Useless Discovery.... Useful? 

Iconic actor Paul Newman, famous for his roles in movies like The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid and the Colour of Money , was being interviewed by James Lipton on Inside The Actors Studio. Lipton commented that he had read how important rehearsal was to Newman. Newman replied, "I have always liked the exploration. In fact on some occasions I would lock myself in a hotel room with a 12 pack of Budweiser, just to see where I could go with this thing. You would be happy to know that 90% of this discovery was useless. It seemed eccentric and exciting at the time, and yet (he pauses) 10% of it was from a place I didn't know about. It took me down avenues that I don't think I would have otherwise explored."

This is intrinsically one of the problems with the corporate world and our individual minds. We are always editing, and if we don't find the idea we want as quickly as we would like, we soon lose our creative mojo and start saying things like, 'I'm not creative'. If a corporate organisation is sitting in a brainstorm session and the idea doesn't come quickly within the allocated time frame, then the session is deemed unsuccessful. To truly dig down for your great ideas you need to understand that 90% of your ideas will be garbage. But there is always something in the remaining 10% that will be gold. It will be the juice that makes all the exploration worthwhile. It is the company and the individual that is prepared to hang in there and throw out 90% of their ideas that will succeed by creating a new path that no one before them would have seen or attempted to walk down. The great fashion designers, musicians, graphic designers, landscapers or builders all know that 90% of the things that go through their mind will be crap, yet they persist with courage looking for that 10% that will bring them success. So next time you are stuck for an idea and you keep coming up with throw away ideas, just visualise Butch Cassidy (or grab a six pack of Budweiser beers!)

An Obsession For Soda Pop

Espresso subscriber, Paul Sparks, sent through the following You Tube clip based on a retail store in The US that is obsessive about soda pop. There is a lot to be taken from this clip. The turning point for Galco's Soda Pop Stop was when they said no to Pepsi. For a lot of retailers this would be unheard of but to John Nese it was an essential step towards becoming true, honest and authentic to his customers. When you see what they are achieving through the below link, it's clear why John Nese and his store are so successful. He loves what he does, he is obsessed with his products and he is totally committed to doing the right thing for his customers. It's a pity more retailers, service industries, leaders and not for profits don't share the same vision, passion and desire to do the right thing by their customers. At 2.40 on the clip, he defines what he does, not around selling drinks, retailing or brand building but by selling 'happy'. The smile? Flavoured water with bubbles. John Nese is a classic example in a retailing business sense of what Malcolm Gladwell refers to in his book, Outliers. Becoming an expert in something, spending ten thousand hours working in and on it. Galco's Soda Pop Stop is the sort of place that we would love to go to just to see, be happy and get a case full of bubbles.

Click here for youtube clip

The Mustang Lives On

Carroll Shelby has always been followed with the reputation of "against all odds". In the 1950's the young race car driver shot to the top of his field, until a potentially deadly heart condition ended his career. Then in the 60's he channelled his competitive edge into his own business, that took European sheet metal and married it to a Ford V8 engine - and so the Shelby Cobra was born. Later that decade he helped Lee Iacocca launch one of the most important American cars of all time, the Ford Mustang. Even today Shelby is constantly scheming about a better, faster and cooler car. He said "I am interested in making the company money so I can build all the crap I dream up". In his own facility in Las Vegas for the last 4 years, Shelby has been pumping up production Mustangs to some truly formidable battles. The latest bad boy is the 2010 Shelby GT500 Super Snake, which comes in 2 potent strengths 630 or 750 horse power. At the age of 86 Shelby is still bringing the speed. There truly is no limit to creativity. It is all about an attitude and Carroll Shelby certainly has the right attitude. Long live the Mustang!

Let There Be Rock

Well known bad boy Motley Crew drummer, Tommy Lee, took a new approach in the lead up to his latest album. Every week Lee posted his own stems, which are stripped down song components such as vocals and drum tracks. He then asked his fans to submit home made parts to complete the songs and Lee then chose his favourites to mix into them. All submissions became Tommy Lee's property. The project is a collaboration with veteran producer Scott Humphrey who has worked with Rob Zombie and The Crystal Method. When Lee approached Humphrey last year about making a new album the producer was originally hesitant to release a traditional record because he felt market fragmentation was making it hard to get punters to buy. However, he agreed to work with Lee, provided he agreed to roll with the new concept. Several sites now offer collaborative tools to follow in the footsteps of these rockers. Humphrey intends to profit in the old fashion way, from making a cut of album sales. Lee said, "We are letting the world take a shot at playing on it. It makes my brain smoke!"