Ah, we made it back from Vegas – and we returned with more money than we left with! That’s always a good feeling. My strategy in Sin City is to try and win enough to pay for the trip, and then quit.
We stayed at the Wynn, owned by legendary businessman (and one of our first investors at PPRO) Steve Wynn. I’ve met Mr. Wynn a couple times in the past and three things that always resonated with me about Wynn was: a) he has a great speaking voice b) he seems very confident, but never arrogant c) he painstakingly focuses on the intricacies and details of his properties more than anyone I’ve ever heard of.
The Wynn is no exception. This was our second visit, and I am absolutely blown away by the quality of the product and the sensitivity of the staff, and the detail throughout the resort. Everything from the blinds that open with a push of a button, to very thick cloth seating on poolside lounges, to the crown molding in even the most basic deli. Everything is clean, thought-through, and impeccable.
It made me think about our site, and wonder what else we could do NOW to improve the detail, and give our users a better experience. Here is the list I came up with:
- Improve the design. As a start-up, we have skimped somewhat on the design due to cost. I rationalized it because it seemed more important to keep reserves and focus on building the product. Design has always been our weak point. No one on the team is proficient in design, so we decided to work with a small team of professionals on our new design. We are scheduled to launch it this coming Friday, and it is SO better than before. We are moving to a look that says we know what we’re doing.
- Focus on "Check In". At the Wynn, there are always enough people to help you very quickly check in, and even more people to help you spend money. This is something we can improve on. During October, we’ll be working on getting our new customers through the sign-up process quickly and painlessly.
- Build a Resort. At the Wynn, we found ourselves rarely feeling a need to venture past the resort. They had deli’s and 5-star restaurants. They had $10 tables and $500 tables (I was more on the $10 side). They had beds so comfortable that you wanted to sleep till noon. They had a pool that you could read Jim Cramer‘s new book by. And, they had lots of people (community) that you could associate with, meet, and share some good times. This is what we’re seeking to build with our site – a place you can go, hang out, feel comforatable, meet like-minded people, and spend money to your heart’s content.
Q3 was a building quarter for us. We are poised to start seeing some rewards for our Q3 efforts during Q4. As always, we’re excited about the opportunity, and we’ll be paying attention to every last detail.