Sonny's Cozy Tavern

Social insights for successful brands come from real people in real places. Sonny's Cozy Tavern is one of those places. It's like every small-town beer joint across the country. The kind of place where you can learn more in a couple of hours by sitting with the characters at the bar than you could ever hope to learn in a hundred consumer focus groups. Good brands start at Sonny's.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Drumming Lessons

Butch likes to think that you learn little life lessons in everything you do.  Good brands learn from experiences, then leverage those lessons to get better and stay relevant.

I've been drumming for 36 years.  Through drumming, I've learned a lot of lessons that apply to life, business and branding.  Here's just a few:



  • Less is more. Keep it simple.
  • Always try something new/different or you'll get stuck in a rut. 
  • Sometimes, you have to be quiet to break through the noise around you.
  • No matter how much it hurts, stay consistent.  Never deviate.
  • If you miss a beat, don't sweat it... just jump back in.  Always jump back in.
  • Never leave your lead singer hanging.  He's counting on you.
  • No one really notices your mistakes like you do.  Don't dwell on them.
  • Know your role.  Don't be a glory pig.  Drummers are in the back of the band for a reason.
  • Deliver what you promise. In the end, everyone's either found or found out.
  • Do what you love, and you'll do it the rest of your life.
Add your own, fellow drummers.  If you're not a drummer, add a few anyway.  Afterall, everyone thinks they can play drums.  (Wink. Wink.)

- Butch
Posted by at 11 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)