In business and in life, Communication is everything.

Start with a good idea, and work tirelessly to turn it into a great product (or service) of consistently high quality. Make it simple to understand and price it fairly. Find ways to make both buying and owning it feel valuable. Do your best to tell the world, and they’ll tell everyone else. And along the way, treat everyone you encounter with The Golden Rule in mind.

That’s the essence of what I learned from 20+ years of handling marketing communications for Mike Kittredge II – the late founder of the world-renowned Yankee Candle Company – and having had the privilege of writing his life story.

And Mike sure knew a lot about this stuff.