Reselling on Amazon, be it used books or new goods, is a great way to get a feel for reselling and business in general. I started with FBA bookselling and then wholesaling because they are great ways of making money with little risk.

I was addicted to the thrill of finding books that I could flip for £10, £20, even a £100 profit and finding new branded products that would provide a good continual profit for a period of time.

But I recently realised that the novelty of reselling had evaporated. That burning desire to find profitable goods to resell wasn’t as intense as when I had first started.

I felt that it had turned into a job. It was then that I decided to start a new side project, one that I hope to make my main focus.

So what have I been working on?

Branding.

My fascination with branding isn’t new. It’s something that I’ve been wanting to do since I got into the Amazon game. And it’s a model that I’ve always believed to be far more superior than reselling.

Luckily, I recently stumbled into a book called Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success by Ken Segall, who had worked with Steve Jobs for over 10 years.

This is a great book about the philosophy of Simplicity at Apple. Segall writes inline with the principle of Simplicity. And delivers actionable strategies to succeeding in branding, marketing, and business.

One-paragraph summary

In this book, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success, Ken Segall introduces the philosophy that helped Apple become one of the most recognisable brands in the world: Simplicity. And the good news is that it’s a philosophy that we can adopt and cultivate. In short, Segall believes that we can stand out in our distracted and complicated world by simplifying and reducing choice. But there is a caveat: Simplicity isn’t as easy it sounds.

Simplicity is a rare

When I say the word “apple,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Apple the brand, right?

Why?

Well, that’s simple. Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, did most of the groundwork. He helped turn Apple from a just an idea into an iconic brand it is today.

How?

Apple succeeded in a crowded industry partly because their fiercest competitors had the disease of Complexity. Partly because they built an amazing team of talented individuals. But mostly because they cultivated the philosophy of Simplicity.

Jobs applied the principles of Simplicity religiously, from product naming to accounting processes. But more importantly, he embedded the principles of Simplicity within the entire organisation.

While Apple’s love Simplicity started in the mind of Steve Jobs, it’s now burned deep into the company’s DNA, serving as guide for legions of employees around the world.

You’re wondering where his love for Simplicity stems from, right?

Jobs understood human behaviour. He knew that we love Simplicity and hate too many choices.

People of all ages, religions, cultures, and political beliefs prefer Simplicity. In fact, it’s not just human beings who prefer it. This preference is burned into the basic wiring of all living cells. When it comes to ordinary decisions, everyday decisions, most life-forms agree: The simpler path is the far more attractive one.

Jobs knew that complexity plagued most organisations. He knew that there was an oversupply of complex products and choices. This confirmed Apple’s philosophy of keeping things simple. Apple saw this opportunity and continued producing simple yet powerful innovations such as the iPhone, iMac and so.

Simple marketing equals powerful marketing

Let’s talk about the most iconic brand of all time: Nike.

When I mentioned the word ‘Nike’, what sprung to mind?

Winning and high performance, right?

Winning is at the heart of Nike’s identity. They communicate who they are through iconic people, mainly sports people at their peak. In most of their campaigns, you see sports icons in action. You rarely see the product on display.

Apple adopted the same strategy. They launched a campaign called ‘Think different’ to communicate Apple as an innovator and a creative force — and they succeeded.

Key take away: Cultivate your identity and values, and communicate them through your product. But don’t try to communicate everything, pick one thing and communicate that one thing simply and well.

Failure is inevitable

Failure is inevitable.

Unless you are fanatic about Apple, you wouldn’t know that Apple has had many failures. For example, The Power Mac G4 Cube was terrible and it failed miserably.

But here is the thing: failure is just feedback. At Apple, they this nothing new. They introduce products, assess how the market reacts and then take action.  Quickly.

Understand that failure is part of life. Don’t dwell on a failure; instead, comprehend the message and take action quickly. And as Segall said, as long as your successes outweigh your failures, no one will remember them.