Podcast

As we come to Fall, so many creative businesses are confronted with the challenge of whether it is worth it to keep going. There are no easy answers but there is a framework to think it all through. No story today, just straight talk. Listen in…

I am going to talk about a story that is near and dear to me. I have told this story and its importance to creative business many times. I have even told it at a college commencement speech I was so honored to give a few years ago. It is the story of Dick Fosbury and his path to winning the gold medal for the high jump in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. You might say, huh? What does this have to do with my business? Well, close your eyes, jump over the bar backwards and lets find out if you will land safely. Listen in…

Every business takes a risk, that is the very nature of business. The question is whether you are properly paid for that risk. If risk is being vulnerable then the choice to be vulnerable has to be yours. Otherwise, you turn singular risk into exploding risk. Defining risk requires purpose and purpose requires intentional idiosyncracy. Listen in…

In the midst of the existential crisis we find ourselves in, all creative business is being upended.  Sure, some are busy, but most are suffering from a prolonged winter — actors, musicians, event professionals, chefs, just to name a few.  So the house is coming down. To rebuild it, design first. For design to come first, you must be judged, you must take concentrated risk.  Enter a discussion about placebos and Ralph Lifshitz from the Bronx. Listen in…