1. First and foremost sell your product to your team
Michael van Straaten
Founder and CEO, Verimark
“We have a diverse team, and I need them to interact and to be involved. When we roll out a new product, virtually all the employees know about it, and many of them have tried it for themselves.”
According to van Straaten, the essence of Verimark is to bring in new ideas, and then make sure they’re great products. If the proposed new product is an educational toy, the whole team spends time experimenting with it. If it’s a cooking product, it’s discussed — particularly what’s special about it — and then taken home and tested. People use products, and Verimark makes sure its offering matches consumer wants and needs.