Two years ago I tried to update my Typepad blog with a card, it just wouldn't work
So, I got busy. I tried again, and no matter what card I used, I couldn't get it to work.
Just now, I tried it, and it worked fine.
What was I doing wrong? Don't know. But I was doing something wrong, but I kept on doing it.
The result was I didn't write a blog for two years.
Another example was some mornings I would bake some eggs for my daughter.
I would use baking paper so the eggs wouldn't stick to the dish.
They would always stick.
Then I run out. I tired to buy some more, but I bought the wrong one.
I got parchment paper.
I thought about sending it back.
Then i tried it. And it didn't stick.
I was stuck using a way that didn't work.
There is saying about walking in dumb each day.
It is a mindset that gets you to question about why you are doing it that way.
Especially, if it ain't working.
But even when it is working.
But could work even better.
Interesting Things Happen When You Do Interesting Things.
It’s an equation, an unwritten law, and a universal truth all rolled into one.
The more interesting things you put out there, the more interesting things come back to you. There is no doubt, that you can’t outspend your rivals. You can’t out resource them. You can’t work any longer hours than you currently are. But you can be more interesting than them.
You don’t have to have a meeting to agree on what pantone colour the coffee cups should be, or whether you can use humour on Twitter. Like, how funny is too funny? You are free of all that.
If you think about it all the things that you don’t have are made all the more magical by the things you do have. Like being fast, like being brave, like listening to your instinct.
Once you realise you have all the tools you need to grow your business to hand already, interesting things begin to happen.
How To Build A Great Brand With Very Little Money. London. Feb 19th.
1, Samey idea.
2, Have no story. Or tell it poorly.
3, Have nothing you want to change.
4, Do it on your own.
5, Have co-founders with the same skill sets.
6, Tiny market.
7, No vision.
8, Choose cool over useful.
9, No focus.
10, Too stubborn.
11, Not stubborn enough.
12, Raise too little money.
13, Spend too much.
14, Too early/Too late.
15, Hire a**holes.
16, Don’t build a team.
17, Don’t answer a need.
18, Fight each other.
19, Believe your own hype.
20, Stop innovating.
21, Don’t do the work.
22, Quit.
23, Never start.
How To Build A Great Brand With Very Little Money. London. Feb 19th.
We tend to work the way we do because that is how we have always done it, that is how everyone does it. We all follow a well-beaten path. But how we are currently working might not be the best way to get the most done. Some food for thought:
An experiment in the 1940’s measured men loading pig iron onto train freight cars at The Bethlehem Steel Company. Each man didn’t stop until they managed 12 1/2 tons. By noon, they were exhausted and could do no more.
The next day, they were told to load the pig iron for 26 minutes. Then rest for 34 minutes. They rested more than they worked. At the end of the day, they had loaded 47 tons. That’s almost 4 times as much as working flat out.
A short sprint followed by a longer rest, can get way more done. But, we think of resting up as some badge of dishonour. As humans, we are built for short bursts. Our attention span is built for short bursts. Our creativity is built for short bursts. Yet mostly, we work like we are built for marathons.
I think sprints are a practical way to make a lot of stuff happen quickly with limited resources. I use them a lot for Hiut Denim and The Do Lectures.
Sprints shortcut red tape. They get you to launch quickly. And often. They keep momentum. And it breeds an urgency of doing which I think needs to be there.
You can’t sprint forever. And yes, a longer rest has to follow a sprint. But I have no doubt, sprints work.
This link tells you how Google use sprints. Google Sprint Design
How to Build A Great Brand With Very Little Money. London. Nov 20th.
Photo by Jim Marsden.
It supplies your inner drive. It fuels innovation. It finds you your best people. It keeps them with you when other companies come poaching. They will.
It keeps you staying true, when it would be easy to compromise. It stops you from quitting, when times get tough. And, they will.
Purpose gives you a reason to fight like you have never fought before. And to keep on fighting. With everything you have. Nothing spared.
The kid in the school yard that you shouldn’t fight is the one you have insulted his mother. He knows why he is going to kick your ass. And if you beat him this time, he will just keep coming back. He is fighting for something much bigger than himself. Truly.
For me the most important companies in the world, change something. They know what they are fighting for, and they fight. Apple fought on behalf on behalf of simplicity, and complexity was the enemy. Patagonia is fighting for the planet, and we are grateful they continue to do so.
The reason purpose gives you a steel backbone is because the goal is bigger than yourself, you are fighting for something far bigger than just your self-interest.
If you are sitting there right now, and think your purpose is to increase market share, or to become number 1 in this or that market. Those are just numbers. Nobody gets remembered for numbers.
Your biggest gift you have been given is the chance to make a change, to use your company to make a difference. To look back and say, that is what I did. On your death-bed, you will not be thinking of numbers.
Use your gift. Go and make some change happen.
How to Build A Great Brand With Very Little Money. London. Nov 20th.
Photo by Andrew Paynter.
I am no expert at this by any means. But here are some things to consider.
1, Find the slowest money you can find.
2, Split shares. A, Voting. B, Non-Voting
3, Sell Non-Voting.
4, Work like crazy to keep promises. Don’t make promises you can’t deliver on.
5, When raising money, ask for advice. When you need advice, ask for money.
6, Use investors for their wisdom as much as their money.
7, Meet up often. Have dinner with them. (I need to do this more)
8, Make sure they use your product, your service. Do they have an interest?
9, Long term thinkers are in short supply. Don’t compromise. Keep looking.
10, There will be setbacks. Your investors will appreciate bad news fast.
How to Build A Great Brand With Very Little Money. London. Nov 20th.
Photo by Jim Marsden.
(Pic from the amazing @campovida, home to Do USA. Pic by @jessiewebster)
When I lived in London, I used to ride by a wine shop. Each day it changed the chalkboard outside the shop.I could feel their energy. I could feel their passion for wine. Just from them changing it everyday, I got the fact that they were bursting with love of wine.
When I went into the shop, they were as expected. They were full of young students who loved, like really loved, wine. Their knowledge was amazing. And they just wanted to share it.
I became a regular customer. I loved it.
Then one day they got sold. And almost overnight, the chalkboards just stopped being changed. I didn’t know they had been sold. But I knew it wasn’t the same anymore.
They seemed to lose their mojo. They seemed to hire people less in love with wine. And eventually, they lost me as a customer.
I later learned they had been sold. And then sold again. And they later went into receivership. Only to be saved by another company. They took the name, but not the quest to tell the world about amazing wine. The chalkboards now just say the name. Whereas it used to say: Passion.
And as customers, we love passion.
We gravitate toward it.
How to Build A Great Brand With Very Little Money. London. Nov 20th.
Building a mountain is expensive. Making a million cars is not cheap either. Mind you, nor is building a zillion houses. This summer I stood on the edge of a mountain in North Wales just seconds from taking a zip wire down to the bottom. From the edge, I could see a great business. He had used existing assets that were largely unused and got them to do something. Building a zip-wire across a mountain costs nothing compared with building a mountain.
And in a way, he was just doing what Airbnb or Uber have done. Find assets that are doing nothing, and get them to do something. The rooms that were lying idle suddenly became full. Cars that were driving around the city empty suddenly had paying passengers in them. Neither had to build the infrastructure of the rooms or the cars. That takes a lot of money.
By comparison, coding a website to turn unused assets into used assets, well, that is relatively cheap compared to building a million cars, or a zillion rooms. Or building a mountain.
How to build a great brand with very little money. London. Nov 20th
I use an app on my phone called Clear. It’s super simple. I make all my notes on it, from what I read, from what I hear, then I go back to it and use what I have learnt. Keeping notes is good. The brain is for thinking, not remembering all the stuff you have seen or heard. Here’s what I wrote down on my trip to LA.
Guy Webster has new book out. Met him at Do USA. Top human and photographer.
http://www.amazon.com/Big-Shots-Legends-Hollywood-Photography/dp/1608872408
If you love simple but beautiful design for your house, Tom Kundig is a top talent.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tom-Kundig-Houses-Dung-Ngo/dp/156898605X
This documentary by Louie Psihoyo’s comes out Sept 18th. It is a hidden camera look at the mass extinction of animals and our fish. He also did the Cove documentary.
http://www.racingextinction.com/
Rashida Jones guide to happiness at work.
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/rashida-jones-guide-to-happiness-at-work/
Like discovering a new friend, these books take a deep dive into some great brands.
Comparison between one way of doing it, and a newer way of doing it. Clever.
http://thingsdojobs.tumblr.com/
Climbers are different. They just are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o86TpaSBcWw
Amazing community in Northern California that stands for great design and looking after the environment.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sea-Ranch-Architecture-California/dp/1616891777
Skateboarding in California between 1975-78. Seminal time.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Locals-Only-Skateboarding-California-1975-1978/dp/193442983X
Podcast from the people are doing it.
https://gimletmedia.com/show/startup/
A podcast about ideas and curiosity.
http://www.radiolab.org/series/podcasts/
This American Life. America’s most popular podcast.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/favorites
Instagram feed of radavist. If you like bikes, this will be for you.
https://instagram.com/theradavist/?hl=en
A housing trust that is getting people off the streets of LA. Innovative. And truly inspiring. My notes from the tour: Average age 52. Housing first: Strategy to solving the problem. A homeless person costs government $100,000. Housing them automatically saves $40,000. “You don’t have a lot because you can’t carry it.” Every system has failed them: School, family, government, friends etc. Permanent supportive housing is what they supply. 6000 people within 50 blocks of here are sleeping on the streets.
Avery Dennison are leading the way. The stuff they showed me that they are thinking about is truly pioneering.
http://rbis.averydennison.com/en/home/elevate-brands/sustainable-packaging.html
Bringing old denim back to life.
http://www.thedenimdoctor.co.uk/
Getting fit with your community.
Building a bike company through humour and great design.
http://rittecycles.com/ritte-bicycles/
Startup to watch:
Omata. I met with Rhys and Julian in Venice Beach. If you like bikes, great design, and great utility, you are going to love what they are about to launch.
Place I wish I ate at:
N/Naka, by Niki Nakayama. Watch her on Chefs table on Netflix.
http://www.bonappetit.com/people/chefs/article/chefs-table-netflix-documentary
Articles:
Bike Gang culture in LA.
Blue Bottle Coffee. Beautiful coffee shops. And the coffee is insane.
Inspiring. Using coffee for change.
http://www.grubstreet.com/2012/12/toms-coffee-shop-venice-abbot-kinney.html
Le Pain Quodtidien. Belgium company. Downtown LA. Great breakfast.
http://www.lepainquotidien.com/store/downtown-la/#.VexShp1Viko
Uber. Not used it before. Not much demand in Cardigan. Technology is pretty amazing. See the car come around the corner.
https://www.uber.com/cities/los-angeles
A visit to The Southern California Institute of Architecture is well worth it. Oh my, robots, 3 d printers, kids skateboarding down the corridors.
How to Build a great brand with very little money. Sept 11th. London.
How to build a great brand with very little money. Sept 23, 24. New York
It has taken us 7 years just to get to the start line.
Two weeks ago, there was a list of the 21 best brands in Wales. The Do Lectures found itself on that list along with Gareth Bale and W.R.U.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/21-very-coolest-brands-wales-9456825
This week Seth Godin put up a list of Templates for Organic and Viral Growth. Along with Airbnb lists, Farmers Markets, Alcoholics Anonymous, The Do Lectures was on it too.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/07/templates-for-organic-and-viral-growth.html
It has taken 7 years for the Do Lectures to get to the point that it has started to get some recognition. It has taken 7 years to get to the start line.
Some context:
The Burning Man has been going for 28 years. In their 6th year, they had 600 people attend. Today, they have capped it at 50,000 people. South By South West started in 1994. This is its 21st year. In year 6th it had 3,755 registered attendees. Today, it has over 155,000 people who attend at least one event. Ted is 30 years old. Its first event lost so much money, that it would have to wait another 6 years before the next one.
The Do Lectures is one of the best experience events in the world. (Or so people come up and tell me.) Yes, it can do a better job at diversity of speakers. Yes, it needs to amp up the levels of irreverence. Yes, it needs more art. More comedy. Yes, more tech. More surprises. More silence. More WTF.
But that is the attitude that has got us to here; no one is prepared to sit back. There is no one here that is resting on any laurel. The blessing is it can’t get any bigger. The only thing we can scale here is amazingness.
After 7 years, it is about to stop being a Tuesday company. A company that meets once a week and tries to get as much done on that day. But The Do lectures is about to get all those lovely other days of a week.
Imagine what it could do if it had the same number of days as anyone else. Sometimes, you have to serve your apprenticeship. Like a band, it has sit in the bedroom and learn how to play. Like a footballer, you just have to take the ball down the park and learn how to kick it.
So here we are, at the start line. And it feels good.
How to Build a great brand with very little money. Sept 11th. London.
I don’t have as many chickens as I did last week. The chickens are free range. And yup, you guessed it, so is the fox.
After the most recent visit by the fox, I thought it was time to go and get an electric fence. Or build a big chicken coop with high-sided fences.
But then I remembered visiting someone who just used radio 4 to protect his hens. The voices were enough to spook the fox. I thought it was clever. But a part of me thought that was far too simple to work. So I never tried it.
I had the data to back up his idea, and yet chose to ignore it. He had never lost a chicken. I had lost loads. But something was stopping me from adopting it. What was it? I had stopped thinking like a child.
"Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
I thought the solution had to be cleverer than that. It had to be more than just a radio playing. Surely, it can’t be that simple, could it?
But if you are a fox, and you hear someone talking, you don’t think it’s a radio, you think it’s someone talking. Foxes hunt with their ears, as well their nose. They sit still and they listen. They listen for any sound. Especially humans. If they hear humans, they stay clear. Simple, when you think about it.
As Duke Stump, who curates Do USA, keeps saying, ‘We have to learn to quiet our cleverness’. We dismiss simple answers at our peril. Or, at the chickens.
Do Workshop: How to build a great brand with very little money. London. Sept 11.
My Book: Do Purpose. Why Brands With a Purpose Do Better and Matter More.