Parallel Worlds

It all started on a cold, gray and rainy winter's day in an otherwise normal November. The clouds are hanging low, it's raining and it's won't stop for days. Our protagonist is struggling through the rush-hour to work, as he does every day. He is an ordinary employee in a renowned company in the financial sector in a well-known American city. A small wheel in the endless gears of the financial industry. Nevertheless, he is doing quite well - a degree in the information sector, a secure, well-paid job, a wife and child, and regular working hours make for a life worth living. One day in the early 90s, he was inspired by a ingenious idea that would turn his life around. His idea is to sell products via the internet.

Early 90s - Windows NT is running on the computers, Bill Clinton is the current US president, IBM has announced a loss of almost 5 billion USD in the previous year, Kurt Cobain dies and The Lion King was realeased to the cinemas - a picture from the beginnings of the global spread of the Internet. The few who have had contact with the Internet dial up via a simple 56k modem, the AOL window pops up and you hear beeps, pops and static sounds. The Internet is slow, expensive, and hardly used - and not just because it's billed by the minute. This internet thing isn't catching on anyway.

In this environment, he wants to sell his products - an almost insane undertaking. Who should even see his products, let alone buy them? Payment over the Internet is still years away from PayPal and instant bank transfers.  He is programming his own online store to market his products. To his competitors, everything points to being a big washout. Fellow campaigners laugh at his idea, make fun of him and don't take him seriously. He will never be able to reach the right group of customers via the internet, address them, and then convince them to buy his products.

He is still unknown, has hardly any reach, and supposedly cannot pevail over the giants of the industry. These supposedly have much more experience, employees, reach, resume, budget, etc. pp. But they're lacking an important point: an innovative view on long-term decisions for their own company. The consistent urge to innovate, to improve, to question standardized processes and methods, and to change them if necessary. It takes courage to go against the grain. And this courage led to our protagonist selling his first product online only a short time after founding the company. Contrary to expectations, it was not even a product intended for the masses. It was a book in a scientific field about modeling thinking concepts and transferring them into computer mechanisms. A niche product, a single book to a single customer.

But word is spreading. Ordering products online - not in a store, not by phone, and not by fax. A novelty that quickly attracts other customers. More books are sold, first in the initial state and then to all 50 states of America - in the first year! And even at this point, he was ridiculed by the industry giants. They ignored his success and failed to see the nitty-gritty - that customer focus and a much-needed innovation of outdated sales channels are essential to long-term commercial success.

The online store is growing constantly and more books are being sold than ever before. He manages to become a new industry giant by cleverly swallowing up competitors who previously smiled tiredly at him. Online access meant that all customers had access to the product range at all times, without permanently present sales departments. There was no need to answer follow-up questions, clarify packaging and shipping, calculate or research prices. The customer sees, the customer informs himself, the customer buys. These saved resources together with an incredible interest by the public enabled investments elsewhere. New warehouses were built at various locations, increasing reach while reducing shipping times and costs. Always having an eye on long-term and future-oriented solutions.

The idea and his online store spread like a wildfire. Every realized profit is invested, always with an eye on how to operate in the long run. Soon, not only books are sold, but simply everything. It is not only sold statewide but globally. He proved to exceptionally good insights for long-term decisions in the early days of the Internet.

Maybe by now you've guessed who our person is. Today, he is the world's richest man, and with his innovative drive and constant development, he has not only conquered the online market, but earned a monopoly position. Our protagonist is Jeff Bezos from Amazon.