Yes, it’s true, and the gist of the story is here on Being Latino. Hindsight is said to be 20/20, though for some it often remains a little fuzzy, in that endearing, oh-well kind of way.
What’s your life’s work?
I was inspired to think about my entrepreneurial roots earlier this week, after meeting fabulous Broadway producer, Steven Chaikelson. Clearly speaking from personal experience (do you remember his musical stage production of the popular Tom Hanks film, Big?), Steven wisely reminded us that all entrepreneurs will have flops and the trick is to learn how to bounce back. Continue reading
For more years than I’d like to admit, I’ve been telling my staff, my clients and anyone that would listen, that nothing is more important in business than the ability to craft and tell a good STORY.
As part of a series for the lovely folks at Being Latino, this lucky duck had a chance to chat with the indefatigable Tomas Cookman, whose phenomenal reputation I’ve concluded is very well-earned. Cookman, in case the name doesn’t ring a bell, is the brains and the soul behind the management company and the record label who brings us such talents as Manu Chao, and Aterciopelados and is also the founder of the, now legendary, Latin Alternative Music Conference.
The first part of my interview is live here on Being Latino and the second will go live this week. This could easily have been a 5 part series as Tomas was wildly articulate and really quite hilarious in telling me his story of starting up as a lone entrepreneur in the Lower Eastside projects and ultimately landing where he is now, at the epicenter of a revolution that goes beyond the music industry and really reconnects the arts and business with a sustainable, ethical grace that is rare and much-needed.
I’ve been thinking a lot about well-intentioned people like Seth Godin and the multitude of experts and innovators currently gathered (virtually) at the Enlightened Business Summit and wondering whether this new kind of business we’re all trying to envision is really possible within the same constructs that exist today.
Can businesses, especially the big monoliths, reinvent themselves from the ground up? This is not a new product, nor is it a new marketing strategy. This is not an effort to turn around a brand or make a struggling business profitable again. This is about the core values and the very purpose behind a business becoming irrelevant and even harmful. And if those fundamental business blocks are what’s wrong (growth for the sake of growth, little regard for the health and happiness of its employees or the well-being of its community and planet)…can it really be made right?
I increasingly think that just like a brand that needs to be retired at some point (because, well, I think Lehman Brothers and Enron don’t have a chance in hell for a comeback), maybe there is a point where all the new-age business guru’s of the world can simply not put enough band aids on the problem to make it right. And perhaps the problem really plaguing today’s predominant business culture -this world of hierarchical structures, combative work environments and thoughtless growth- is not one that needs a makeover, but one that needs simply to fall naturally into the ebbs and flows of the market, and the inevitable path for ideas and values that no longer serve it.
Perhaps what’s needed is a whole crop of entirely new businesses to gradually spill into our livingrooms and work lives, businesses that follow an entirely different set of values and raisons d’etre that are more in line with a view of the world that WILL serve us in the future. And I venture to put out there that perhaps that view is one of consensus, collaboration and sustainability (which of course, I’ll be the first to concede, comes with its own problems).
Ultimately, I think we’ll know when we see it (and I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to see it!), but I also believe pretty strongly that it can only happen if we (the market) define and demand it. If the today’s gurus can in some way encourage tomorrow’s entrepreneurs to reinvent rather than improve, I think we’ll be one step closer to a business culture that not only doesn’t harm, but (imagine!) even enhances.
What do you say, shall we make our voices heard?
There is a massive shift happening, from push to pull.
And knowing how to receive is what it’s all about. Whether it’s about designing ideas, selling products, creating community (which I believe is increasingly, how best to sell products), spreading ideas or improving your business…gone are the days when you can cook something up on your own and simply “launch” it. Putting it bluntly, who cares if 5 PhD’s in a room think a Search engine’s performance is swell, if 180 million users in Latin America don’t agree?
Communities want you to pull from them. They want you to pull their ideas, input, complaints, trends and preferences…and DO SOMETHING with them. And the evidence is in the companies that are doing that and succeeding, as much as in the ones who have failed. While each failure may look wildy different, even the the ones who have gone down kicking and screaming share the same common thread, the tendency to PUSH their products on markets that are simply not interested in what 5 PhD’s cooked up in a silo somewhere.
I grew up with a piano. And, truth be told, I’ve lately been having a rather wild streak of what I’ve decided can only be called “good Juju.” So here’s what I figure…if I want the streak to continue, I should do what I can to keep the momentum going. Makes sense, right (humor my superstitions, please)? To that end, I decided that while it is completely unnecessary and possibly even impractical, I would listen to the little voice in my head that has recently been asking me “wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a piano in your home again?”
Key take away: Emotions sell products.
Juju Charm
As my team would attest, I am the epitome of an analytical, extremely fact-driven thinker. If you’re trying to convince me to approve an investment, don’t simply tell me that it’s going to help us “win the hearts and minds of our customers” (an admittedly, very honorable endeavor), instead give me the measurable data that shows what will happen to the bottom line or the customer satisfaction ratings, present the risks in terms of a quantifiable margin of errors and by all means, show me the P&L!
And yet, I’m considering buying/renting a Piano during a recession because of a streak of good Juju!
That’s right, repeat after me, emotions sell.
Before you even have a chance to start pitching, somewhere in the mind of your customer is an emotion, just waiting for you to tap into and assuage. Do your research, understand the larger context, the deep history of the problem you’re trying to solve. Moreover, if your customers stay around and give you a chance to build relationships, get to know the personalities, understand their priorities, their goals and ideally, what keeps them up at night.
You will be brilliantly surprised to find how much good business Juju is waiting for you if you hit the mark and understand the underlying “why” behind what your audience is telling you!
Peace.
I had the pleasure of meeting a group of phenomenally talented women last month, each brilliant in their own, wildly diverse ways. I serve on the board of a few organizations dedicated to supporting women in business, so meeting extraordinary people isn’t necessarily a new thing in my life, thankfully.
What was particularly unique about this experience was that this group came from such radically disparate fields. Among them was an attorney, a historical novelist, a neuroscientist as well as a few truly amazing professional artists and performers thrown into the mix…just to give you a taste! I found it striking that one common thread with a number of them was a reticence for all things “business”. It was so interesting to think that among these gurus in their respective fields, each with their own stories of success amid seemingly insurmountable odds, so many seemed to find this one area daunting and in some cases, even intimidating.
From Alltop
Who doesn’t love great stories?
For me business is about story telling, and good businesses tell great stories. So…
In honor of my new friends, I hope to attempt to debunk some of the myths that exist about business in the coming weeks. My aim is to attack the especially dry and unpleasant, like business financials and customer service, and also the chronically misunderstood, like marketing and branding. I know, I know, you’re thinking, “oh joy!” but I promise, there is excitement, dare I say intrigue and more importantly, joy, in finding the underlying stories behind even the most seemingly mundane of human constructs.
Cross my heart!!!
Re-reading Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit and connecting with the ideas. You can’t delight (yourself or others) without creativity. IMHO, leaders in business and marketing would do well to learn lessons from this famous ballerina. Seriously.
