During her 45 minute PowerPoint-guided presentation, she said the word “growth” eleven times; she talked about deliverables and accountability; she went over their various systems, their management structure, and their mission statement. She didn’t mention sandwiches until I asked her which one she liked the most. She didn’t mention that the owners traveled extensively picking ingredients at tiny farms and bakeries, or brag about their customer service (their founder wrote a best-selling book about it), or describe their massive mail-order sales, or explain the seminars and tastings from which they generate a substantial profit, etc. In short, she didn’t really say anything at all, and yet the kids around me were taking notes. That’s the root of the problem. That’s what the business school teaches us to do. Not once has a professor told us to “make great products” or “do something people love.” Why? For one, it’s harder to teach engineering to a marketer than it is to teach marketing to an engineer (take Google). The thing is, we’re designed to be investment bankers and management consultants, the professionals who guys like Warren Buffet will tell you are just “friction” in the economic system. And this coming from a guy who has created more wealth than almost any human ever. From the Berkeshire Hathaway 2005 annual report: “For investors as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases.