Happy Birthday, Joni
On November 7th
Here’s Joni Mitchell’s contribution to the conundrum of a business model for music. She was born on this date in 1943 in Alberta, Canada. Salut!
Posts about Business
Reflections of a Y Combinator Dropout
On October 15th 1 Comment
I just want to point to this fine memoir of someone whose startup failed to thrive in the non-cult known as Y combinator.
It’s valuable for the emphasis on the functioning of the team as make-or-break — a factor that can make all the other factors irrelevant.
I’m tempted to write a long meditation on Orian Marx’s essay — but it’s well through out and written and I’d rather let him tell it.
Resilience
On September 30th
Since I listen all day to the anxieties of people, I’ve gotten an earful this week. And it’s only Tuesday. The mega-environment is becoming rough and uncertain. Money, especially money for new projects, is expected to be harder to come by, and a lot of things will become difficult.
Doing well in this climate will require psychologically resilient people and organizations — those with the capacity to resist despair, fear, and retreats into fantasy, to keep doing what needs to be done. Flexibility, an unfazed grasp of reality, persistence and patience will serve people well. (Sometimes it will require the flexibility to abandon projects that are checkmated and move on to something else with a minimum of handwringing). Groups that can manage discouragement and anxiety and support one another will do all right. Teams and groups who sink into finger-pointing when times are tough will not make it. Read more »
funding a band like a tech startup
On September 24th
It was bound to happen. I’ve been noticing the similarities between bands and startups as self-led creative teams. This item describes a band taking funding from an Angel Investor in return for 30% of future revenue.
This is a way of replacing one role of the record label, which was a source of funding during the formative days. It could go either way.
My question is whether the angel investors are competent to predict the success of a band — or whether they are dabbling in this as a high-risk hobby investment, the way some people invest in Broadway plays. Read more »
Chef Gordon Ramsay: organizational psychologist
On September 6th
Here I confess one of my junk-food type indulgences. I’ve enjoyed the “reality” show featuring Chef Gordon Ramsay. Not the silly competition one — the one where he visits a restaurant in trouble and turns it around.
Never mind the foul-mouthed tough-guy persona. I’m impressed with how the show presents a case study in consultation. In each episode, the case is presented of a foundering restaurant. The consultant comes in and makes a rapid assessment. There is a tense meeting where he presents his diagnosis and treatment plan. He encounters resistance and overcomes it, and there is a happy ending (usually). Read more »
