Verne’s mentor Hermann Simon wrote the definitive book on privately held growth firms called Hidden Champions of the 21st Century. For an excellent summary of the seven lessons he discerned from studying thousands of mid-market firms that dominate their niches globally, read Simon’s article, “Hidden Champions (1): What German Companies Can Teach You About Innovation.” — it details a key formula for crushing your competition and is worth the 7 minutes to review Simon’s 7 lessons.
