4 Business Lessons from the Bee Gees

For Christmas in 1979 I received the Bee Gees Greatest Hits, which was the first album I ever owned (thanks Aunt Susie and Uncle Rick!). I spent the rest of my Christmas vacation and much of 1980, sitting on the living room floor crossed legged in front of the stereo with my headphones on. I listened to that album for hours. I’ve always been a fan of the Bee Gees, even when it wasn’t cool to be one.

I recently found myself in a YouTube trap. I started listening to one Bee Gees song, which led to another, and I ended up on a Saturday adventure that lasted a few hours. Has that happened to you? Man, those songs are just so good!

Listening to hit after hit made me think of their lengthy and successful career and how we can incorporate what made them successful into our own lives. Here are 4 business lessons we can learn from the Bee Gees:

1) Start small and learn as much as you can from where you are.

The Bee Gees started singing before the Saturday matinee movie at their local theater. These appearances led to playing at larger events. They learned what worked on stage and what didn’t. An audience is a live focus group; giving immediate feedback. Soon came a record deal and gigs on Australian television, which had them scoring hits on the Australian charts.

We often think success comes over night, but that is rarely the case. The Bee Gees perfected their craft in front of smaller audiences when the stakes weren’t as high and the critics wouldn’t be as loud. We forget that we need to start small. Starting small gets us on the path to where we eventually need to be. Countless hours need to be invested before things can take hold at a point of critical mass.

2) Move on when you need to take the next step. 

Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb were born in England, but the family moved to Australia when they were young. They had achieved success in this new land, but wanted a bigger stage, so moving back home would open new doors. England in the 1960’s was a happening scene with The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Kinks all dominating the charts. They wanted to be among these artists. They could have stayed in Australia and been sensations, but they had bigger dreams.

Once in England, they were quickly spotted by a good manager and got a record deal, which translated into having hits, and those hits quickly traveled to the US. When you move to a bigger playing field, more is at stake, but there is more to win when you gain traction.

3) Do whatever it takes to overcome obstacles.

After their massive success in the late 1970’s, radio turned on the Bee Gees and refused to play their songs. This didn’t stop the Bee Gees though. They wrote and produced songs for other artists. In doing so, they were still able to have massive hits on the radio, only instead of it being a Bee Gees record, it was that of another artist.

The Bees Gees are one of the most successful recording acts of all-time; with over 200 millions records sold worldwide. In the US they scored 43 top 100 hits, 30 top 40 hits, and nine #1’s. But if you look at their success as songwriters, these numbers get even more mind blowing. 87 top 100 hits, 55 top 40 hits and 16 # 1’s. They looked at other ways to continue their success without fighting what was out of their control. What other avenues can you try when one road closes in front of you?

4) Keep your foot on the pedal.

Don’t rest on your past successes and think those will carry you. You have to keep working; all the time. Not only do things get done when you don’t let up, but that’s when your greatest ideas and creations may come to you. When you work,  that’s when inspiration comes. To paraphrase Steven Pressfield,  “you don’t wait for inspiration to strike before starting, you start, so inspiration will strike.” Because you’re actively doing your art (whatever that may be), you’re open to receiving gifts of inspiration.

Productive people are productive because they don’t stop. The Bee Gees wrote “Too Much Heaven” and then wrote “Tragedy” right after that, in the same day. There’s a rumor that they wrote “Shadow Dancing”, which would become a #1 hit for their brother Andy, later that same evening. Three #1’s written in one day! Talk about productive! Achieving great things takes work and effort. Nothing comes from inspiration itself. You need to work, even when you may not want to. You will be rewarded!

These are 4 important lessons for all of us. Whether it’s in life or business, we can work these lessons into our own arsenal to make us unstoppable.

What are you going to work on?