trendpreneur

The guys at Penny-Arcade love Kenny Rogers, and so do I. His songs underpin my teenage years, parental music choices becoming truly appreciated. One of his greatest songs is The Gambler:

Said: if you’re gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.

Now ev’ry gambler knows that the secret to surviving
Is knowin’ what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
Cause ev’ry hands a winner and ev’ry hands a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

Perhaps not that last line. But it’s really struck home to me lately that all this is a big game, and you gotta know the rules. Once you do? It’s easy.

Everything has an underlying pattern, from what makes up a good business plan to marketing strategy to the n slides of an investor presentation. Learn the rules, learn the frameworks, learn how to fill in the gaps… and Bob’s your uncle. (Actually, I really do have an uncle called Bob.)

See, Kenny was right.