--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Enterprises have customers! Ask them for…" description: "\"Enterprises have customers! Ask them for feedback and you can compete with startups!\" — Colin Humphreys" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/colin-humphreys-56445_asks_enterprises-have-customers-ask-them-for_1329588.jpg" --- # Enterprises have customers! Ask them for feedback and you… ![“Enterprises have customers! Ask them for feedback and you can compete with startups!” quote by Colin Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/colin-humphreys-56445_asks_enterprises-have-customers-ask-them-for_1329588.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/colin-humphreys-56445_asks_enterprises-have-customers-ask-them-for_1329588.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/colin-humphreys-56445_asks_enterprises-have-customers-ask-them-for_1329588.jpg) > “Enterprises have customers! Ask them for feedback and you can compete with startups!” [Colin Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-humphreys/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enterprises must seek customer feedback to stay competitive with agile startups. **In simple terms:** Ask customers for feedback to compete. Key Takeaway Listen to customers, adapt quickly. Themes customer focus competition agility feedback loops innovation enterprise Mood strategic practical Type business leadership When to use this quote - Product development - service improvement - market research - strategic planning - team workshops Key Concepts User-centered design market responsiveness Questions to Reflect On - How can big companies adopt startup mindsets? - What feedback methods work best? A Different Perspective Large firms may resist rapid changes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Compete Startups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete-startups-4456897/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers/) [Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise/) [Enterprises Customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprises-customers-4456898/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Feedback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feedback/) [Feedback Compete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feedback-compete-4456899/) [Startups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startups/) ## Related quotes > [Continuous delivery without continuous feedback is very, very dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-humphreys/continuous-delivery-without-continuous-feedback-is-very-very-dangerous/) [Colin Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-humphreys/) > [Startups are very hard no matter what you do; you may as well go after a big opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/startups-are-very-hard-no-matter-what-you-do-you-may-as-well-go-after/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Learning is the essential unit of progress for startups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/learning-is-the-essential-unit-of-progress-for-startups/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“When it's about your life, it's time to be selfish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-artner/when-it-s-about-your-life-it-s-time-to-be-selfish/) [Dee Dee Artner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-artner/) > [Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/startups-are-not-the-best-choice-for-work-life-balance-and-that-s/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [“Chase the needs, and you are halfway to entrepreneurship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jagadish-varadharajan/chase-the-needs-and-you-are-halfway-to-entrepreneurship/) [Jagadish Varadharajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jagadish-varadharajan/) > [It's hard to tell with these Internet startups if they're really interested in building companies or if they're just interested in the money. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-hard-to-tell-with-these-internet-startups-if-they-re-really/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/zen-is-not-some-fancy-special-art-of-living-our-teaching-is-just-to/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [My attitude is there are at least hundreds of interesting startups that are going to get going in every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/my-attitude-is-there-are-at-least-hundreds-of-interesting-startups/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [The thing that kills startups at some level, is the founders giving up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-thing-that-kills-startups-at-some-level-is-the-founders-giving-up/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Cool innovation might happen in startups, but they often lack the resources or the deep expertise in the problems they want to address.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/cool-innovation-might-happen-in-startups-but-they-often-lack-the/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [One thing I tell startups all the time is that the best way to grow is to make their product better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/one-thing-i-tell-startups-all-the-time-is-that-the-best-way-to-grow/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [“Amidst all the hype and hoopla around this business, I wanted to emphasize the challenge—it is seductive but the failure rate is very high.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahendra-ramsinghani/amidst-all-the-hype-and-hoopla-around-this-business-i-wanted-to/) [Mahendra Ramsinghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahendra-ramsinghani/) > [“A lot of the machines that Google is built on—commodity is the polite word for them—they're regular PCs and so they're not always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/a-lot-of-the-machines-that-google-is-built-on-commodity-is-the-polite/) [Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) ## More by Colin Humphreys > [Cloud Foundry will not differentiate you, your apps will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-humphreys/cloud-foundry-will-not-differentiate-you-your-apps-will/) [Colin Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-humphreys/) > [Continuous delivery without continuous feedback is very, very dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-humphreys/continuous-delivery-without-continuous-feedback-is-very-very-dangerous/) [Colin Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-humphreys/) > [Start with a small product in lab environment and grow it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-humphreys/start-with-a-small-product-in-lab-environment-and-grow-it/) [Colin Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-humphreys/) > [The Cloud-Native Enterprise is a venture capitalist creating continuous innovation powered by Cloud Foundry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-humphreys/the-cloud-native-enterprise-is-a-venture-capitalist-creating/) [Colin Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-humphreys/) > [Cloud Foundry is not exciting. What's exciting is what you can do with Cloud Foundry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-humphreys/cloud-foundry-is-not-exciting-what-s-exciting-is-what-you-can-do-with/) [Colin Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-humphreys/) [Explore all 6 Colin Humphreys quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-humphreys/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Enterprises have customers! 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