NONFICTION: CAREER ADVICE
Lessons From a Desperado Poet: Baxter Black Takes Us to Cowboy Business School
by Baxter Black
For those who’ve never heard of Baxter Black, he might be thought of as a Western-style Renaissance man. Black is a CSU-trained large-animal veterinarian turned author, speaker, poet, comedian and media personality.
He is an easy man to spot, with his bushy moustache, slightly rumpled cowboy hat and bandanna. He looks like a guy who knows his way around a ranch, which sets him apart from just about every other celebrity who’s ever written a business-advice book.
But Black has some experience. While developing his craft, he supported himself by working on feedlots, branding cattle and singing in bands. He has carved leather belts, sold coffee and even cut hair.
His latest, “Lessons From a Desperado Poet” (TwoDot), gives us a peek into how this self-made man made himself. Black has developed a business philosophy called “The Cowboy Way,” a management style that turns its back on middlemen and managers (and attorneys) and unnecessary contracts. He’s known to seal a deal with little more than a handshake.
Q: Conduct business on a handshake? Yes, I sometimes do. As I say in the book, every business practice has exceptions. The one place in my business where I find a contract is needed is in having your book published by a publishing company.
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Q: Baxter, why isn’t the “Cowboy Way” taught in business schools across America?Lawyers!
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Q: Can a contract lawyer make a good cowboy? How about a politician?I suspect that one of the commandments of a good contract lawyer is “Thou shalt trust no one.” Remember it was they who wrote the truce the Indians signed. I think a politician would make a good horse trader. It’s all about parsing words.
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Q: Does entrepreneurial focus come from taking a leap and realizing it’s a long way down?No. Entrepreneurs are not looking down, we’re looking up. If we think we can jump over the canyon, it doesn’t matter how deep it is.
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Q: Your way of doing business is just to trust people. Have you been burned? Truth is, I’ve rarely had an occasion when someone has deliberately tried to stick it to me. Second, I’m pretty forgiving.
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If something doesn’t work even though we all tried hard, you’ve got to let it go. The surprises have come when it goes much better than expected, and in those cases they sometimes pay me a little bonus.
Q: Why didn’t you jump at the possibility of landing a great Hollywood agent when it was offered?In large part, because I was a grown-up when I became an entertainer. I still got out on the wild side when I was younger, but I wasn’t 21 years old!
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I had been to town, I’d seen the circus. By the time I had become an entertainer, I’d been fired, broke, divorced, bucked off and found my way back. And I’ve never done well under a tight rein.
I’ve never needed someone over my shoulder tellin’ me what I should do. Intuition has stood me in good stead. Regarding ambition, I’ve got lots of it, but I keep it attainable.
Q: What advice would you give to an entrepreneur wanting to give up the lofty position of French-fry chef for the possibility of pursuing a dream? Start shooting arrows in the sky and maybe you’ll find a target.
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Change something. If nothing changes for you in terms of how you live your life, then nothing changes!
If possible, move to where you think you want to live. A bad job somewhere you are happy is better than a good job in a place that you hate.
Q: You know those bumper stickers that say “My Border Collie Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student”? So as a veterinarian, do you think that’s possible?The key word is “smart.” Honor students are intelligent. They can do algorithms and tell you the capital of Honduras. Border collies, on the other hand, are smart. They can locate water, catch Frisbees and find their way home. Which would you rather have if you were lost in the desert?
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