Happiness doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Real joy comes from interaction, from giving and receiving, from openness and sharing.
We see it in our personal lives, in our friendships, and in business.
Counterintuitive as it may be, giving away products for free has always been a way to increase profits, from old school “pharma girls” to Goldman Sachs’ big decision to give away the software upon which their entire business is built.
The reasoning behind the GS decision is simple: it’s how business should be.
Explained to the Wall Street Journal by Jeff Young, head of investing from Ramius LLC, he explained,
They’re trying to be more proactive—instead of just saying ‘we need to satisfy what the client wants,’ they’re saying ‘let’s make sure they’re as happy as possible.’
Business is more about give and take: it’s about give and create value. It’s about not just giving people what they want, but helping them fulfill their needs.
