The Foo Fighters held a contest recently: Take a photo of your garage and write a few sentences about why they should play there. They chose a handful of winners and have been going on a Garage Tour doing just that.

I’m a huge non-fiction fan, and lately I’ve been reading a lot about what makes great products, successful business and ultimately influential people.

We can argue that it’s easy for The Foo Fighters because they’re already successful. But this is a reminder that the main goal of making your true fans/customers happy is the strongest piece of marketing/pr/product/income stream you can have. Too many people focus on a race for new adopters, more followers, bigger product selection.

Forget all the little decorative pillows in your house, they may make you feel cozy, but the foundation beams you built is what holds you up. Take care of people and they will take care of you.

Some of my favorite non-fiction reads as of lately on the subject:

• Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos)

• Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition by Guy Kawasaki (One of the original marketers of the Apple Macintosh)
• The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk (Wine Critic who used customer relationships, social media and a webcast show to build a core group of fans, helping his family’s wine store grow from $3 million to $45 million dollars in sales)