It’s no secret that I’m a major Seth Godin groupie. When Seth talks, I listen. And it doesn’t hurt any that when I read his books or blog, I get strong flashbacks of my Granddad. Not that Seth’s old enough to be my Grandad, ‘cuz he’s not. Um… wait….
What I mean is that the “radical” business ideas that are exploding right now, from visionaries like Seth Godin and others – permission marketing, building community, and giving things away for free (aka don’t be so damn greedy), are all things that Granddad did every day. And I’m tickled pink that people with big voices are reminding us that our basic humanity, our innate sense of community, is what will sustain us and make us happy. We need to pay attention and do what should come naturally.
Seth Godin, and others like him, are trying to open our eyes to new ways of doing business – old skool style, but with some new twists. A few weeks ago I was the recipient of a big surprise. A package came to my door. I opened it, and inside was a book that I didn’t remember ordering. The Mesh by Lisa Gansky. Hmmm…. I had heard of the book and was considering ordering it, but didn’t remember having done it. I opened the cover, and a piece of paper fell out. It said:
SETH GODIN
Hi Linchpin.
I thought of you when I was reading an early draft of my friend Lisa’s book. The Mesh is a breakthrough in the way we think about the future of business, and I wanted to share it with people who could do something with the idea she so clearly describes.
I hope it resonates with you. If it does, buy a copy for your colleagues and ship something.
Hope all is well.
Seth
Really? Wow! Seth Godin had sent me a second free book since I was one of the early ones to buy his new book Linchpin. (If you haven’t read Linchpin, go get it - right NOW!)
He didn’t have to send me anything. All he had to do was mention the name of the new book, The Mesh, and I would have bought it. Well, in fact I already have bought another copy and I intend to buy more, to share with friends and family.
It’s about sharing, working together as a community, instead of throw-away products, another example of doing business with old fashioned ideas. Creating relationship businesses instead of wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. The ideas are brilliant, sustainable, and just plain good for us.
What’s The Mesh? If you’ve been wanting to start your own business, but you think you need a ton of money, or you shake at the thought of doing high-pressure marketing, or whatever other excuse you’re hiding behind – GO BUY THIS BOOK – and find out for yourself. Granddad would approve.
