Fun Creates Business Value

Siqi Chen believes that making business software fun isn't just a nice-to-have feature but a critical component that drives value creation. He argues that fun creates flow, which enhances creativity and ultimately leads to better business decisions.

Key Points:

• Fun and serious business aren't contradictory - they're complementary:

  • "I think it's actually a pretty huge advantage particularly for the things we consider serious"
  • His first company was ironically named "Serious Business" but built fun games

• Finance at its best is about creativity and value creation:

  • "Finance at its best is really about creating value"
  • "It's about looking forward and thinking about new ideas about how we can push the business forward"

• Fun creates flow states that enhance business performance:

  • "In order for us to be creative we have to be in flow"
  • "Things that are fun keeps you in flow"
  • "That fun creates flow that creates your creativity that creates value"

• The absence of fun hinders business effectiveness:

  • "When you use something that isn't fun something that feels slow or confusing then you're not creative"
  • "You're making worse decisions" when using tools that aren't enjoyable

• Customer feedback validates this philosophy:

  • "What we actually hear from our customers... is this software feels fun"
  • This fun feeling is what enables their customers to make better decisions

• This philosophy is deeply embedded in their company approach:

  • "That is like very deeply part of our philosophy"
  • Demonstrated through their willingness to take unconventional marketing approaches (like holding a handmade billboard by a freeway)