“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”
— John Lennon
Sorry for the delay in postings. I am out in Telluride on vacation with my family which is an internet challenged part of the world. I understand that the main ISP providing broadband to Mid-Mountain has gone under. I am very happy to be alive as my friend took me down the "Ridge" for my second mountain biking experience ever. This is a steep path with slanted rocks and exposed roots that winds through dense trees. I am a much more religious man from the experience. 🙂 Ironically, although he is a veteran rider, he went over his handle bars separated his AC on his shoulder.
Saw Lyle Lovett on Sunday. I have never listened much to him but our friends had tickets. We worked our way to about five rows out in the standing crowd. What a blast we had. I did not realize the breadth of music styles he and his 18 person band (yes, 18) kick out. As I was listening and watching the dedicated fans fully engaged in the show, I was struck by a couple of similarities to entrepreneurship.
1) Substance over style: no one would ever call Lyle handsome. Poor guy will always be known as the Julia Roberts’ 6 month husband. He does not promote or push a flashy image like most in the business, and yet he is an icon in the music world. In short, he has figured out what his fan base (niche) wants and delivers it flawlessly. Too many entrepreneurs start focusing too early on with PR campaigns. The market will listen if you have something of substance to show or say. Focus on getting your product or service right and the Buzz begins to take care of itself. Apple gets its buzz because its products are so awesome. Push PR with a weak product and it will come back to bite you.
2) Enjoy what you do: it is clear that Lyle really enjoys performing and being with his band. He referred several times how lucky he was to be able to travel with his best friends. I was attracted as much to his attitude and ethos as I was to the music. Traveling from city to city can really be draining (like trying to get a company ramped). You had better enjoy and live for it or it will consume you.
3) Find the best talent: Lyle has an amazingly talented group of performers in his 18 person band. He also let each of them get some recognition and/or solos during the performance (share the fame & success). Interestingly, other than one or two, no one was under 50 years old. He did not go with the young, hot flashy performers but with proven veterans. His leadership was in getting all of them to perform as a team. Too often, CEO’s drive their teams hard with letting them share in the glory. Dick Costolo does a great job getting all of his core team out in the public eye. Also, too many companies hire hot resumes versus substance. This requires a much deeper evaluation and care in picking team members as well as a strong focus on fit.
What all of this particularly reminded me of is that the best things in life (personal, work, business, etc) come when you least expect them and from directions you never expect. This is why persistence is so key in entrepreneurship…if you persist long enough, good things will happen. Too often, people either a) drop out before entering the concert hall or b) fail to actively seek to embrace all the opportunities that are out there…
Matt,
I saw Lyle last spring in a small auditorium. I had never seen him live before and only had one of his albums. I too was surprised by his range of styles and his natural talent as an entertainer.
What really struck me was his sincere interest in the audience. Several times he asked audience members questions and then related stories to there answers. It was a genuine appreciation for his audience.
So I would add another similarity to entrepreneurs. Keep it real and dont forget the customer.
For example, I saw The Flying Other Brothers (Roger McNamee’s band) in a small beer joint on the west side of Columbus last Thursday (7/20). GE Smith was sitting in for their regular guitarist (Barry Sless). They tore the place down with their heavy blues/rock sound.
After the show (they played three hours of music) they met with every audience member and signed autographs and posed for pictures. What a special treat. You can bet they just converted every single person (approx. 100) to a dedicated fan. Now think what those fans are going to tell others. I bet you, that the next time FOB comes to town, those fans are going to bring a friend.
After the bar kicked people out, GE Smith and a opening act (Colin John) played several old school Robert Johnson songs on the curb in the parking lot! That’s keeping it real and giving customers access to one of a kind experiences.
I highly recommend everyone go see the Flying Other Brothers (http://www.flyingotherbros.com/)
Matt,
I saw Lyle last spring in a small auditorium. I had never seen him live before and only had one of his albums. I too was surprised by his range of styles and his natural talent as an entertainer.
What really struck me was his sincere interest in the audience. Several times he asked audience members questions and then related stories to there answers. It was a genuine appreciation for his audience.
So I would add another similarity to entrepreneurs. Keep it real and dont forget the customer.
For example, I saw The Flying Other Brothers (Roger McNamee’s band) in a small beer joint on the west side of Columbus last Thursday (7/20). GE Smith was sitting in for their regular guitarist (Barry Sless). They tore the place down with their heavy blues/rock sound.
After the show (they played three hours of music) they met with every audience member and signed autographs and posed for pictures. What a special treat. You can bet they just converted every single person (approx. 100) to a dedicated fan. Now think what those fans are going to tell others. I bet you, that the next time FOB comes to town, those fans are going to bring a friend.
After the bar kicked people out, GE Smith and a opening act (Colin John) played several old school Robert Johnson songs on the curb in the parking lot! That’s keeping it real and giving customers access to one of a kind experiences.
I highly recommend everyone go see the Flying Other Brothers (http://www.flyingotherbros.com/)
Interesting post..and nice tie to the concert. Hope you enjoyed Telluride. I have always felt a special tie to the place since living there for a short time in the mid-90s. I was there for what I think was the first KOTO show in the park: Los Lobos. If you haven’t been there, you can’t understand the experience of listening to great music surrounded by 13-14K foot peaks. Being an entrepreneur in the Bay Area is great, but my time in Telluride taught me so much about experiencing life. And I get to go back there in a few weeks for my brother’s bachelor party 🙂
Interesting post..and nice tie to the concert. Hope you enjoyed Telluride. I have always felt a special tie to the place since living there for a short time in the mid-90s. I was there for what I think was the first KOTO show in the park: Los Lobos. If you haven’t been there, you can’t understand the experience of listening to great music surrounded by 13-14K foot peaks. Being an entrepreneur in the Bay Area is great, but my time in Telluride taught me so much about experiencing life. And I get to go back there in a few weeks for my brother’s bachelor party 🙂
Telluride is truly one of the most beautiful places in the US. I am envious that you were able to spend a prolonged period here. As the sunset during the concert, it lit up the waterfalls at the end of the box canyon (near the concert) as well as casting a hue over the tree lined valley down the other way. Breathtaking…
I love the mention of the Flying Other Brothers. In another life, I want to come back as Roger McNamee. He has had an amazing career (T Rowe, Integral/Kleiner, Silver Lake and now Elevation with Bono. Great thinker who also embraces life on all fronts (including his band).
Telluride is truly one of the most beautiful places in the US. I am envious that you were able to spend a prolonged period here. As the sunset during the concert, it lit up the waterfalls at the end of the box canyon (near the concert) as well as casting a hue over the tree lined valley down the other way. Breathtaking…
I love the mention of the Flying Other Brothers. In another life, I want to come back as Roger McNamee. He has had an amazing career (T Rowe, Integral/Kleiner, Silver Lake and now Elevation with Bono. Great thinker who also embraces life on all fronts (including his band).
Lyle pulled 3 consecutive books in the bible to title one of the best song collections ever: Joshua Judges Ruth
I had more respect for Ms Roberts when she was with him.
Lyle pulled 3 consecutive books in the bible to title one of the best song collections ever: Joshua Judges Ruth
I had more respect for Ms Roberts when she was with him.