Vinay

In 1998, LEGO lost $1.4 Billion in a single year.

Video games took over. Stocks tanked. 1,000 workers fired.

Until their new CEO partnered with ONE company they swore never to work with.

Here's how breaking a 60-year-old rule saved them from disaster: 🧵 

In 1932, a Danish carpenter started making wooden blocks during the Great Depression.

His company would become the most valuable toy maker in history.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing: 

In 1998 LEGO hit rock bottom:

• Sales were plummeting for the first time ever.
• Competitors were eating their lunch.
• They'd laid off 1,000 employees.

And kids were ditching plastic toys for video games.

Something had to change: 

LucasFilms approached LEGO with an unexpected proposition:

Would they partner for the upcoming Star Wars film?

The head of LEGO America saw the potential immediately:

Star Wars could breathe life into their toys.

But there was one massive roadblock standing in the way: 

This would shatter every rule LEGO had followed since day one:

• Always created characters in-house.
• They'd never done licensing deals before.
• Had strict policies against violent themes.

The internal resistance was unprecedented: 

"Over my dead body will you launch LEGO Star Wars in Europe," one board member declared.

The tension was palpable.

Sometimes you need to break the system to rebuild it.

And it wasn't a pleasant rebirth:

They brought in Jill Wilfert to lead an internal campaign who gathered market research showing parents supported Star Wars.

Finally, LEGO's CEO backed the vision.

In addition, they knew something crucial about transformation: 

The best systems are built for scale.

LEGO started small with a limited Star Wars collection.

Test, learn, iterate.

Even they couldn't have predicted how successful this approach would be: 

The response demolished all expectations.

Sales hit 500% above forecasts.

Just in the US, they made $130M - about 10% of total sales.

It set a new precedent in the toy industry.

But this wasn't even the biggest breakthrough: 

This partnership sparked a complete transformation in LEGO's system. One success led to another:

• Disney
• Batman
• Harry Potter
• Indiana Jones

Each partnership unlocked new growth. 

The best transformations don't just change what you do.

They change how you think.

LEGO didn't just add partners.
They rebuilt their entire operating system.

The LEGO of old was no more:

They became ruthlessly selective with partnerships.

"We say no to way more things than we say yes to."

It wasn't about doing more - it was about doing right.

The system had to protect their core values.

That's not even the most incredible part: 

25 years later, that Star Wars partnership is still going strong.

The same two executives who forged the deal in '98 still oversee it today.

This kind of continuity is rare.

And it reveals something crucial about transformation: 

"The relationship has gotten easier because there are people who've been there from the start."

It's a powerful reminder:

The best processes aren't just about efficiency. They're about building trust over time.

LEGO's transformation reveals something profound:

Success isn't about grinding harder.

It's about building systems that work for you.

When they standardized their processes, they took things to the next level.

Here's why this matters for your business: 

In today's landscape, rigid processes kill growth.

But no processes? That's even worse.

The key is finding the sweet spot:
• Standardized but flexible
• Compliant but efficient
• Scalable but controlled

This is why we built Process Street: 

• To help organizations unlock their own LEGO-style transformations.
• To give every company the tools to evolve.
• To turn manual chaos into systematic success.

Just like LEGO's journey, transformation starts with vision. 

But vision alone isn't enough.

You need systems to scale it. Processes to perfect it. Tools to transform it.

And in today's complex business landscape, this matters more than ever:

The best systems aren't rigid. They're living, breathing frameworks that:

• Enable growth
• Adapt to change
• Ensure compliance

It starts with the right foundation. 

Our clients see:

• 80% faster onboarding
• 90% reduction in compliance headaches
• Complete visibility across operations
• Seamless scaling across teams

Systems are the difference between scattered success and scalable growth. 

Like LEGO discovered with Star Wars:

One systematic transformation unlocks infinite possibilities.

Your company's next chapter starts with a single system.

Ready to build your company's winning processes, brick by brick?

Join the 3,000+ innovative companies building the future.

From Salesforce to Slack, leaders trust Process Street to transform their operations with our revolutionary AI-powered automation. 

I am Vinay Patankar:

• Systems builder &amp; automation pioneer
• Founder of Process Street, leader in workflow automation
• Passionate about making work flow effortlessly

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