This is the ‘Win with Stories’ newsletter. Every week I send an email with a message wrapped in a short story. I also share one actionable tip and a recommendation for you to enhance your storytelling skills.
I had been trying to structure my thoughts on a topic for a while. Nibbling away slowly at a Linkedin post, I finally managed to share it yesterday. I realised later that I should have shared it with your folks before. See, the one thing I try is to share stories and tips in this newsletter before I do elsewhere.
So with an apology, let me encourage you to read on some important lessons I learnt from my short stint as a stand-up comedian and as a keen observer of the Indian comedy space.
Career lessons from the Indian standup comedy.
The year was 2011 and as a public speaking enthusiast, I tried my hand at stand-up comedy. The scene(as comics call it) was just getting started. My first open mic was a pretty good one, and I thought I was too cool. The next two were a disaster. Eight minutes may seem nothing in everyday life, but on stage it is the equivalent of a few lifetimes(especially no one finds your jokes funny).
Despite the dud shows, I kept working till I regained my self-respect on stage. But eventually I quit the stand-up comedy circuit. One, I was busy with my PR career. Two, despite all the excitement, standup comedy was high on effort and low on monetary returns.
In hindsight, I could not have been more wrong about the trajectory stand-up comedy was about to take.
From open mics to live shows to OTT; the art form has made a long journey in less than a decade.
How did this happen?
In 2010-11, The Comedy Store from the UK needed new markets and audiences. India probably seemed like a good option. There were enough English speakers in India. Growing up on a diet of American comedy, thousands of youngsters were itching to crack their own jokes on stage.
These young comics were cut from a different cloth than the mass appeal Hindi language comedians like Johnny Lever and Raju Srivastav. That’s when The Comedy Store launched at Phoenix Mills( a mall in Central Mumbai, which was earlier a textile mill).
Looking at the interest generated by The Comedy Store, many more cafes and venues in Mumbai jumped into the fray to host standup nights. The scene grew at a fast clip.
But it was still a super-small niche, until AIB’s roast that featured Bollywood celebs. It created headlines and controversies. After that there was no stopping the juggernaut. People who started around the time when I was bombing at open mics are now well-known names. They include Tanmay Bhat, Atul Khatri, Sapan Verma, Daniel Fernandes and others.
It’s true when they say ‘Fortune favours the brave’. But apart from bravery, you also need patience.
Communication tips for today.
Well, what I am about to share are not communication tips exactly. But allow me to indulge myself this Diwali and share career or even life-lessons from my experience of stand-up comedy.
What seems small today, doesn’t have to stay that way.
So as a founder, business leader, as an artist or even as a professional, one of things that will define your success is the ability to spot trends and make bets on them even when others won’t.
Pick the right space and be ready to commit a decade to it.
At an individual level too, this lesson holds true. But it is important to pick the right space(which can take some trial and error). And once you have picked it, have the conviction to see it through in the early phases where there is little reward for your effort and investment.
Just the way people like Tanmay, Khamba, Atul Khatri, Sapan, Daniel and others did. So this Diwali, I wish you make bets on things which will grow big, and more importantly, the ability to stay committed at least for a decade.
But how am I using these lessons in my life now?
I realise I was short-sighted about stand-up comedy. Learning from it, I am betting long on storytelling this decade. The next generation of leaders, founders and professionals won’t speak in jargon-laden gibberish. They will have to make their messages simple, clear and compelling. That’s where business storytelling comes in.
And I am hoping, you will join me in this journey.
Have questions about business storytelling? Want to have a chat to know more? Feel free to book 30 minutes of my time, here is the link.
One thing you could watch today:
The grainy video below features my open mic at The Comedy Store from August 2011. Haters will say that the video has 50k+ views because of the title. And you know what? I agree 😉
You can watch it here.
Happy Diwali once again 🙂
That’s it from me today. Hope you enjoyed this edition.
One last request – forward this to friends and colleagues who’d find this story and the tips useful. If you received this email from someone and liked it, you can subscribe here.
