Posts about Business

Andrew Dubber and the Unconsultancy

On March 18th covering ,

Andrew Dubber is a smart fellow, a UK music-industry consultant and a source of keen insights. He’s been thinking about the problems of consulting to an industry where people are worried about putting gas in the van, as I have. He’s offering a model of consultation (in UK-Speak, “Consultancy”) modeled on the ramen-noodle-budget indie tour. He’s willing to travel like a student and couch-surf if he can put together a string of people who can pay him a bit here and there and feed him. Very much like a singer-songwriter doing a tour of house concerts and coffeeshops.He calls this “Unconsultancy” in the spirit of the UK “Unconventions” Read more »

Starting a business with a friend … what could possibly go wrong?

On March 11th covering , ,

More on the theme of “business startups and bands have a great deal to learn from one another”. Daniel Tenner has posted some lessons learned from starting a venture with a friend. He emphasizes the importance of making assumptions explicit, and adds a cartoon featuring a T-Rex as an xkcd hommage.

This should be read by musicians and entrepreneurs alike.

Happy Birthday, Joni

On November 7th covering ,

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!

Reflections of a Y Combinator Dropout

On October 15th 1 Comment covering , , , ,

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 covering , , , ,

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 »