Author: Rudy Mazzocchi
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Pages: 220
Language: English
Genre: Business/Entrepreneurism
Format: Paperback, Kindle
Purchase at AMAZON
The value of any
new venture or sound new idea needs to be developed out of the nothingness of
silence, ignorance and darkness. It ignites and illuminates the world only when
the great storytelling entrepreneur lights the flame. “STORYTELLING: The
Indispensable Art of the Entrepreneur” shows, with startling clarity and
practical know-how, the process by which wealth and other things of exceptional
value can emerge into the world literally
out of nothing—nothing, that is, but the Art of Storytelling.
STORYTELLING takes you on a journey which reveals how
the development, progressive modification and adaptation of your story is the
golden thread and foundational core management practice which ties together all
the others: building, focusing and
motivating your management team, navigating through troubled times or excessive
growth, maintaining positive momentum with investors and Boards of Directors
and positioning the venture for a potential exit.
Award-winning
author and entrepreneur, Rudy Mazzocchi, exposes his greatest secret of success
and provides an enormous amount of “experienced-based” illustrations and
nuts-and-bolts practical advice. He reveals how to create and evolve the story
of your new venture in a way that energizes and breathes life into what may
have started out as just an idea.
Everyone can
benefit greatly from reading this book—whether or not you envision yourself as
an entrepreneur. STORYTELLING: The Indispensable Art of the Entrepreneur
applies universally to ventures of all types and is an essential element in the
fulfillment of any dream—dreams which depend upon capturing the interest and
sustaining the highly-motivated commitment of others.
First Chapter:
Introduction
Nearly thirty years of doing this and my leg was still nervously
vibrating like a jackhammer. I rolled the laser pointer in my fingers like some
gambler would roll a poker chip, over and over in my fingers. While
contemplating the two glasses in front of me, one with vodka, the other
water—both brimming with ice—I rehearsed my opening comments in my head. A long
draw on the vodka provided a warming sensation that calmed the jumpy leg. The
second speaker was wrapping up his presentation. Within minutes I’d find myself
at the podium!
It was a tough, intimate crowd of approximately thirty
highly-specialized and wealthy surgeons with a sprinkling of spouses and
administrative personnel. Due to the content of my presentation, I would be the
third and final guest speaker that evening, sandwiched in between the cocktail
reception and dinner—a “symposium” held each quarter at their exclusive country
club. My audience was already fidgety, as the prior two stories had been
cluttered, complex and confusing. The three of us—all early-stage CEOs—were
there to solicit funding for our ventures from this wealthy group of
physicians, but any sympathy I had for my two predecessors evaporated as I
advanced my first slide. Immediately differentiating myself further, I stepped
to one side of the podium and then took a single step towards the congregation
before me.
My heart
rate gradually returned to normal as I presented my enticing bait to this
hungry audience. Key words would hook many of them, but I held back just enough
to relieve the tension on the line. It was important not to come across as
being too pushy—too slippery—like many of those faceless salespeople who
littered their busy offices during the week. I had something special to
provide... it was not only a revolutionary product, but also an invitation to
embark upon a journey only a select few might be privileged to take with
me... an exciting excursion that could provide them with something to
supplement their current wealth.
Following
my talk, there was a coronal discharge that filled the room, like the buzzing
of electrical lines; many pushed aside their tempting desserts to join me near
the massive fireplace in the adjacent room. They’d heard my story and
understood its value; appreciated what was needed and asked if they could
participate.
As I waited for the valet to bring my car around, I calculated the
commitments I’d received during the past hour... at least $900,000. Over the
next ten business days, that dinner presentation
pulled in a total of $1.4 million—in the bank, with stock certificates issued
and mailed out to seven new qualified investors!
To be an
accomplished entrepreneur, you must be able to tell your story properly. The
twisted road to success—your success—will be filled with enlightenment,
dread, exuberance, fear, joy and desperation. Without exception, the journey
will be long and any deviation from the path may well place you in danger. If
it’s of any comfort, when you do wander off that yellow brick road, you
won’t be alone, but the longer you stay there, the tougher it is to get back on
track without starting over. This book is based on personal experiences and
designed to provide you with certain “guardrails” to help you stay on that
path... and to avoid those damn flying monkeys.
Remember
the story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum? How many times did Dorothy tell
her story to others along her treacherous journey to the Emerald City? Her
mission began when she explained herself to Glinda, the Good Witch of the
North, after her house took out the Wicked Witch of the East. She refined her
story when meeting the Munchkins, and it became stronger and more powerful each
time she encountered a new companion—the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion.
Dorothy then put a different spin on things when telling her story to the
Wicked Witch of the West. How many times did she have to explain herself to
whomever would listen—convincing others to help or join her on the journey? By
the time she reached her key objective, her story to the Wizard was fine-tuned,
well-rehearsed and crystal clear. Not only did she achieve her goals and those
that defined her journey, but others who believed and supported her story along
the way were provided a handsome return for their efforts.
Dorothy was a storyteller supreme. The storytelling necessary to become
a successful entrepreneur is not much different. In the beginning, along with
the idea—the vision—the story we tell is all we really have... and yet it is
the most important tool in our bag. If not told properly, we are doomed to
constantly deal with evil flying monkeys and the possibility of utter failure.
CHAPTER 1
Definitions and Disclaimers
You most
likely are reading this book because you have a precious story of your own to
tell. Many of us with creativity, drive and ambition will have something of
supreme value we wish to promote. (Let me re-phrase that to read “something of
supreme value we must promote, we are driven to promote.”) Our audience
could be small and well-defined, or massive as all mankind. Storytelling is
very personal to me. I believe it to be the most important element of the true
entrepreneur that represents our vision—our dreams. And the process we use to
tell that story needs to encapsulate the faith we have in our belief and
commitment. We owe it to ourselves and our audiences not to screw it up!
My cup
runneth over with confidence from years of success and failures and everything
in between. However, to better appreciate the perspectives and suggestions I’m
presenting here, it’s important to understand a few of my key definitions as
they are used throughout this book. I have also included a brief disclaimer
section below to address and repudiate any elements of my story you might
believe to be questionable.
WHAT IS A TRUE
ENTREPRENEUR?
This is
probably one of the most over-used and misunderstood terms used in business.
It’s like calling someone a “loving-husband” or “workaholic.” It means
different things to nearly everyone I’ve discussed this topic with, and the
majority of those who carry the title of entrepreneur have either christened
themselves with it or had it assigned by those hoping to achieve such a title.
Merriam Webster defines an Entrepreneur as one who organizes, manages
and assumes risks of a business or enterprise. That’s basically it as far
as a dictionary definition goes! In contrast, one of the Big Four accounting
firms, Ernst & Young, has pioneered and continues to sponsor the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year
Award. Here is their definition: the Entrepreneur is the creator of great
ideas who strives to make them a reality.
Since I’ve been fortunate enough to have been labeled an entrepreneur by
a variety of different people, I’ll take the liberty of expounding on my own
definition as well. A true entrepreneur is not just a person with a vision, but
someone who acts on that vision, regardless of the criticism, and despite the
potential risk or loss of personal assets. A true entrepreneur acts
on that vision to create something that may never have existed if such action
were not to be taken.
An
architect is not an entrepreneur unless he acts on his vision to build what
he’s designed, with his own money, sweat and perseverance. Likewise, an author
is not an entrepreneur unless she acts on her vision to write that story, have
it published, promoted and sold with her own money, sweat and perseverance. In
addition, just as with the category of loving-husbands and workaholics, we can
drill down deeper into a subset of such a definition of the true entrepreneur.
THE
INVENTOR/FOUNDER ENTREPRENEUR
I believe this describes the ultimate entrepreneur. Remember the
definition above? A true entrepreneur is not just a person with a vision,
but someone who acts on that vision, regardless of the criticism, despite the
potential risk or loss of personal assets. A true entrepreneur acts on
that vision to create something that didn’t exist or wouldn’t exist if they
didn’t take such action.
The person who looks at a problem or shortcoming requiring a solution,
whether a product or service, with the realization that there’s not a current
solution for a reason, overcomes conventional thought and identifies a
solution through discovery—making it a viable reality. The Inventor/Founder
Entrepreneur goes a step beyond, actually taking action to create a new
solution, researching its novelty, and usually filing a patent application to
protect it, in attempt to secure its value and control its commercial use.
Here’s the person who writes that first check, usually without asking the
spouse, to file the application for patent protection. Unfortunately, this same
person may not know how best to proceed. Although they are the one person in
the world most passionate about the story, their understanding of the legal
requirements for starting a new enterprise is most likely well beyond their
realm of knowledge or expertise. So, in preparation for this new journey, those
striving to become true entrepreneurs for the first time will need to learn
some legalese, or at least be willing to shell out the money for a good
corporate attorney. I’ve learned the
hard way that the richer the story, the more important it is to have all the
necessary legal protection.
THE START-UP
ENTREPRENEUR
The
start-up entrepreneur differs from our previous description in that he could be
the inventor of the new product or service, but in many cases he is not.
Start-up entrepreneurs are more business-oriented and have either partnered
with the inventor or possibly “licensed” an existing patented idea for the
purpose of building a business and commercializing the product. (From this
point forward, I will use product or service inter-changeably
throughout the remainder of this book.) These people will often times make the
biggest of sacrifices early in the process; leaving or jeopardizing their
existing “day job,” working without a reliable salary and putting personal
savings at risk. This is the true hard core entrepreneur.
THE PROFESSIONAL
MANAGER
An
individual hired by an organization to manage, fix or grow the business is
often referred to as a Professional Manager. We can safely assume that
“manage and grow” are intended to be used in harmony here. Why would any
organization hire a professional manager to manage without the intent to grow?
These individuals are provided a guaranteed salary, incentive package, health
benefits, vacation pay, and the promise of continued employment as long as they
perform as their job description indicates. Unfortunately, when some
organizations survive and grow under challenging circumstances and/or rough
economic conditions, this individual is often credited with being an entrepreneur.
This is incorrect. This person falls way short of our definition above. I’ll
refer to the Professional Manager again throughout the book. The true
entrepreneur relies on these Professional Managers to accomplish key objectives
once the business is up and running.
As for the Professional Manager who is hired to “fix” an organization,
this individual gets a glimpse of what entrepreneurism is all about, but
still falls short of being what we’ve defined as a True Entrepreneur. This is
the “hired gun” — the person who comes in at the direction of the Shareholders and/or the Board of
Directors to fix what is wrong. I agree that it takes an entrepreneurial spirit
to turn-around a struggling company, but an old man with a youthful spirit
doesn’t make that old man young! So, too, a Professional Manager with an
entrepreneurial spirit does not add up to being a True Entrepreneur. The
Professional Manager is not deeply at personal risk if there is a failure.
ART — WHAT IS THE ART OF ENTREPRENEURISM?
We all
might agree that Art relates to creativity. By definition, it also
implies something that one practices—such as the Art of Fly-fishing, or
the Art of Medicine. Since it’s just practicing, no one should really
judge whether it’s right or wrong, but people do take liberties to criticize
how well we accomplish what we practice. Being judged as good or bad by any
audience is a given.
While it is
true that most forms of Art have a definitive beginning, they often have no
ending. The Art of an artist evolves with time and practice. As with any
practice, it’s on-going, for as long as one strives to continue - changing, but
not necessarily always improving. Such is the Art of Entrepreneurism — with one
exception. The telling of the story needs to improve during the entrepreneurial
journey or it will fall off the cliff into the abyss. Yes, the echoes of such
an unimproved story might be heard again and again, but without any impact,
without any value, without any credence.
It’s
critically important to realize that, just as we should recognize that one
man’s Art may be another man’s trash, we should expect such a great distinction
from most existing art forms when comparing them to the Art of Entrepreneurism.
The “Entrepreneur’s Art of Storytelling” has direct, visible and often
immediate consequences that exist in the real world both of success and
failure. Yes, we could probably also debate the definitions of success and
failure, but my definitions have changed over time and most likely will
not be equivalent to your definitions. Suffice to say, these consequences do
not just exist in the mind of the entrepreneur... they exist in visible,
concrete reality.
I’ve
reached the conclusion that one cannot become an entrepreneur, in the truest
sense, without experiencing a dose of failure first-hand. Actual failure, the
threat—and even the fear of failure—can alter the way we deal with components
of our story... and even to the way we present that story. The lesson here is
to forbid failure or the possibility of failure from preventing your continuing
the practice of your art. Cherish it, learn from it, and use it to
become a better entrepreneur.
DISCLAIMER
Okay, here
goes. Let’s face it... by description, telling a story is usually perceived, by
many, as just that... telling a story. Unless we’re reiterating a
factual event for whatever reason, telling a story involves events that have
not happened yet, could have happened, should have happened, or may never
happen. By the time my stories reach the point of actually being true,
I’m usually on to telling another, now-enriched tale that is necessary to pull
my listener into the next phase of a bigger story. Some may consider me, and
many other entrepreneurs, as bullshit artists. I like to believe it’s
“storytelling” and an indispensable element of any successful entrepreneur.
Unfortunately, many unfamiliar with the art will think it as proverbial bullshit
nevertheless. Herein lies the true ART of Storytelling.
How do you spin a visionary tale of a new ad-venture that has not
yet happened, but could, and should happen, yet has a high chance of never
being realized? It’s similar to trying to explain your dream or fantasies to a
stranger—they are real, exciting and meaningful to you but difficult for others
to appreciate. Even when you get your story across, why should they care? At
some point it will most likely start to fall apart with you being the
only one still believing your own story. How do you keep them at the campfire,
sitting on edge, waiting for your next words? Why should they continue to
listen? We’ll explore this further in the bowels of future chapters.
Back to the
disclaimer: I have no formal business training, therefore no M.B.A. (people
seem to still be collecting those), and no one has given me the right to write
such a book... but if I could be so bold... I’d like to think I’ve earned it.
And now that you’ve purchased this book, I’m hopeful you’ll learn more about the
importance of storytelling in your entrepreneurial journey from my experiences,
suggestions and annoying clichés. Many may seem obvious, but several of those
points need to be restated and reinforced.
Storytelling:
The Indispensable Art of Entrepreneurism
As you can
read in my extensive biography at the end of this book, I prefer to be
considered a “start-up C.E.O.” I’m also a founder of companies, an inventor,
angel investor, entrepreneur (see definition above), award-winning author of
medical thrillers (fiction, fiction and more fiction), board director, advisor,
consultant, father, son, third-husband, biker, rugby player, and... yes,
perhaps at times... a bit of a bullshit artist. However, I hope by the
time we finish this book together that you’ll have a greater appreciation for
my desire to be considered another great ‘Storyteller.’
Storytelling Blog Tour Page:
About the Author:
Rudy Mazzocchi is best known as a medical device and biotechnology entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor, with a history of starting new technology ventures throughout the U.S. and Europe . He's been privileged to have the opportunity to see the newest innovations in healthcare and work with some of the most brilliant researchers, scientists and physicians in the industry.
Authoring more than 50 patents, he has helped pioneer new companies involved in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, neurosurgery and even embryonic stem-cell development. Through these efforts, he has become the recipient of many technology and business awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Healthcare (2004), Businessman of the Year Award (2005), and Global Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2013).
Combining these experiences and opportunities, with thousands of hours of travel and long evenings in hotel rooms, he found the initiative to start writing a collection of award-winning business/medical thrillers based on true events, known as The EQUITY Series. STORYTELLING was his debut non-fiction business book released in November 2013.
Visit his website at www.RudyMazzocchi.com.
Connect & Socialize with Rudy!
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