We all fall into this trap of deception, convincing ourselves that everything in business, everything in life, is so complex. So many facts to analyze, so many unknowns to deal with, so many variables to factor in. It is all so complicated that we can easily hide behind the illusion of complexity, using it as camouflage and to obfuscate the reality.
Which is that it is all so simple. Precisely as English logican William of Ockham posited in the 14 th century with Ockham’s razor.
In business, when we peel away all of the code, the rules, the myths, the jargon, the Harvard case studies, all we have to do is to find a code breaker: which is a single thing that if we do it over and over again, it will always be profitable. If we know the costs, the revenues, the margins and we can always do it in a way that delivers profit,we will have our own McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Microsoft. Corporate giants, yes, but they started life as meager ventures that understood the code breaker concept, the power of less is more, the equation they needed to produce healthy ROI, and they stuck to it. Make a burger for 50 cents, sell it for a dollar, christen dozens of stores, go public, christen
thousands more.
It’s not complicated at all: break the code and the sky is the limit. Don’t look for complexty: pursue simplicity, for in its transparence, in its purity, extraordinary power is waiting to emerge.
The same is true in our personal lives. Another way to state Ockham’s razor is “The simplest explanation for a phenomenon is most likely the correct explanation.”
Clearly, life is a “phenomenon” that we as humans really don’t understand. And the more philosophical and introspective we get in seeking to define it, the more its complexity compounds and runs away from us. 
From all we as mere mortals we can glean, the only code breaker in life is to enjoy the passage of time. However we find enjoyment, whatever our passions are, it is the goal and nothing more that counts. We will never understand death, sin, the after life, the before life, right and wrong, good and bad, morality and immorality.
We are here with this amazing gift, for a brief period of time, never static, always dynamic, moving inevitably to an end. To something else. We can rail against this condition or we can embrace it, relish it and find ways to enjoy its every moment as opposed to lamenting its end.
Today you will face a zillion issues on the job, in the home, for the moment and for the future that lies ahead. The only way you will make sense of it and dive into the heart of the matter, into the essence, so that you can build something amazing and enjoy the ride all the way, is to take our the razor and cut away all the flotsam that gets in your way.
Mark Stevens
CEO
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Great post Mark!
I had a meeting earlier this week w/ a client and the KISS (Keep It Simple) principal came up in the conversation. It often does when discussing online marketing where numerous resources and numerous decisions are required to cope with the issues that arise; copy writing, graphic design, IT, admin, tracking and the list goes on.
In today’s world, more equates to less understanding, overload, confusion – few people appear to pause to digest the true essence of the situation at hand. Setting priorities – and keeping them to a manageable number – definitely helps you cut to the heart of the matter. Again, thanks for the post.