With the average lifespan of a Fortune 500 company approaching five years, it's time to examine Corporate Existence as a matter of survival, through the lens of Abraham Maslow.

1. Maslow’s
Hierarchy
of
Corporate
Existence.

2. Half a century ago, the life expectancy
of a firm in the Fortune 500 was
around 75 years.

3. Now, that number is approaching
5 years.

4. It’s time to think about corporate
existence as a matter of
survival.

5. What does it takes for a company
to endure such a turbulent
environment?

6. More importantly, how does a
company transform its existence from
merely surviving to
thriving?

7. Enter
braham Maslow.

8. MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF CORPORATE EXISTENCE
SELF-ACTUALIZATION
SELF-ACTUALIZATION
ESTEEM
ESTEEM
ACCEPTANCE
ACCEPTANCE
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY
SURVIVAL
SURVIVAL
INVENTION
INVENTION
BRAND
AWARENESS
BRAND
+
AWARENESS
EXTENSIONS
+
EXTENSIONS
CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE
CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE
+ +
COMPETITIVE RECOGNITION
COMPETITIVE RECOGNITION
REINVESTMENT
+
REINVESTMENT
OPERATIONAL RHYTHM
+ +
SUSTAINED GROWTH
OPERATIONAL RHYTHM
+
CASH FLOWS
SUSTAINED GROWTH
+
PROFIT
+
CASH FLOWS
FINANCIAL VIABILITY
+
PROFIT
+
FINANCIAL VIABILITY
WWW.ALEXBRANDS.COM

9. Let’s start at the base.

10. SURVIVAL
CASH FLOWS
+
PROFIT
+
FINANCIAL VIABILITY

11. The baseline factor is a financial need.
Whether or not we’d like to admit it,
money is oxygen to a business.

12. It is important to note that, like in
human behavior, the first need is
based on raw instincts more than it is
judgment or logic.

13. If you let money be your sole guide,
the survival rate will be zero.

14. Example: Oliver’s Apparel

15. STARTUPBEAT, September 17, 2013 - The
San Francisco-based startup, which has
designed high-quality athletic shorts for men,
completed a $271,043 fundraising campaign
on Kickstarter on September 13th. Its original
goal was $10,000.
Example: Oliver’s Apparel

16. But profit is like health, necessary but
not the reason why we live.

17. SUSTAINABILITY
REINVESTMENT
+
OPERATIONAL RHYTHM
+
SUSTAINED GROWTH

18. With the doors open and the lights
on, the next step is
sustainability.

19. User experience.
Inventory management.
Customer service.

20. These aspects of the business need
to be functioning together in a steady
operational rhythm before any serious
growth can be attained.

21. Example: MakerBot

22. PANDODAILY, November 12, 2013 - The
company has been on a streak of big
announcements. First came the opening of its
huge factory in Brooklyn, then its merger with
Stratasys. And today the company announced
its nationwide plan for school outreach.
Example: MakerBot

23. Example: Nest

24. SJM News, October 18, 2013 - The venturebacked startup has more than 280 employees
and is rapidly hiring…It's very similar to our Apple
days: They started with a small iPod and they
grew up into the Apple line over time, and they
went all the way up to the Mac.
Example: Nest

25. ACCEPTANCE
CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE
+
COMPETITIVE RECOGNITION

26. Consumers must accept you and
accept your product or service as a
viable solution.

27. In the right families of customers, you
can cultivate loyalty and brand
evangelists at this step.

28. In addition, the days of flying
under the radar are
over.

29. Competition feels your presence now,
and they are preparing to treat you as
one of their own.

30. After all, tough love is love nonetheless.

31. Example: Audi

32. Bloomberg, October 9, 2012 - The Daimler
unit’s sales will have advanced 19 percent
through this year, compared with a 31 percent
jump by BMW and a 70 percent surge by Audi
over the past seven years, according to IHS
Automotive estimates.
Example: Audi

33. Example: Blue Moon

34. Businessweek, August 8, 2013 - Microbreweries
have reason to be defensive: Blue Moon, a
Belgian-style white beer, had sales equal to 15
percent of the 13.2 million barrels of craft beer
sold in the U.S. last year. Its success has even
prompted AB InBev to introduce a white beer of
its own called Shock Top.
Example: Blue Moon

35. ESTEEM
BRAND AWARENESS
+
EXTENSIONS

36. You have cemented your place
among the competitors.

37. A napkin doodle is now a recognized
solution in the market.

38. Budgets are growing, markets are
emerging, and brands are extending.

39. The “low hanging fruit” become the
next markets to conquer.

40. Example: Starbucks

41. SEATTLE, April 23, 2013 - Starbucks Coffee
Company reports that Information Resources,
Inc. has named Starbucks coffee K-Cup packs
one of the top 10 food and beverage launches
of 2012.
Example: Starbucks

42. Example: Under Armour

43. BALTIMORE, July 25, 2013 - Second quarter
footwear net revenues increased 21% to $82
million from $67 million in the prior year's period,
led by the Highlight football cleat and the UA
Spine platform.
Example: Under Armour

44. SELF-ACTUALIZATION
INVENTION

45. Your existence has been fulfilled.

46. It’s time to use that budget for a
wildcard.

47. A new doodle.
A new business model.
A new system.

48. Not an update, an entirely new
system.

49. It’s the time to take a position on the
leading edge.

50. To pursue the fulfillment of a higher
purpose for the brand.

51. To reach a rare point in the market
where the definition of brand and
segment can become one.

52. Example: iPod

53. IGN, September 2, 2010 - There's no question
that Apple's iPod is the dominant force in the
mp3 player market. Like Nintendo was for
videogames in the late '80s, the word "iPod" is
synonymous with mp3 player for the average
American.
Example: iPod

54. Example: Google

55. Bloomberg, July 9, 2013 - Chromebooks have
in just the past eight months snagged 20
percent to 25 percent of the U.S. market for
laptops that cost less than $300, according to
NPD Group Inc. The devices…are the fastestgrowing part of the PC industry based on price,
NPD said.
Example: Google

56. MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF CORPORATE EXISTENCE
SELF-ACTUALIZATION
SELF-ACTUALIZATION
ESTEEM
ESTEEM
ACCEPTANCE
ACCEPTANCE
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY
SURVIVAL
SURVIVAL
INVENTION
INVENTION
BRAND
AWARENESS
BRAND
+
AWARENESS
EXTENSIONS
+
EXTENSIONS
CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE
CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE
+ +
COMPETITIVE RECOGNITION
COMPETITIVE RECOGNITION
REINVESTMENT
+
REINVESTMENT
OPERATIONAL RHYTHM
+ +
SUSTAINED GROWTH
OPERATIONAL RHYTHM
+
CASH FLOWS
SUSTAINED GROWTH
+
PROFIT
+
CASH FLOWS
FINANCIAL VIABILITY
+
PROFIT
+
FINANCIAL VIABILITY
WWW.ALEXBRANDS.COM

57. For any questions or comments,
feel free to reach out
@AlxBrands.

58. Thank You.