The Art of the New

“You want to know how to become a millionaire? Go out and get a billion dollars–then start an airline.”

–Richard Branson, Virgin Air

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As a former journalist I’m fascinated by trends–where new ideas come from in the first place, and why some make it into the mainstream culture and others don’t. In fact, I’m developing a marketing course I expect to offer next year about the subject, called “Coolhunting.” Elsewhere on this site we’ve already recommended two books on the subject, Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point,” and James Surowiecki’s “The Wisdom of Crowds.” Here are two more that tackle the subject from dramatically different points of view. The first is “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Health, and is a fascinating, and highly useful, look at techniques people use to make their ideas more memorable. The second is “Pattern Recognition,” a novel by William Gibson, the author who wrote “Neuromancer” and in the process introduced the concept of cyberspace to the general public. I’ll warn you: people either love or hate “Pattern Recognition.” I’m one of the former, and have read the book several times now. Its protagonist, Cayce Pollard, also happens to be the only fictional character I’ve ever developed a crush on. But that’s another story.

(Preview of What’s the Big Idea?).

OK, while I wait for all the pre-game nonsense to end before the Pats–Chargers game begins, a quick post. I don’t know about you, but Donald Trump makes my skin crawl. And so it was with great pleasure that I read Mark Cuban’s post about Trump’s recent mano a mano with Rosie O’Donnell.  For a lot of reasons I’ve always had a sweet spot for Rosie, but whatever you think of her, you’ve got to check out Cuban’s diatribe. You can find it here:

www.blogmaverick.com/2006/12/21/trump-the-chump/

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I missed a speech given here in Boston recenty by Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com. An associate of mine attended, took notes and sent along Jeff’s “15-Point Program for Entrepreneurial Success.” I thought I’d share them with you.

1. Get yourself to stand out

2. Work hard

3. Believe in what you do

4. Pick a big market

5. Location matters (market space, not market place)

6. Right time, right space

7. Either be:

–an innovator

–a fast follower

–the cheapest

8. Picking the right name matters

(Preview of How to Create a Monster(.com)).

Young entrepreneurs everywhere should be encouraged to read Mark Hogan’s BusinessWeek article, CEOs Under 40. We can’t help but wonder, how many will come from Clark in the coming years?

In this article, TheKnot’s CEO, David Liu, says, “If you really want to be a CEO at a young age, start a company and call yourself a CEO.” Caution: it isn’t about calling yourself a CEO - it is about amassing the experience, perspective, and knowledge to successfully run a company. And remember — sometimes, experience also comes from failure - or what you learn from failures. That is why it’s important to start early.

(Preview of Young CEOs).