Entrepreneur Country Global Conference 2014 Speech Notes
Bill’s speech notes below:
Everyone is an Entrepreneur. The lucky ones are those that know it. I’ve been an “Entrepreneur” twice.
My only other job was a Nuclear Missile Commander. I had more force as a Commander, BUT more power as an Entrepreneur.
The lows can be tough, but the highs are euphoric. No higher step on the food chain. Wear it proudly.
MTV created the Short Attention Span. Not twitter, let’s set the record straight. So I will go fast.
We are also proud of bringing: intelligence, sensitivity, and provocation of thought.
Our programming to the World:
Jersey Shore.
South Park, my favorite Bevis and Butt Head.
And Jackass - 3D - truly changed the World.
For the last 25 years, I travelled the world, met Head of State, Dictators, stayed at cheap hotels, dined on snake blood and fried scorpions. From Fidel Castro to the Spice Girls. From the Queen of England to Kings of Leon. From Mandela to Pamela Anderson on the stage of the Kremlin. After all this – sorry to name drop – we do that at MTV.
As I was leaving MTV, had dinner with Bill Clinton. He gave me the most valuable advice – the best thing about retirement is, you can finally say anything you want.
But the worst thing - - No one cares what you say.
So I did what any self-respecting ex CEO would do – wrote a book. It tells a story of Building a Company from scratch. A lot of mistakes/lessons.
But it all ended with 200 channels, 200 countries, 20 brands, 2B people and billions in market value.
In an increasing world of complexity and matrix structure, I kept the strategy simple:-
Distribution - - we wanted MTV everywhere. Aggressive, creative, relentless.
Design, local products – RcR, local culture.
Do something good/good for business.
My top 10 tips for entrepreneurs – let’s get right to it:
Passion/engage – Do what you love/Love what you do. I always loved TV and grew up in a tough household - single mom, no money, depression and addiction in the house. Yet on Sunday nights, we’d gather in front of the TV, laughing - it bought happiness, that was power. TV became my passion.
Be adaptive. Darwin - - not strongest. Tyson - - everyone has a plan. Moltke - - no battle plan survivors contact with enemy. Now – change is hyper. Disruption is everywhere. Everything that has defined my life, didn’t exist when I left? RAP at 50! Anticipate. Be aware of friends - read/meet people/be curious. Learning is life long.
Break the rules, take risks – don’t just say it! Asking forgiveness is easier than asking for permission. Innovation only comes with risk. Learn more from failure than success. MTV condom instructions/coke ads on air.
Be local and go global – R&R local culture, but balance with scale. Also travel – cheap education with no homework. Pakistan/Haiti – feet on the soil. Celebrate diversity – in office. Greek/Turks. Israelis/Pakistan’s. Even French/British.
Keep practicing leadership - When you have a crisis, be 1st on battlefield and last to leave. Also, be quick to take blame, and slow to take credit. Btw, I learned a lot from my time in military - - from mission to music. WestPoint is the only place where you leave with less social skills. I organized MTV in small fighting units. Small attacks, large defends, and little bureaucracy – it’s a creativity killer. Value of morale: it’s all about people. Easier to take the hill, if you want to take the hill.
Execution/hard work trumps talent - I had no talent, everyone was smarter. But the harder I worked, the luckier I became. Everyone thought I was picking the V-J’s and music. Hanging in South of France with Shakira or John Stewart. Sunbathing with SpongeBob. All untrue, except SpongeBob.
Never accept a no for an answer – like Churchill, I never give in. Everyone everywhere has a no! Keep fighting. Keep resisting. You must have stamina and courage.
Master technology - it’s the most important language! It’s the biggest revolution since Industrial and it’s still on-going. Each generation is ahead - like my daughter, Tiger.
Have fun! - Celebrate success, no matter how small. Throw lots of parties, as Elton John taught me. Keep your moral compass. Stand up for those less fortunate. Hang out with people who are different from you. Different people bring different thinking, brings different solutions. Keep a #1 priority – family and friends.
And finally – DO SOMETHING GOOD. - Define your business beyond your product. Make it non-negotiable. “Doing Good is Good for Business”
MTV, we had many issues, but the one common Global campaign is HIV/AIDs
Same demo as our audience
Therefore strategic value, but beyond our mission and reality shows.
But can pick any issue – World has plenty.
Now, over 50% of my time is Global Health.
I worked for two UN S.G’s, I’m still with the UN, also, the Gates Foundation for vaccines. I served other initiatives – MTV Staying Alive Foundation, amfAR.
