Back when my son was in high school, we bought him a sound system for his car. A real “duf duf” system that you could hear several streets away if you played it at full volume.  Both of my sons are audiophiles, which I guess comes from how hard they work at their passion which is music.

So, I was taking Dom to school in his car – he was on his learners at the time, meaning he was not yet allowed to drive alone – and of course he’s chosen for me the song with the most preposterous bass line.  And when it came on, he just laughed with the sheer pleasure of hearing his favorite song being played so loud.  In fact he laughed pretty much all the way to school, which I suppose is a nice way to start the day.  At least I think he was laughing.  I couldn’t hear anything because my eardrums were bleeding.

So I drop him off, now it’s my turn to choose the music for the short journey home.  I’d like to say I chose something contemporary and sophisticated, or perhaps a symphony where I could finally hear the intricate details, and fully appreciate the layers of sound. Or maybe just turn it down for modesty.  But I didn’t.  I chose Jump by Van Halen because it was the song that leapt to my mind when I thought “what would sound great really loud?”  It was and it did. From the first note, I found myself laughing and rocking out, all the way home. 

Some things are meant to be done with subtlety and finesse, and some are best played really loud. They sound okay if we constrain them for fear of what others might think, but they only sound truly awesome when you pump the volume up way past 10.

We’ve had an amazing year of introducing The Breakthrough to the United States market. I’ve made fantastic connections with business owners over there and learnt a lot. For one thing, we Kiwi business owners have a natural inclination towards humility and understatement in how we do business. It’s part of what makes kiwi businesses so easy to work with, because the people are usually honest and down to earth, and it’s often reflected in the way we market ourselves.

But here’s what I’ve learnt from competing in the huge market that is the United States. Play your brand in the streets, at maximum volume. Bass-boosted, and windows down. That kiwi instinct for humility simply does not get heard. Most everyone in the States plays their brand the same way I was playing Van Halen’s Jump, and of all the wonderful advice we’ve been given this past year has been exactly that: be loud, be proud. When you’ve got something worth sharing, don’t be bashful at all. Share your music with the world.

Let me get loud on this: PLAY YOUR BRAND AT MAXIMUM VOLUME!