Putting the Share Back in Market Share
So here’s a little glimpse into Soup Kitchen, Inc.’s business plan: The ultimate goal for product positioning is to have Soup Kitchen products available everywhere…. literally everywhere. From markets (local, super and every iteration in between), restaurants, gift stores, mall kiosks, anyplace it is appropriate to present Soup (whether packaged or prepared), Soup should be available.
I know, spoken like a true megalomaniacal business leader; except if you know me, you know that that couldn’t be further from the Truth, much to the annoyance of my accounts/ CFO and the polite patience (faith has many faces) of my investors. In the Soup Kitchen conversation, the phrase “putting purpose before profit” has been a guiding Principle (again, much to the consternation of the aforementioned people). Frankly, I’m not clever enough, to market lies, I can barely remember where I put my sunglasses, much less any guile or outright lies I might have to keep track of in the story of Soup. I’ve always understood the phrase “market share” to mean how much of the market one controls or at the very least influences. That was before I went into business myself. Not only did I go into business, but I went into a business with a global mandate right in its vision statement (Feeding the World.. is right on the label for crying out loud). Not only that, I went into business with a product that already has some global leaders (not to worry Campbell’s I have a plan that will make you Love the fact that I am here doing what I’m doing… stay tuned for “Cooperation Feeds Competition”). Somehow, the phrase “market share” focused only on the market, and not at all on the share.
In “The Conversation of Soup”, the concept of market share ties in with our vision statement, “Together we can change the way the world helps”. If we are out to feed the need of the world (and so we are) and it is through the selling of soup that we will (and so it is), then as far as I know, there isn’t any one venue large enough to maintain that kind volume (unless someone can sell @ 4 billion portions of soup daily….. and if you’re out there with THAT answer, please give me a call). So everyone gets to help here.
It is the sharing that we step into the together of “Together we can change the way the world helps”
And I can think of no one I’d like better to share It with than you.
In deepest gratitude,
Always,
J
