072922 — Blog — Rulerless

I wanted to start a YouTube channel. Here’s the story of why I didn’t (or, why I haven’t yet!), and maybe it can give you an aha for a project you’re stuck on.

It was the summer of 2020 and, like everyone else, I was kind of down and bored and looking for something to do. So I thought I would start a YouTube channel to teach people how to play music by ear.

Casey von NeumannJuly 19, 2022072922, 080522, 081122, 081522, 081822, 020123Comment

Winging it

In music, I love playing by ear.

In particular, I love the challenge of figuring out songs on the fly. On Christmas Day, I sat at the piano taking requests from my nieces and nephews as the whole family sang along with a variety of tunes, from “Up on the Housetop” to “Let it Snow.” It is thrilling when my fingers are able to find the right melody note or the right chord with little conscious input.

Casey von NeumannJuly 6, 2022072922 Comments

The secret of my success

I’ll just tell you right at the top: The secret of my success is my employees.

Bringing other people into my business has made it possible for me to create something bigger than myself, which in turn makes it possible for me to spend my time building the next thing (or just enjoying life).

I can illustrate what I’m talking about with simple math. If I have six employees each working 30 hours a week, they are collectively working 180. That is more time than there is in a week, so I literally couldn’t do it without them.

Casey von NeumannJuly 1, 2022071022, 072122, 072922, 083122, 100122, 120122Comment

The knowledge and skill gap

I never enjoyed cooking very much because I always had the vague sense that I didn’t know what I was doing.

Even though I spent years working in commercial kitchens, I didn’t have much of an awareness of knife technique or other aspects of food preparation. Therefore, I was intimidated by recipes. I stuck to routine meals that I could figure out through trial and error.

Casey von NeumannJune 9, 2022070722, 072922, 081122, 091522, 120922, 012023, 013023, 021723Comment

The problem must be me

I worked with a leader, Evan, who was extremely humble and self-effacing.

Evan was constantly working to improve himself. Whenever anything went wrong, his first move was to look at his own behavior. His default assumption was, “the problem must be me.”

Often, though, Evan had already done what he needed to do. He had made a plan, communicated clearly, and followed through on his promises.

Casey von NeumannJune 7, 2022071022, 072222, 072922, 091622, 092922, 020223, 032323 Comments