#THROWBACK THURSDAY – our first ever blog from 1st May 2015!
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What if you had to select an album of songs to help someone starting a business? What tracks would you choose from history and why? That was the challenge put to us recently.
Below is a list of tunes that would make it onto our ‘Greatest’ album and the lyrics/messages we believe are most important to remember when starting a business.
Track 1: Giorgio by Moroder
From the album Random Access by Daft Punk (2013)“You want to free your mind about a concept of harmony and music being correct, you can do whatever you want. So nobody told me what to do and there was no preconception of what to do.”
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/embed/zhl-Cs1-sG4
Business Lesson: Don’t be held back by the accepted ways of doing things. Innovate every day.
Track 2: The Masterplan
B-side to Wonderwall single by Oasis (1995)“Take the time to make some sense of what you want to say and cast your words away upon the waves. Bring them back with acquiesce on a ship of hope today, and as they fall upon the shore, tell them not to fear no more. Say it loud and sing it proud.”
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPPi2D6GK7A
Business lesson: A written business plan keeps you honest. Return to it after every crisis and firefight.
Track 3: You can make it if you try
From the album Stand by Sly and the Family Stone (1969)“Time still creepin’, ‘specially when you’re sleepin’. Wake up and go for what you know. Yeah yeah. You can make it if you try. You’ll get what’s due you. Everything coming to you. You got to move if you want to be ahead.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/l8sz_7TPWE0
Business lesson: Success in business is guaranteed with hard work applied in the right places.
Track 4: Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen)
From the album Something for Everybody by Baz Luhrmann (1998)“Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/sTJ7AzBIJoI
Business lesson: It is impossible to know it all. Be open to the ideas of others and ask for help.
Track 5: Everything is Average Nowadays
From the album Yours Truly, Angry Mob by Kaiser Chiefs (2007)“Everything is of no consequence, cos everyone is sitting on the fence and everything will always stay the same, cos everything is average… And everyone is following the craze and everything is average nowadays. So get your coats we’re leaving. We’ll just do something else.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/JTkSV7sXz8Y
Business lesson: Learn from competitors but don’t become them. Being different adds value.
Track 6: Maggie’s Farm
From the album Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan (1965)“No, I ain’t gonna work for Maggie’s brother no more. Well, he hands you a nickel, he hands you a dime. He asks you with a grin if you’re havin’ a good time. Then he fines you every time you slam the door. I ain’t gonna work for Maggie’s brother no more.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/fgphPFNiVZw
Business lesson: Abusive customer relationships drain resources. Only sell to the right people.
Track 7: Last Call *PARENTAL ADVISORY: EXPLICIT LYRICS
From the album College Dropout by Kanye West (2004)“Now I could let these dream killers kill my self-esteem or use my arrogance as the steam to power my dreams. I use it as my gas, so they say I’m gassed. But without it I’d be last so I ought to laugh. So I don’t listen to the suits behind the desk no more.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/VIjcV8A61JY
Business lesson: If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Assured confidence sells.
Track 8: Taxman
From the album Revolver by the Beatles (1966)“There’s one for you, nineteen for me. Cos I’m the Taxman, yeah I’m the Taxman. Should five percent appear too small, be thankful I don’t take it all. If you drive a car I’ll tax the street. If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat. If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat. If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet. Cos I’m the Taxman.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/l0zaebtU-CA
Business lesson: Don’t bemoan the inevitable. Budget for tax and use a great accountant.
Track 9: Beware of the Darkness
From the album All Things Must Pass by George Harrison (1970)“Watch out now, take care, beware of the thoughts that linger, winding up inside your head, the hopelessness around you in the dead of night. Beware of the sadness, it can hit you, it can hurt you, make you sore and what is more, that is not what you are here for.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/0LrxYds2UNE
Business lesson: Running a business can be a lonely place. Remember, it’s only work.
Track 10: Mr Success
A-side single performed by Frank Sinatra (1958)“Why I once knew a hurrying man with never a second to play. He had appointments to keep, people to meet and it took her the hour to make him a day. Not for me. That’s not what I wanna be. Put my love to the test, cause with you pretty baby standing by my side, I couldn’t be a failure even if I tried.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/62ceB4hS7k4
Business lesson: Money is not success. Always make time for the important people in your life.
Bonus Track: Enjoy Yourself (it’s later than you think)
From the album More Specials by The Specials (1980)“It’s good to be wise when you’re young, ‘cos you can only be young but the once. Enjoy yourself and have lots of fun. So glad and live life longer than you’ve ever done. Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think. Enjoy yourself while you’re still in the pink. The years go by as quickly as a wink. Enjoy yourself.”
Listen: https://youtu.be/6liD8TdlJFA
Business lesson: If we have to explain this one, you haven't been listening… enjoy yourself :)
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That’s our top tracks for business.
“When choosing the tracks for our fictitious Greatest Business Album in the World… Ever, we avoided any songs that used the word money or cash in the title. We also only selected those with a relevant message for running a business. That excluded about 99.9% of all the music written in history (seems most people want to sing about love, or lack of it, for some reason!). All the tracks are obviously copyright of the artists and publicly available on YouTube.”
Contact Business Think Digital by emailing info@businessthink.co.uk