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I like the improvisational nature of jazz music. It’s feeling the moment and sensing what to do next: hammer down or soften it up, slow it down or turn up the tempo. This is what makes it interesting.

I think starting a business or organization is much the same way. There’s only so much planning, talking, brainstorming, and problem solving you can do that at some point you simply have to play. Yes you make mistakes, but that’s what keeps you on your toes and makes you better the next time around. Yes you have to improvise, but that flexibility will keep you miles ahead of your competition.

Make mistakes.

Be original.

Improvise.

Photo credit Haags Uitburo

In the modern world we have more choices than ever. From choosing a restaurant to deciding which web design firm will handle our project, we’re no longer bound by a lack of information or our location on the planet. In the early 1900’s average businesses could survive simply because the consumer lacked options. You shopped at the local bookstore or utilized the local print shop because it was the only one in town and you were familiar with it. In the mid to late 1900’s you could dominate a market with an average product and a huge marketing budget. Mass marketing still worked because there weren’t 1,000,000 voices all vying for our attention. However the internet has changed everything because it’s made information cheap and rendered location far less important. Your local bookstore isn’t competing with the shop around the corner, they’re competing with Amazon. It no longer takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to start a business, the playing field has been leveled and everyone and their grandma is jumping in. Here’s what this means for you.

Your only shot is to build something that people hate, because for every person that hates you there will be someone that loves you. Don’t build a product that appeals to the largest number of people possible, build a product that gets a small number of people excited and talking. If you can win a few die hard fans your idea will spread. Remember the worst thing someone can say about your product isn’t “I hate this!” or “this is the worst idea ever!” The worst thing they can say is nothing at all. Be deeply loved and deeply hated.

Photo Credit: Dr. Seuss

I’ve slogged my way through the writing of two 15-20 page business plans in my lifetime and at the end I found myself asking, “Was it worth it?”  Honestly, I don’t think it was.  It seemed like an exercise in frustration as I constantly found myself guessing at futuristic facts and figures that had little to no basis in reality (how do I know revenue three years out) or taking the time to talk about things that seemed as plain as day Read the rest of this entry »

I just finished the book Permission Marketing by Seth Godin and was astounded by the clarity it brought me about where marketing has been and where it may be going. Despite the fact that it was written during the Cretaceous Period (circa 1999) and came complete with outdated company examples, implementation strategies that focused on flash games and cheesy contests, and little to no mention of online social networks, it’s central premise came through with startling clarity. Read the rest of this entry »

If you read our last post on this topic you’ll know that our working definition of leadership is “influence”.  If you’re carrying influence in someone’s life then you are, at some level, leading that person.  On the flip side if you have a position, title, tenure, or whatever thing you believe deems you a leader but you aren’t influencing people, then guess what? Read the rest of this entry »

I think we’d all agree that leadership matters. From the corporate executive responsible for leading hundreds to the husband or wife responsible for leading their kids, everyday people are in this intricate dance of leading and following. Which naturally begs the question, what exactly is leadership? What is the ethereal idea that in many ways makes the world go round? Before we answer that question let’s start with a few major misconceptions about leadership.

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With over 10 million Americans now out of work and the national average for unemployment hovering around 6.5%, finding a job is no easy task.  I spend Tuesday afternoons working at a local Starbucks coffee shop and week after week I would see the same man reading and occasionally talking on the phone. Read the rest of this entry »

As business professionals experiencing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression it’s easy to let stress get the best of us.  Maybe your company is experiencing layoffs, perhaps a spouse has been demoted, or the monthly mortgage payment is looming and you don’t know where the money is coming from. Read the rest of this entry »

The English poet John Donne once said, “No man is an island…”  and the emphasis on teams in the world of business in the last decade or so has been an attempt to live into this reality.  What we’ve realized is that work isn’t accomplished by isolated individuals in little cubicles, but instead is done by groups of people coordinating their efforts towards a common goal. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes I can’t help but chuckle at the stereotypical entrepreneur we all envision. Tall (at least 6″3′), male between 30 and 45 years of age, big booming voice (HEEEEY JOHNNY!), oozing confidence out of every pore of their body, glad handing and networking extraordinaire. Read the rest of this entry »