A thermostat is far more valuable than a thermometer.

A thermometer reflects the temperature of the environment.

It simply reacts to what’s happening around it. If the temperature is hot, it tells you so. If it’s cold, the thermometer reflects that reality as well.

It’s a dumb instrument in the sense it doesn’t contain intelligent, multipurpose functionality. It has one purpose and one purpose only.

The thermometer reveals that something is broken.

The thermometer is an indicator.

Thermometers tell us when we are spending too much or gaining market share or not answering the phone quickly enough.

Businesses are filled with human thermometers. They can criticise or point out or just whine.

The thermostat, on the hand, regulates the environment.

It sets the desired temperature of the room and actively works to maintain it within a given range.

If the temperature rises above the goal, the thermostat signals the air conditioner to crank up and cool the room down.

If the temperature falls below the goal, the thermostat causes the heater to turn on in order to warm the room up.

The thermostat is intelligent in the sense it’s always monitoring the environment, and if the temperature gets too hot or cold, it decides what to do to correct the situation.

Thermostat entrepreneurs manages to change the environment in sync with the outside world.

Every business needs at least one thermostat.

These are entrepreneurs who can create change in response to the outside world and do it consistently over time.