Everything I Know About Business I Learned from the Grateful Dead: The Ten Most Innovative Lessons from a Long, Strange Trip

by Barry Barnes PhD, John Perry Barlow (Foreword by)

Overview

The Grateful Dead is one of the most popular bands of all time and they have enjoyed incredible relevance to this day. But let's admit it, they were not exactly poster boys for corporate America. In Everything I Know About Business I Learned From the Grateful Dead, Deadhead and business scholar Barry Barnes proves that the Dead's influence on the business world will turn out to be a significant part of their legacy. Without intending to, the band pioneered ideas and practices that were subsequently embraced by American corporations. And in this book Barnes shares the ten most innovative business lessons from the Dead's illustrious career, including:

Creating and delivering superior customer value
Incorporating and establishing a board of directors early on
Founding a merchandising division
Giving away your product for free to increase demand
Above all, Barnes explains how the Dead were masters of what he calls "strategic improvisation"-the ability to adapt to changing times and circumstances — and that their success lay precisely in their commitment to constant change and relentless variation.
For an extraordinary thirty years, the Dead improvised a business plan and realized their vision — all while making huge profits. Everything I Know About Business I Learned From the Greatful Dead will show you how they did it — and what your business can learn from their long, strange trip.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780446583800
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	11/20/2012
Pages:	222
Sales rank:	300,820
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Barry Barnes is a professor at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

Table of Contents

Foreword John Perry Barlow xvii

Prologue: The Business Genius of the Grateful Dead 1

1 Master Strategic Improvisation: How the Dead Learned to Plan and Act at the Same Time 7

2 Live Your Values: How the Dead Did Well by Doing Good 29

3 Be Kind to Your Customers: How the Dead Offered Superior Customer Value 47

4 Share Your Content: How the Dead Exploited the Power of "Free" 65

5 Create a Business Tribe: How the Dead Collaborated with the Deadheads 85

6 Insource: How the Dead Learned Do-It-Yourself Business 105

7 Innovate Constantly: How the Dead Stayed on the Cutting Edge 125

8 Transform Through Leadership: How Jerry Garcia Inspired Greatness in the Dead 145

9 Share the Power: How the Dead Encouraged Employees to Lead 161

10 Exploit the Experience Economy: How the Dead Kept It Real 183

Epilogue: The Accidental Capitalists 199

List of Key Sources 205

Index 211

Editorial Reviews

"It is Barry Barnes' not-too-outrageous conceit that the Grateful Dead, a prototypical band from the era of Vietnam and shoulder-length hair, have something to say about running a business. Jerry Garcia was no mogul (a fact for which his fans will rejoice). Yet perhaps in these life's lessons the executive will learn to loosen his tie, widen his gaze, and rescue his bottom line by not, for a change, obsessing over it. I have read many business manuals. This is one of the few I will remember."—Roger Lowenstein, New York Times bestselling author of THE END OF WALL STREET

"Barry Barnes deftly shows how the magic and authenticity of the Grateful Dead transcends its musical prowess, providing invaluable insights into how successful organizations thrive."—William D. Cohan, New York Times bestelling author of MONEY AND POWER and HOUSE OF CARDS

"In Everything I Know About Business I Learned From The Grateful Dead, Barry Barnes deconstructs one of the most fascinating rock bands of our time and uncovers some very powerful and unexpected lessons in innovation, marketing and entrepreneurship. If you want your business to go on a long, strange trip - in the best possible way - this is the book for you."—Mitch Joel, President of Twist Image and author of Six Pixels of Separation

"Brisk and compelling, this overview of the Deadhead nation reads like a candid rock biography as well as an insightful business manual...Important lessons learned from a unique band of musical pioneers."—Kirkus

From the Publisher

"It is Barry Barnes' not-too-outrageous conceit that the Grateful Dead, a prototypical band from the era of Vietnam and shoulder-length hair, have something to say about running a business. Jerry Garcia was no mogul (a fact for which his fans will rejoice). Yet perhaps in these life's lessons the executive will learn to loosen his tie, widen his gaze, and rescue his bottom line by not, for a change, obsessing over it. I have read many business manuals. This is one of the few I will remember."

New York Times bestselling author of THE END OF WA Roger Lowenstein

"In Everything I Know About Business I Learned From The Grateful Dead, Barry Barnes deconstructs one of the most fascinating rock bands of our time and uncovers some very powerful and unexpected lessons in innovation, marketing and entrepreneurship. If you want your business to go on a long, strange trip - in the best possible way - this is the book for you."

President of Twist Image and author of Six Pixels Mitch Joel

"Barry Barnes deftly shows how the magic and authenticity of the Grateful Dead transcends its musical prowess, providing invaluable insights into how successful organizations thrive."

New York Times bestelling author of MONEY AND POWE William D. Cohan

Quite possibly the first love letter to a band-cum-business book, Barnes’s energetic series of lessons for business success tout the Grateful Dead as unconventional business mavens. Taking a cue from the superfans who quit their jobs to follow the Dead for their entire tour, 20-year corporate man Barnes quit his job to start a serious study of the business legacy of the Dead, using them as a case study in organizational change. He claims they are “accidental capitalists,” who got their business right by chance and implemented crucial strategic improvisation, planning, alertness, and flexibility—all strategies espoused by mainstream corporate America. The communal nature of their enterprise and their genuine respect for their fans led them to build a values culture, be kind to their customers, create a business tribe of Deadheads, make sure fans have the ability to carry out viral marketing (they allowed fans to tape live shows and share the recordings). Jerry Garcia, with his innovative, charismatic, communal leadership style, created an image that CEOs follow now. The information and advice are valuable but hardly new; this is ultimately a fascinating twist on a familiar idea. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

A celebration of the Grateful Dead as the accidental gurus of enlightened business practices. The old command-and-control model of corporate organization is dead—but who'd have thought that we'd have the late Jerry Garcia to thank? Well, Barnes for one. In this convincing debut, the author riffs on all the ways the Dead had it right both onstage and off. Long hailed for their musical improvisation, Barnes argues that the Dead should also be appreciated for their substantial business acumen. Innovation, shared leadership, brand loyalty and social responsibility—the Dead had it all long before the business world realized they held the keys to the kingdom. Today, modern business giants like Amazon, Zappos and Apple get it, and others are following close behind. Barnes explores 10 specific ways in which the Dead blazed the trail. Whether they were inventing new ways to amplify sound or revolutionizing employee relations, the band was ahead of their time. Brisk and compelling, this overview of the Deadhead nation reads like a candid rock biography as well as an insightful business manual. The band may have only been trying to do things their own way, but as the author sees it, they succeeded in redefining the way smart people will be doing business for years to come. Important lessons learned from a unique band of musical pioneers.

Kirkus Reviews