An extraordinary coincidence

United States July 4, 1776			Argentina July 9, 1816			France July 14, 1789			Peru July 28, 1821
Today, the USA celebrates its independence. But July is a month of Independence celebrations in much more than just the USA. Argentina, my native country, celebrates its independence on July 9th. Peru, where I once lived, on July 28th. France celebrates La Bastille and Liberté, égalité, fraternité on July 14th.    When the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, they wanted the right to self-determination. However, self-determination is trickier than it seems. From the vantage point of a nation wanting independence from colonial powers, it is a righteous cause. Yet a movement for sovereignty is usually called secessionist by the empire that would be shrunk by the independence. They tend to perceive the separation as a loss.    Yet there are other types of independence that are universally welcome: freedom of spirit, the right to engage in the pursuit of happiness, and to decide what to do with the time that is given to us. That, my friend, is what our tireless Liberators at QLess have been engaged in for the last six years. A campaign to liberate humankind from the tyranny of waiting in line –by letting them use their cell phone to get in a mobile line and get notified when their turn approaches, allowing them to wait anywhere. Perhaps you feel a tinge of satisfaction from having a line wait for your services. Yet forcing your customers to wait in line benefits no one: not those in line, nor the institution attracting the line. We have long observed that lines lose a business up to 50% of their clientele. Those who wait an unexpected amount of time are up to 75% less likely to return. Liberating them to wait anywhere during their wait yields 99% customer satisfaction. QLess provides that liberation.   Today, most of us are not tied to a government in a different continent, but we are routinely tied to standing in line while we wait for service. Yet over the past six months, QLess has grown another 158% over the same period the year before. We have passed the milestone of ten million people served. More than the entire population of New York, Los Angeles or any other US city. Enough to load more than 4,000 Titanics to capacity. And exactly four times the population of the thirteen American colonies liberated on July 4th, 1776.    We’ve saved those more than ten million people 237 years of waiting in line. Which, coincidentally, is precisely the number of years since the Declaration of Independence was signed. So today, we celebrate having given the world one American lifetime. Not a man’s. But a nation’s.    Today, we toast to independence, to freedom, and to the pursuit of happiness. And to celebrate with you, we are extending a special gift to you and your friends: sign up for a year of QLess service during this month of freedom (yes, you can now create your own QLess account online and be up and running in minutes), and get this July and next July for free.    Happy Independence Day!   Alex P.S. Check out the recent TV news stories about the recognition QLess establishments are getting!