Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt got fired for being too entertaining in 1975.
Working at a club, they rocked the house to their own detriment.
“Yes, the crowd was large and enthusiastic, but no one was drinking,” – the owner said – “They were too busy listening to the music. It’s a bar, you idiots.”
Every story has two point of view, we always need to understand which one is more important for us.
Many professionals don’t build value, they build extensions of their own ego
The digital startup world is dotted with several examples of ego vs. value, including Sam Bankman-Fried, Charlie Javice, and Martin Shkreli.
If even very structured and well-established investors get scammed by these guys, how can you navigate the digital world trusting the right people?
Plus, how many egos are filling up our FES industry, especially today? I know quite a few, but you need to expose them by yourself.
So:
Beware of the professionals that pontificate on issues, confusing you with big words or self-proclaiming themselves as auditors. Most of the time, they are like plumbers who don’t know which way the water flows and knock on your door to redo the system.
Because as Roman poet Juvenal said: “Who watches the watchmen?” (Latin: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?). And I can add: “How watchmen become watchmen?”…
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough” – A. Einstein
The “Grandma Test” or “Pitching to Grandma” is a startup analogy highlighting the need for absolute clarity, simplicity, and a focus on solving a real-world problem rather than using complex jargon. When explaining a complex product, you should describe it so simply that your grandmother understands exactly what it does, who it is for, and why it is useful.
To reinforce this thought, I have to confide to you that I’m an avid reader. Here’s a picture of the current stack of books I’m reading, from Stanislavski’s system to Frank Herbert’s Dune, from Vitruvius’ De Architectura to a biography of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, but the book that I love the most today and I highly recommend is the one on the top of the pile, Lederman and Hill Quantum Physics for Poets.
This is the perfect example of complexity well explained. To get straight to the point, there are almost no complex words or acronyms in this book, and when they are forced to use them, you can understand them in the general context. And they are talking about quantum physics!
Simon Sinek used to say:
If your words are simple, people can understand them.
If people can understand your words, they can repeat them.
And if your words can be repeated, your ideas will spread.
Today’s Foodservice Equipment digital marketplace, explained
Imagine being at a flea market.
In the square there are a lot of stands offering vintage products: furniture, clothing, records, memorabilia, and you are looking for a specific Louis Vuitton Monogram Pochette Dame GM Clutch Bag. These are the most common scenarios you will encounter:
-
- None of the vendors have that bag in the stands
- They have the Louis Vuitton bag, but it looks old and damaged
- They have the Louis Vuitton bag, it looks perfect, but no Certificate of Authenticity
- They have the Louis Vuitton bag, it looks perfect, but it’s too expensive
- They have the Louis Vuitton bag, but someone is trying to depreciate it showing potential imperfections, so it is complicated to repair it
You end up going back home with no bag, so both vendor and buyer fail their objective, spending their money on exhibiting or reach the venue and going home empty-handed.
And this is exactly what is still happening with guidelines, data and software in this industry since I joined it in April 2011.
I think if April 2011 me and April 2026 me sat in a room, they wouldn’t believe each other…
—–
Stay data-hungry. Stay data-foolish.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Digital Consultant
