What I Learned (About Business) From The Big Bang Theory

I’ve been suffering a Big Bang Theory (Amazon aff) addiction lately. Don’t worry, though.

It turns out that it’s a veritable fountain of knowledge for entrepreneurs and marketers. Not only does the show offer scientific & historical tid-bits that you’ll never use in real life, but there’s some solid business wisdom.

Perseverance

Dr. Sheldon Cooper, the super-nerd of the group (I don’t know if “super” does his character justice), is incredibly persistent.

Cooper rarely compromises his beliefs for peer pressure. We entrepreneurs (and especially marketers), however, love to jump on the latest bandwagon (I’m looking at you Facebook addicts).

There’s nothing wrong with being innovative and pushing boundaries, but the point is: don’t forget your roots, your beliefs, and your purpose.

Take A Break

Although Sheldon is laser-focused on his work as a theoretical physicist, he never fails to miss comic book store night.

Sheldon understands that in order to be effective in his research, he must let his imagination fly when he’s not working. He understands the importance of taking a break.

Personally, I’ve found that by cutting my hours and taking more breaks, I’ve significantly increased my productivity, and I’m definitely less stressed.

The Details

This is probably the most important lesson. This  comes from the show in general.

The Big Bang Theory is full of scientific and mathematical mumbo-jumbo that gives me a migraine when I try to understand it. The writers could have easily made up words and phrases to fool us. Very few people would actually catch them.

But they didn’t; the Big Bang Theory’s production crew includes a physicist who helps come up with the “nerd talk” that the group uses; the science is 100% accurate, down to the formulas scribbled across the various whiteboards in the background.

Also, the writing team does an amazing job of tying details together. For example, Thursdays are consistently pizza nights throughout all 5 seasons. They understand the importance of consistency.

The lesson here is that the details matter. The producers don’t take shortcuts. We’d never notice if they did, but they put in the extra effort to take care of the details.

This details are what makes the show so magnetic and believable. The details create the experience.

So take a step back and think about the details you’re overlooking. Can you use details to provide a better experience?