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The Method Method: Seven Obsessions That Helped Our Scrappy Start-up Turn an Industry Upside Down
An inspiring case study for the next generation of start-ups by the unconventional founders of Method.
Founded ten years ago by childhood pals Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, Method has been making headlines and profits with a revolutionary blend of culture and commerce, style and substance. Today, Method's ecofriendly soaps, detergents, and cleaners are ubiquitous in stores, capturing valuable shelf space long dominated by the tired old products of giants P&G and Unilever.
Ryan and Lowry obsess over seven principles at the heart of Method's business philosophy,
*Kick Ass at Use small size to your advantage; by bringing innovations to market faster, you can stay out in front of larger rivals.
*Inspire Rather than getting caught up in costly battles for market share, foster deeper relationships with fewer customers in pursuit of greater wallet share.
*Win on Product Beyond satisfying your customers' rational needs, design experiences for them.
The Method Method is an irreverent, candid, firsthand case study. Readers will learn how today's consumers behave, how today's companies compete, and how both groups are acting together to drive profound global change.
Founded ten years ago by childhood pals Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, Method has been making headlines and profits with a revolutionary blend of culture and commerce, style and substance. Today, Method's ecofriendly soaps, detergents, and cleaners are ubiquitous in stores, capturing valuable shelf space long dominated by the tired old products of giants P&G and Unilever.
Ryan and Lowry obsess over seven principles at the heart of Method's business philosophy,
*Kick Ass at Use small size to your advantage; by bringing innovations to market faster, you can stay out in front of larger rivals.
*Inspire Rather than getting caught up in costly battles for market share, foster deeper relationships with fewer customers in pursuit of greater wallet share.
*Win on Product Beyond satisfying your customers' rational needs, design experiences for them.
The Method Method is an irreverent, candid, firsthand case study. Readers will learn how today's consumers behave, how today's companies compete, and how both groups are acting together to drive profound global change.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 17, 2017
I found this an inspirational example of business agility. Not that they use that term, but in essence, it represents a lot of what I believe that term entails. It's a holistic view of a business being: culture + UX + modern marketing + value based company + collaboration + design + real-time feedback. I was not only inspired by the business model, I'm now 100% sold on their product line too. Surprised that this book has not had more buzz around it given how long it's been out. Certainly one of my favorites.
August 14, 2015
Cannot help myself falling in love with the way the book is written. The book is all about starting a company out of blue without any entrepreneur skills and positioning it among the Goliath. Every thing about this book is simply fantastic and weird. I really recommend this book to anyone who is willing to startup a company but lacks courage. This book has a lot of great advice for entrepreneurs. I give this book an easy 5 star
November 4, 2015
The method method is to make green products for the people to make their lives healthier and safer and also to save the earth from all the unnecessary pollution. They were the change they wanted to see in the world and in turn made the bigger brands follow them in their footsteps even if it was begrudgingly. We need more companies like them who force the whole industry to change for the better.
November 20, 2014
Sencillo y al grano. Casi le quito una estrella porque puede parecer comercial al final.. Pero les compro sus obsesiones. Puras verdades.
June 21, 2020
It is one of the best books about the CPG industry that I have ever read. The story of Method's growth, obstacles for success and their ability to overcome them was the best portion of the book. The second half of the book that speaks to culture and design and their unique business model was also very good. However, I rated it a four instead of a five because there were some duplication in the story across a few chapters that were just not as interesting the second time through.
Nonetheless, I love the story and the book and it is recommended by me.
Nonetheless, I love the story and the book and it is recommended by me.
June 15, 2017
Really enjoyed this book about a wonderful company. The Method Method was full of useful and impactful advice about branding and how to run a successful, green, purpose-driven company. I would recommend.
November 23, 2022
It could be more concise but they did a great job explaining what they attribute Method’s success to.
I don't think I've ever bought one of their products. Years ago a talk by Karim Rashid (their bottle designer) was a conference highlight though.
I don't think I've ever bought one of their products. Years ago a talk by Karim Rashid (their bottle designer) was a conference highlight though.
March 14, 2018
One of the best books I’ve read about building a brand in the post mass-market advertising era. Most memorable concept: “the brand is the brief”.
May 1, 2019
Great marketing tips
September 29, 2019
I didn’t get what I needed from this book. They focused too much on the big picture and did not adequately detail how things were actually accomplished things.
September 5, 2015
So, as a "scrappy startup" with industry-disruptive aspirations myself I've been mainlining business books for a while now. There are a few that stand out as being not only useful but *human* -- this is one of them. Yes, it's a business biography rather than a specifically how-to book but there's still plenty of useful advice and insight.
If you didn't already love the method brand get ready to throw out every cleaning product in your house and replace them with method's products. Because reasons. Lots of them. Read the book. Put it on your shelf next to Grow by Jim Stengel and Get Big Fast & Do More Good by Ido Leffler and Lance Kalish.
I agree wholeheartedly with Eric Ryan: Weird will change the world.
If you didn't already love the method brand get ready to throw out every cleaning product in your house and replace them with method's products. Because reasons. Lots of them. Read the book. Put it on your shelf next to Grow by Jim Stengel and Get Big Fast & Do More Good by Ido Leffler and Lance Kalish.
I agree wholeheartedly with Eric Ryan: Weird will change the world.
April 9, 2013
Great find, I stumbled across a review of this somewhere and found that it immediately jumped to my must read RIGHT NOW list.
Within days of arrival, I tucked this book into my everyday bag, let the journey begin. Full of quirky insight, 'The Method Method' is an insightful look into entrepreneurial existence. There will be ups and downs, but have a zealous approach to the topic and you're bound to win (assuming you're okay at math and other basic business principles).
I feel not only like I CAN do this, but that Eric, Adam and I could go for a beer. The down to earth writing style made the experience even more enjoyable. Now, off to force feed this book to all of my friends...
Within days of arrival, I tucked this book into my everyday bag, let the journey begin. Full of quirky insight, 'The Method Method' is an insightful look into entrepreneurial existence. There will be ups and downs, but have a zealous approach to the topic and you're bound to win (assuming you're okay at math and other basic business principles).
I feel not only like I CAN do this, but that Eric, Adam and I could go for a beer. The down to earth writing style made the experience even more enjoyable. Now, off to force feed this book to all of my friends...
March 24, 2012
what a treat of a book! admittedly i'm a person against dirty, so this review might be biased however the book is truly inspiring. chronicling adam lowery and eric ryan's ups and downs in the formation of method, they personally reveal the successes and oopses of their 10+ years in the soap business. from slamming a shot of their toilet bowl cleaner to prove a point to the rigors of "homework" in the recruiting process, the book is written personally with a keen sense of humor. an easy quick read that sticks to your core.
July 16, 2013
YES, it's about THAT Method - the quirky soap people who made a big splash at Target a few years back. I have to say their early adds were sheer genius - the single best bit of advertising I had ever seen. I'm an advertising cynic and these guys had me at page one of their multipage ad. I've been in love with the products ever since. What a treat to read what makes them tick. It is wonderfully refreshing to see a company with such human values. Stumble, bumble and succeed along with the folks at Method... it's a fun read.
April 16, 2013
Eric Ryan was at the Green Conference I attended recently. He was great. Their story is so inspiring. I'm hooked. I'm only buying their products. The only thing I didn't like about this book was all of the grammar and spellcheck errors (they were talking about a concept car but auto-replace made it a concert car...). Great book for people who want to start their own company and designers who want to be inspired.
March 19, 2015
I loved the successes and struggles the author presented. The shameless sales pitch was just fine with me, too. Although as a disclaimer my cabinets were already full of Method products.
The book was written chronologically in a way that took the reader on the adventure that was the founding of Method. It's a David vs. Goliath story about two guys risking everything - money, love, self-respect - to take on the toxic CPG cleaning segment.
The book was written chronologically in a way that took the reader on the adventure that was the founding of Method. It's a David vs. Goliath story about two guys risking everything - money, love, self-respect - to take on the toxic CPG cleaning segment.
September 27, 2011
A fantastically inspiring and detailed insight into how Method built their brand and company from the inside out (and outside in.) Much like the method brand and products, this book packs not only style but plenty of substance too. If you want to dive into the very heart of how to establish and run a Business 2.0 company, this is a can't-miss title.
February 1, 2012
I really enjoyed this story about how two entrepernuers can take a idea from conception to the shelves of stores all over this great country. I enjoyed seeing their convictions and beliefs woven into the way they built their company. I look forward to buying their products knowing the story behind them...
March 8, 2012
Great read. If you ever thought you couldn't compete with the Big Guys, here is a lesson is what YOU CAN ACHIEVE. Another great start-up that had a vision and stayed on course. We need more companies like Method who care about the environment and can still bring $$'s to the bottom line with growth.
January 28, 2013
A business book with some good insights into how to develop and nurture a brand and how to differentiate in a crowded and stodgy space. Method is an experience-based brand, and this book condenses how they think of various parts of the products and brand as providing an experience to their customers.
December 30, 2011
I really liked this one.
The guys tell a great story and I love their perspective on running their business. They have successfully incorporated so much modern management theory in a way that many businesses never achieve.
It is an inspiration for the company that I am starting.
The guys tell a great story and I love their perspective on running their business. They have successfully incorporated so much modern management theory in a way that many businesses never achieve.
It is an inspiration for the company that I am starting.
July 24, 2016
An interesting look at startup culture and a pretty reasonable account without being too preachy or salesy. I enjoyed both the biographical look at who starts a company, what drives them, and the OD/culture/business capsule of lessons learned.
January 4, 2016
Taken me some time to finish this book.
This book talked about how 2 friends founded a company to fight against dirt and it is about business start-up, product design, company culture and a hold lot more about business.
good read.
This book talked about how 2 friends founded a company to fight against dirt and it is about business start-up, product design, company culture and a hold lot more about business.
good read.
February 1, 2016
A comfort to anybody who's ever dreamt of launching an industry- or world-disrupting startup. Even failures are transparently reviewed. Inspiring designs, systems or people from other industries are lovingly catalogued, along with what Method "stole" from them.
October 26, 2011
A must read and a really great book. Shows how design was methods key to success.
August 13, 2016
A great book on entrepreneurship, design and building a brand. I recommend for anyone in any kind of business, which means most everyone.
December 13, 2011
I was very inspired by this book, though by the end I felt like I'd heard enough about Method and wanted to hear about other companies with similar philosophies.
March 12, 2012
Compelling business book with a particular focus on culture. The authors highlight their success in detail with strong analysis of other consumer brands as a guide for inspiration.
May 15, 2012
Great Book! A lot of good advice for entrepreneurs that want to make it in the digital era.
May 4, 2012
Fascinating concept - kind of annoying writing
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews