all affairs, it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. — BERTRAND RUSSELL, - Josh Kaufman

Options are often an overlooked form of value — flexibility is one of the Three Universal Currencies (discussed later). Find a way to give people more flexibility, and you may discover a viable business model.

Over time, managers and executives began using statistics and analysis to forecast the future, relying on databases and spreadsheets in much the same way ancient seers relied on tea leaves and goat entrails.

Market research is the business equivalent of “look before you leap.