Lessons Learned: Ellen Leanse of 222do believes in "extreme listening"

Ellen Leanse learned a few things during her many years as an Apple Computer executive and, later, as a consultant to tech firms.

She's now putting those lessons to work as founder and CEO of 222do, a company whose application lets social network users build and share lists easily. Click here to see our previous interview with Ellen where she explains 222do.

Ellen was formerly Apple's User Evangelist, a position which gave her a sharp focus on the importance of a product's end users. 

To Ellen, building a successful company is all about "relevance, relevance, relevance." She says you have to "make a difference in the hearts, minds, lives and wallets of the people you serve as a company."

The advent of social networking and Web 2.0 has given consumers more power than ever, says Leanse, who explains that 222do's customers are helping develop the company's software.

"Our users are defining our product for us. We're watching how they use it and are zeroing in on things that will deliver a benefit to them." 

Regardless of whether customer information is collected through data analysis, anecdotal evidence or watching behavior patterns over time, it's all part of something Ellen calls "extreme listening."