As all entrepreneurs will say, "surround yourself with good people". That is the hardest thing : finding good people.
An entrepreneur needs to have values. Values that are wholesome.
There are differences in the businesses themselves, but the fundamentals are the same: give customers a good experience, charge them a reasonable price, listen to them, and treat them with respect.
Business, like life, is funny. We all go through difficult times, and we all have to face curve balls and challenges, each and every week. And we need to laugh when things are funny. If we take it all too seriously we will go mad.
When things go right (and they go right a lot - you just got to keep trying) there is nothing to really laugh about.
Creating art (music, books, films, etc.) can be beautiful and liberating, but trying to sell art, well, that is the movie business. There are few winners, and lots and lots of losers.
Entrepreneurs need to listen. They don't need to be good listeners (although it can only help) but they need to know when to listen.
When someone stands you up for a meeting, sure, you have the right to be disappointed, and perhaps even angry. But you can't take it personally - they probably do it to everyone.
What is it about business that makes us laugh - when things go wrong, which they do all the time (why, I still wish I knew) then we need to laugh.
Business is full of pain and hardship and with that, laughter and release.
The movie industry is brutal. It is dangerous. It is, for most, soul destroying. Creating art (music, books, films, etc.) can be beautiful and liberating, but trying to sell art, well, that is the movie business. There are few winners, and lots and lots of losers.
Obsession makes my life bad and my work good.
You can't put passion and obsession into someone's employment contract - either you are or you aren't.
The most obvious answer, that you can read in any leadership book is this - learn to say "no" so that you can make time for the important stuff, the stuff that is closest to your heart. And of course, as all entrepreneurs will say, "surround yourself with good people". That is the hardest thing : finding good people.
Don't take yourself too seriously - learn to laugh.
Hire slowly and fire fast.
Never invest in ideas, only in people!
You follow a passion, a dream, a belief, a vision, and before you know it, you are an entrepreneur. Once though, when you start to understand what this means, and what the possibilities are, the accidents then stop, and you become a forever obsessed entrepreneur that doesn't rest, and never stops trying to push the envelope.
I think most entrepreneurs would refer to themselves as "accidental". No one looks for stress and pain. You stumble on to it. Also, no one looks for pots of gold, it just happens.
I battle to fall asleep at night. My mind races every other night. I have always been like this, for as long as I can reminder.
Entrepreneurs need to be positive. Always. Entrepreneurs need to be brave, often. And lastly, entrepreneurs need to be obsessed.
The movie industry is brutal. It is dangerous. It is, for most, soul destroying.
I am tough minded, but not hard hearted.
I am a bit of a workaholic, and I am still not sure what a "weekend" is all about. I love what I do, and I do what I love.
I love making things, like software, and films, and laughter. And working with Gus Silber, to make the Funny Business book, has been a fantastic journey.
