Patience and care as means to success
A book by Riccardo Illy outlines how to do business
Patience and care for people, attention to detail and perseverance. In such rapid and fluid (if not manic) times, such as those we are experiencing, these are the features that increasingly distinguish good enterprises from all others. It is not the case that companies should no longer care for costs and profits, but rather that they should conceive them in a different, wider and more wholesome light. These are the ideals especially featured by many of the Italian companies that Riccardo Illy (industrialist with an eye on the world) describes, together with his own way of doing business, in L’arte dei prodotti eccellenti. Incantare i clienti con l’esperienza di un marchio di qualità aumentata (The art of excellent producs. How to captivate customers through the experience of augmented brands).
Quality is indeed the foundation of Illy’s argument, a trait shared by many Italian enterprises – according to Illy, while nowadays several business go for high profits in record times, losing the sense of patience and care in the process, Italian brands stand out for their ability to manufacture high-quality products able to withstand both competition and wear and tear.
The reasons for this can be found in the particular way Italian people have of doing business, which Illy describes (also looking at his own company) as determined to uphold quality and excellence of products rather than compromising with market demands. An approach that also integrates traditional techniques, as well as considerate of product and brand history, yet also able to adopt innovations when they prove to be successful. And, further, a commitment “to do good business” – business “good” not only to producers and consumers, but also to supply chains in their entirety, communities and the planet.
Illy illustrates his point by referencing other family-owned companies – such as Riva 1912, Domori, Pintaudi, Mastrojanni, Bisazza, Zegna, Agrimontana, Damman Frères and many others – and earnestly explaining the meaning ‘of doing good business’ in today’s complex and contradictory world. Readers are led along a path including 11 stages, each one featuring a concept that could beneficially impact enterprises. In his conclusions, the author writes, “It’s a matter of owning our times, of making fewer but better things. It’s a matter of creating a sense of family for employees and customers. And it’s a matter of endowing all that we produce with the Italian concept of beauty.”
L’arte dei prodotti eccellenti. Incantare i clienti con l’esperienza di un marchio di qualità aumentata (The art of excellent producs. How to captivate customers through the experience of augmented brands)
Riccardo Illy
La nave di Teseo, 2022
A book by Riccardo Illy outlines how to do business
Patience and care for people, attention to detail and perseverance. In such rapid and fluid (if not manic) times, such as those we are experiencing, these are the features that increasingly distinguish good enterprises from all others. It is not the case that companies should no longer care for costs and profits, but rather that they should conceive them in a different, wider and more wholesome light. These are the ideals especially featured by many of the Italian companies that Riccardo Illy (industrialist with an eye on the world) describes, together with his own way of doing business, in L’arte dei prodotti eccellenti. Incantare i clienti con l’esperienza di un marchio di qualità aumentata (The art of excellent producs. How to captivate customers through the experience of augmented brands).
Quality is indeed the foundation of Illy’s argument, a trait shared by many Italian enterprises – according to Illy, while nowadays several business go for high profits in record times, losing the sense of patience and care in the process, Italian brands stand out for their ability to manufacture high-quality products able to withstand both competition and wear and tear.
The reasons for this can be found in the particular way Italian people have of doing business, which Illy describes (also looking at his own company) as determined to uphold quality and excellence of products rather than compromising with market demands. An approach that also integrates traditional techniques, as well as considerate of product and brand history, yet also able to adopt innovations when they prove to be successful. And, further, a commitment “to do good business” – business “good” not only to producers and consumers, but also to supply chains in their entirety, communities and the planet.
Illy illustrates his point by referencing other family-owned companies – such as Riva 1912, Domori, Pintaudi, Mastrojanni, Bisazza, Zegna, Agrimontana, Damman Frères and many others – and earnestly explaining the meaning ‘of doing good business’ in today’s complex and contradictory world. Readers are led along a path including 11 stages, each one featuring a concept that could beneficially impact enterprises. In his conclusions, the author writes, “It’s a matter of owning our times, of making fewer but better things. It’s a matter of creating a sense of family for employees and customers. And it’s a matter of endowing all that we produce with the Italian concept of beauty.”
L’arte dei prodotti eccellenti. Incantare i clienti con l’esperienza di un marchio di qualità aumentata (The art of excellent producs. How to captivate customers through the experience of augmented brands)
Riccardo Illy
La nave di Teseo, 2022