Finally got to watch @JohnMayer induct the late, great, Albert King into the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He went on to perform later that night with Gary Clark Jr. Wow. Just watch.
“By the time they get here, they make the funniest swings…”
If you haven’t seen this @60minutes sports on Pete Dye, skip to about 12:00 minutes in and watch what Pete has to say about designing #17
Loyalty
Ari Emanuel. What more do you need to say? I was buying the book before this post, but for those of you who don’t know the Co-CEO of WME. Here’s a great post Ari wrote on Loyalty in Business earlier this week:
I always believe in getting to the point. And the point of this is to get you to buy Brothers Emanuel. Is LinkedIn the right platform to do a plug for my brother’s book? Probably not. But fuck it, I’m doing it anyway.
There’s a running theme through Brothers Emanuel, which Zeke, Rahm and I have integrated into our personal and professional lives. And that is, to always look out for each other. It’s a lesson our parents instilled in us and it’s what we preach to our kids.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love taking risks. And my biggest risks would have easily failed had it not been for the support from my family and friends. Loyalty was a huge component in the success of Endeavor. When I broke away from the comforts of an established agency to start my own venture, I got a real sense of who had my back. A handful of agents took the leap of faith, leaving steady paychecks and 401k’s for the great unknown. The same goes for my clients, who took a huge gamble following me (often against the advice of their managers). But they all knew that I would do the same for them in a heartbeat.
Four years ago, loyalty came into play again when Endeavor merged with William Morris. But this time, hundreds of staffers were asked to put their trust into WME. And you know what? Every one of them rose to the occasion and had faith that our new company would thrive. Loyalty is what makes businesses strong and I have no doubt that it’s been responsible for the continued success of WME.
Flip through the pages of Brothers Emanuel and you’ll see how important loyalty is to our family. Each of us has an amazing support system in place. Whether it’s Zeke and his medical colleagues, Rahm and his political staff or myself and the agents of WME. Always surround yourself with people you can trust and people you’re willing to go into battle with.
Now go buy the book.
http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Emanuel-Memoir-American-Family/dp/1400069033
Ten South By Southwest 2013 Lessons To Apply In Business
Started writing my own recap to SXSW 2013 - but Diana Kander pretty much summed it up.
Here are 10 SXSW Lessons to live by:
SXSW Interactive just wrapped up, and it’s been an intense five days. It was inspiring, exhausting and thought provoking. Not long into my first day I began to notice parallels between surviving SXSW and succeeding as a business owner, so I put together this list of lessons learned:
1. The plan is just a roadmap. You can plan and plan for what you think your SXSW experience will look like and what events you are going to attend, but most of what you’ll end up doing will be impromptu and off the schedule. You have to understand that the plan is just a roadmap; as long as you have a good idea of where you are going, you’ll really benefit from and enjoy all the detours you’ll inevitably encounter along the way.
2. People are much more likely to listen or help if you don’t try to sell them. I saw a lot of people try to push their ideas like street peddlers.SXSW attendees are tired of being repeatedly accosted, so street peddlers get ignored. Focus on helping others first. Listen to their ideas and passions, and their interest in your pursuits will follow.
3. You need a lot of energy! Just like SXSW, business life is non-stop. You have to figure out how to work until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., get up at 7 a.m., and still function and produce day after day.
4. Follow up immediately after meeting someone. If you delay getting in touch with someone after getting their card, you’ll likely forget all the details of the interaction or what you were supposed to follow up about; and the longer you wait, the less they will remember about you.
5. Your pitch needs to be simple and easy to understand. Meeting hundreds of people who only give you a moment of their time really helps you hone your pitch. You quickly learn that if your explanation is not simple to understand or interesting, they are going to move on and talk to someone else. Tip: if you want to know if you have a strong pitch, occasionally ask someone to tell you what they think your company does after you introduce yourself.
6. There’s a lot of competition out there. There’s no place like SXSW to learn that no matter how brilliant your idea, there’s at least three other companies that think they are going to own the same market. When ideas are plentiful, execution is everything.
7. Potential mentors are everywhere. SXSW has the best and the brightest in attendance, but you have to be selective about who to solicit for advice. Critically assess who will provide the most value to your company and your personal needs and figure out a way to get them to listen. And don’t worry: If they say no, there are at least 10 more people around who can provide you with great advice.
8. Always be prepared to pitch. At SXSW, you never know who might share your elevator or literally bump into you as you round a corner, so look your best, have your pitch down, and always carry your product or something to demo.
9. Have a strategy to market your company. Don’t just give your card to anyone who makes eye contact. Your product or business isn’t for everyone. If you can narrow your focus to a target customer and think of creative ways to reach that target, you will get better results. Otherwise, you just look desperate and your ideas will be ignored.
10. Give yourself time to expand your mind. There are so many thought-provoking lectures and panels at SXSW that can have profound impacts on your business or your personal life. But you don’t need to wait for SXSW each year to reflect and learn something new. Opportunities to learn and develop are all around you, so remember to make time for them every now and then.
What did you learn from SXSW that will help you in your company? Use the comments to help keep the conversation going.
Diana Kander is an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Kauffman Foundation and an author at www.dianakander.com.
