No, it's almost impossible without being a jerk. This personality trait is a requirement for succeeding.
And it's mostly because of the way capitalism works. Once you enter the market, you're automatically forced to turn a profit or get investments. If you don't, you die. Competition is also pretty fierce. You may choose to play by the rules, but others choose not to. So you can easily get killed.
Customers also become your worst enemy. They are forced by the market to buy cheap instead of good. So you're now in a race to the bottom. Plus, the entire market is volatile. Things can change almost instantly. One well targeted review or article can either make you or break you.
So when your entire success is built on a tower of cards, only by being ruthless can you make the climb. We could have had megabit internet 30 years ago. But instead we got AOL and Comcast. People can spin it any way they like. But in the end, actions talk louder than words.
>No, it's almost impossible without being a jerk. This personality trait is a requirement for succeeding.
Every successful person is a jerk?
>Customers also become your worst enemy. They are forced by the market to buy cheap instead of good.
Price is not the only metric by which people buy a product. There are a large amount of variables which play into a purchasing decision. Also, no one is forced. You choose what to purchase.
>So when your entire success is built on a tower of cards,
Another large and untrue generalisation.
>We could have had megabit internet 30 years ago. But instead we got AOL and Comcast.
I've never met an unsuccessful person that doesn't have skeletons in their closet.
This dystopian view of people ("... built their tower through shady deals ...") is sad, and untrue. On the backs of others? Of course--some people work for other people. We all stand on the shoulders of giants... and midgets.
>I have never met or heard of a successful person that doesn't have skeletons in his closet. Each and every one of them has built his tower either through shady deals or on the backs of others. On the other hand, I met a lot of middle-class people that obtained independence by themselves. There are no skeletons there. Only the scars of decades of stress and hard work.
You have met and/or heard of every successful person? Making a generalised blanked statement like this is unwise.
>Will you buy the $9.99 or the $10.00 product? You can spin marketing and psychological tactics all you want. It all boils down to perceived value vs cost.
Another more nuanced issue which you have attempted to over simplify. If all other things are equal, sure, price will be the deciding factor. But, all other things are never equal.
And it's mostly because of the way capitalism works. Once you enter the market, you're automatically forced to turn a profit or get investments. If you don't, you die. Competition is also pretty fierce. You may choose to play by the rules, but others choose not to. So you can easily get killed.
Customers also become your worst enemy. They are forced by the market to buy cheap instead of good. So you're now in a race to the bottom. Plus, the entire market is volatile. Things can change almost instantly. One well targeted review or article can either make you or break you.
So when your entire success is built on a tower of cards, only by being ruthless can you make the climb. We could have had megabit internet 30 years ago. But instead we got AOL and Comcast. People can spin it any way they like. But in the end, actions talk louder than words.