A playlist to inspire hope and spur action
“Why can’t you just get a real job?”
This was the question my then girlfriend asked me as I was preparing to present my startup in a business plan competition. It was in that moment that the lightbulb should have gone off that she would be more “ex” than “future Mrs.”, but instead I turned on some music to head back to work.
It was here that I had two other lightbulbs go off. First, if I was already getting doubted, this was going to be a longer journey than I thought. Second, this is how the great bands, the ones currently pumping though my speakers, must have felt in the beginning too.
So I chased this thought to realize startups and bands have more in common than you might think. For example:
- Both start in garages
- Both rely on groups with specified roles
- Both dream of making it big
- Both need good IP protection
- Both depend on loyal, early adopting bases
- Both take iterative approaches to making new things
But maybe most importantly of all, both — or at least the great ones — believe they can inspire hope. That by hearing their music, or using their products, people will be inspired for better ways and better days.
My conclusion was entrepreneur’s are the musicians of the business world. The startup is our band. Products are our songs. Our customer base is our audience.
In the same way musicians with an internal song of better days should jam out triumphantly, innovators with a glimmer of hope for better ways should shine their light.
This playlist is a group of songs that when I hear them inspire me in different ways to keep on my startup journey. A journey I’m still on and hope you will join. Hopefully you might even be inspired to start your own.
My garage door is now firmly open. The song may be little more than a hum, but the light is definitely on.
Let’s jam out.
