Testing For Trust

Gaining and retaining trust is the elusive prize, right? It can make or break relationships and projects. 

Trust is what elevates a company's services from commodity to premium. It's takes you from a vendor to a partner.

Recently we ended a client relationship due to trust issues. This got me to thinking- how do you spot trust issues early in a relationship? Is there a way to test for trust? 

So we are working on a prospective client scorecard. It will focus on several areas- web experience, team culture, company vision, etc- but most of all we are trying ascertain- "does the leadership trust their team and does the team trust each other?" If a team doesn't trust each other chances are any outside partner will have trouble winning their trust.

Once trust is earned then begins the hard work of retaining it. A different topic and challenge.

Our goal is to have every SmallBox employee that interacts with the prospective client to have their radar tuned in for trust. I would love to hear what you have found are good trust tells when starting relationships. 

Why I Hire Musicians

SmallBox has a history of hiring musicians. This stems from the fact that Joe Downey, my biz partner, and I are musicians and one of the first projects we worked on together, before started SmallBox, was MusicalFamilyTree.com. Beyond the cultural affinity aspect there are some good reasons to hire musicians. So here's how I see it:

Creative Problem Solving: most musicians are also songwriters. If they aren't writing they almost certainly arranging. Songwriting and arranging push you towards creative problem solving- how do I express my feelings in words? How do I join the chorus and verse with a bridge? How do I get the right tone from my amp? Musicians, when they enter the workplace, are often experienced problem solvers. When they hit walls they know how to improvise their way around them.

Marketing: if you want to have any success in music you will have to learn something about marketing. These days that means a whole lot more than fliers, it means a full digital presence including PR. When I first met SmallBox's Marketing Director Daniel Fahrner 7 years ago he was the drummer and manager for Everthus The Deadbeats. I could see that he was in the middle of a marketing boot camp. After a few years he was ready for the next step and I was there.

Leadership: most musicians find themselves in and out of bands. Bands, much like families, have numerous points of conflict. Often it's a struggle over who is leading the direction of the band, whose songs to play, what gigs to take, tours to go on, etc. At some point most musicians find themselves in a leadership position. They have to learn how to have hard conversations. Bands are businesses and a few years in a moderately successful band should be worth more than a few business school credits.

Maturity: I spent most of my 20s working odd jobs and just getting by, trying to find a way to make money playing music. I failed miserably at that but when I did put my focus towards other activities, like starting businesses, I found myself prepared in ways I didn't expect. The energy and enthusiasm of a kid straight out of college is a wonderful thing but I also look for someone who has given music a shot and is now looking to take the next step. They bring a maturity and focus that most 22 year olds just don't have.

Work Ethic: I know the cliche- musicians are lazy, they don't have jobs, they show up late and stoned. Ok, so maybe some fit that bill but you might be surprised how hard most of them work. To be able to play music you need equipment and a place to practice. That means you have to hustle. Many musicians work 2-3 jobs often leaving work at night to go play until early in the morning. Many musicians are work horses. If you give them a purpose they can believe in as much as their band they will work their asses off for you.

Thoughts on Thinking & Memory

I'm playing hooky from vacation to write a quick blog. I just got done exercising. I find this is often the time where my thoughts come together- connecting all the bits and pieces floating in my mind. It's like sediment settling. I'm always impressed by my mind's initial resistance to calm. But it usually wears down and gives in.

I've been thinking a lot about how the mind works. I attended a number of related sessions at SXSW recently. One on brain hacking was particularly interesting. I just finished a fascinating book- Moonwalking With Einstein- which is all about how to improve your memory. I am now creating "memory palaces" when I visit new places. Vacation is great for that. It's also good for mental "settling". Memories need calm to form.

Good take-away from book: If you want time to "slow down", create more memories.  

I think it's a given that most of us equate activity with progress. I certainly have that default perspective. Understanding that a rested mind can make insights that can have profound results on our lives and work is the not the same thing as believing and living that truth. The equivalent amount of activity to achieve the same value as an insight is numerous multiples but we must not believe this since we rarely make the time and space for calm. We also help foster a culture where activity is valued over thought. I am as guilty of this as anyone. But my goal is to live what I claim to believe: thinking > acting.

Why I Love Vinyl Records

It's no secret I'm a fan of vinyl records but I realized I've never actually explained by aberrant behavior. So here is my defense:

Vinyl is imperfect. Like a painting or a person- vinyl records are always somewhere south of perfection. There are so many small details that go into making a record- mastering, cutting, pressing, etc- so there is endless room for error. Which makes a well pressed record a thing of beauty to see and hear. Digital is always perfect, every time. To quote the Talking Heads "Heaven is a place, a place where nothing, nothing ever happens". Perfection is boring.

The way it sounds. Some people will swear that vinyl sounds better but I would argue that it mostly sounds different. Without getting too technical I will try to explain the main differences. To quote Neil Young "Digital music is a picture of sound". Vinyl is analog which is continuous like a river- every time you play a record, in small ways, it will sound different. The needle will track differently, a new "pop" will appear, etc. Also there is no doubt that vinyl has a real "warmth" to it that often means more bass response and a warmer middle range. Another key difference is the way albums are mastered for vinyl versus digital (most of the time). Digital has a hard stop at 0db but vinyl is an organic matter and there is no hard stop. So this leads to an artistic struggle between the dynamic aspect of the music and the physical limitations of the vinyl. So vinyl is more dynamic (most of the time), sonically, than digital which means less fatigue for the listener and more emotion in the music. 

The experience. Listening to vinyl is a very immersive experience. You put the record on, you sit down, look at the jacket and focus on the music or maybe read a book. There's no skipping around, jumping tracks. That's a pain to do so you don't do it. The limitations of vinyl relaxes me. Infinite choice is stressful. With vinyl you have your record collection and that's it, if you want to listen to a record you don't have, too bad, you'll have to buy it. Like we find with design- fewer choices means a better overall experience.

I could go on with so many other reasons but these 3 hit on the main points. If you are a vinyl enthusiast I'd love to hear what you love about records. Or maybe this post inspires some to start their own collections. Oh- one that thing- records generally don't go down in value over time, only up, so that's nice too.

Also check out my site www.recordgeeks.com for vinyl pressing reviews.

9 Questions To Ask Before Starting A Business

Had an informational interview with an IUPUI student this week. He was back in school and looking to start his own business when he "got out". He was interviewing different business owners, trying to get the lay of the land, see if he was cut out for it. I started saying a bunch of stuff and forgot to say some other stuff. So I thought I'd collect this into a blog if for no other reason than to have a better answer next time I'm asked. 

If you can answer yes to all of these questions then I think you are ready to start your own business. Of course I couldn't answer yes to most of these when I started my first, or even second business, so don't let me get in your way! These are things that I struggle with continually. Keep in mind that these questions aren't focused on your business model but on your disposition to run a business.

1. Can you have hard conversations? By this I mean- can you tell your business partner that you think they aren't carrying their weight? Can you tell a client they need to pay you more money? Can you fire someone?

2. Can you manage expectations? Do you have a habit of over-promising and under-delivering? Do you do what you say? 

3. Can you walk away? From a deal, from a partnership, from your own company- whatever thing that needs to be left behind in order to grow. You must always be willing to put everything on the table, go all in.

4. Can you delegate? Are you willing to let others fail even when it makes you look bad? Are you willing to give people time to grow? Can you suppress your control freak instincts?

5. Can you handle stress? Starting a business is exciting but also extremely stressful. Can your marriage/relationship handle cash flow issues? Can your health handle it?

6. Can you be honest with yourself? Do you tell yourself lies about the business? Sales leads, investment, staff issues, etc. Most business problems stem from good people lying to themselves about their business. That leads to them lying to everyone else which creates a real mess. Optimism is an effective fuel but reality always wins. 

7. Are you willing to do whatever it takes? Change your business model, change your name, scrap an internal project that you worked on for a year, work 80 hour weeks when needed to get things done.

8. Do you have a high risk tolerance? Chances are you will have to take risks running a company that were unthinkable as an employee. A high tolerance for risk is needed to start, and run, a successful business. If you have a low risk tolerance then maybe you are best off as an employee. 

9. Can you let your ego take a back seat? Many business owners can answer yes to the questions above but their oversized ego limits their potential. They can't take critical feedback from their team or customers, they only like their own ideas, they have trouble sharing the spotlight. It's hard to walk the line between confidence and ego, something I struggle with regularly.

Any other questions that I missed?