall. Andrew, a founder and director of the Ashridge Strategic Management Center in London, kindly read several drafts of the book and made appropriately penetrating and incisive comments — not least regarding the need to make the text as simple as possible. It was hard not to be discouraged by his comments at times, but — as usual — he was totally right. The book has benefited immeasurably from his input.
A million years ago, David was one of my colleagues at BCG. He is now the Thomas Henry Carroll Ford Foundation Adjunct Professor at Harvard Business School. Like Andrew, David also generously slogged through several drafts of Simplify and urged us to address half a dozen critical points, which we did. He was also responsible for highlighting that customers’ willingness or unwillingness to pay a premium for a product is an important factor to consider when choosing between proposition- and price-simplifying. His thinking strongly influenced Figure 1: The simplifying opportunity chart in Chapter 7.
Perry is the author of the world’s most popular book on internet advertising — Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords — as well as 80/20 Sales and Marketing. In addition to commenting helpfully on many drafts of Simplify, his pivotal intervention was to invite me to be the main speaker at a three-day event in Chicago attended by a large number of entrepreneurs and CEOs from around the world. One day of the seminar was devoted to a trot through the Simplify theory, and the experience convinced me that we were on to something big. Perry has contributed significantly to the ideas in the book and he has been a constant source of intellectual stimulation and inspiration.
We are also grateful to the many other people who read drafts of the book and suggested improvements. I would particularly like to mention Andrin Bachmann, Natasha Ratanshi, and Aidan Montague, who all went out their way to help.
Josh Douglas, my business manager, made innumerable useful comments on the text and contributed plenty of practical advice. He also drew the figures.
My partner, the songwriter and surprise new pop star Matthew Grimsdale, has been a tower of strength throughout the project, and made me keep at it when I would otherwise have thrown in the towel.
Finally, many thanks to the 150 people who attended the Simplify seminar in Chicago. You were great participants and the material was hugely validated and enhanced by your comments and enthusiasm. Any reader wishing to see highlights of the event can find them on www.simplify.fm.