David Rosenthal: belief

Transcript context

…You're right. Anytime that you're in a creative industry, it really is about figuring out how to first do the necessary and not sufficient thing for success of finding the most creative, talented people to create. It is art, but it's art that also has a function. And then figure out how to market that. If you work backwards from the customer in a very Amazonian way—they literally call it working backwards—you end up with Amazonian products, which are unbelievably high utility and completely uninspired. Yes. Maybe this is speculating a little bit and industries could come in here, but I think also it works both ways. I think if you're going to have a really successful creative products company, the creative leaders need to understand business and respect business, and the business leaders need to understand creative and respect creative. You're right. There's totally an invention in that leadership structure. If you look at Tom Ford and Dom De Sole, that is the right structure to lead a house. It is interesting, when you come from this small family-owned heritage of an artisan making something that's a small local business to turning it into a global brand, you really do need that pairing of professional manager with professional creator.…

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