Shtick to Business: What the Masters of Comedy Can Teach You about Breaking Rules, Being Fearless, and Building a Serious Career
by Peter McGraw
Great comedy and great business take the approach of the class clown by intentionally finding the rules they can bend and those they can break. And then stepping out to bend and break them. This boldness comes with great risk, but also great rewards. The point here is that even the most brilliant ideas just might require taking a briefcase full of (real) cash to Vegas.
Great comedy and great business take the approach of the class clown by intentionally finding the rules they can bend and those they can break. And then stepping out to bend and break them. This boldness comes with great risk, but also great rewards.
The point here is that even the most brilliant ideas just might require taking a briefcase full of (real) cash to Vegas.
Shtick from Shane Comedy requires persistence. For every ten jokes I write, one of them makes it on stage. For every ten that makes it on stage, one makes it into my act. For every one that makes it into my act, one makes it on TV or an album. Now, I am not great at math, but Pete should call this the One Billion Joke Rule.
They create a chasm. Kaufman exemplifies this process and the three major ideas in this chapter: 1) he focused on the people who loved him, and he didn’t care about the people who didn’t love him; 2) he cut through the clutter with his ability to appear so real and raw; and 3) he wasn’t afraid to pick a fight. To achieve your next-level career goals, perhaps you’ll do the same.
Remember, the power of the chasm is in not compromising. It’s in making people simultaneously love and hate you. Don’t waste time and energy trying to raise the low numbers. Instead figure out what you’re already doing to attract those weirdos who love you, and then do more of it.
"Great comedy and great business take the approach of the class clown by intentionally finding the rules they can bend and those they can break. And then stepping out to bend and break them. This boldness comes with great risk, but also great rewards."
"The point here is that even the most brilliant ideas just might require taking a briefcase full of (real) cash to Vegas."
"Shtick from Shane Comedy requires persistence. For every ten jokes I write, one of them makes it on stage. For every ten that makes it on stage, one makes it into my act. For every one that makes it into my act, one makes it on TV or an album. Now, I am not great at math, but Pete should call this the One Billion Joke Rule."
"They create a chasm. Kaufman exemplifies this process and the three major ideas in this chapter: 1) he focused on the people who loved him, and he didn’t care about the people who didn’t love him; 2) he cut through the clutter with his ability to appear so real and raw; and 3) he wasn’t afraid to pick a fight. To achieve your next-level career goals, perhaps you’ll do the same."
"Remember, the power of the chasm is in not compromising. It’s in making people simultaneously love and hate you. Don’t waste time and energy trying to raise the low numbers. Instead figure out what you’re already doing to attract those weirdos who love you, and then do more of it."
"To help create a chasm, here are some questions to ask yourself: Who is your ideal customer? Really, who is that person? What is their profile? Can you lean into a controversy? Are you willing to stand your ground for the customers who most love your products? Can you double down on things that your true fans love? What hard choices can you make to not be something for everyone? How can you make customers choose? Are you with us or against us? And of course: are we serving warm tea?"
"Diversity is the result of hiring decisions, but inclusion is the result of culture. Successful businesses listen to their employees, especially if they disagree or have critical feedback. While “willingness to give feedback,” “openness,” and “honesty” could be traits that you hire for, a better way is to bake these mindsets into a company’s culture. This is what academics call psychological safety."
- →Remember, the power of the chasm is in not compromising. It’s in making people simultaneously love and hate you. Don’t waste time and energy trying to raise the low numbers. Instead figure out what you’re already doing to attract those weirdos who love you, and then do more of it.
- →Reading is like nutrition and writing is like exercise. Time to start exercising.
- →In Take a Bigger Stage you learned three ways you can take your brand/career/life to the next level: Bigger Place. Bigger Platform. Bigger Perspective. Sometimes the only way to grow is to stop doing what you’re doing—even if it’s working—and shift to somewhere or something else.
- →Smart, successful folks start to defend against the inbound offers—they pick up a shield. They say no to the things that are not the work they most want to do. They crowd out the small stuff. Stop hunting the small game and seek much, much bigger things. Not everyone can have a 1-800 number as a shield. You must learn to say “no.”
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