I MIss the Mob

In Anything You Want, entrepreneur and blogger Derek Sivers recounts a trip he made to Las Vegas for a trade show.

On the ride from the airport to his hotel, Sivers asked the taxi driver how long he'd lived there.

"Twenty-seven years," the driver replied. "I miss the mob.”

The cabbie then explained what he meant. Doing business in Las Vegas was simple when the mafia ran the casinos. When the mob made money, you made money. But corporate takeover of the casinos brought hordes of penny-pinching MBAs to town. They cheapened everyone's experience.

“When the mafia ran this town, it was fun."

The lesson Sivers took home from his driver: keep your business simple, and keep its goal enjoyment.

"Never forget why you’re really doing what you’re doing," Sivers writes. 

"Are you helping people? Are they happy? Are you happy? Are you profitable? Isn’t that enough?"