‘Live from Cupertino’-Book Review.

Book Review by Lena Yudina, for Coffee-District Media

How can we ‘Take a Sad Song and Make it Better’? How do you move on with your Business after COVID_19?
These are the questions that many entrepreneurs and small business owners will, unfortunately, have to grapple with. On the bright side, there is no shortage of smart and insightful people out there who can share some fresh ideas and offer advice on the subject.
I’ve recently read the book “Live From Cupertino,” written by Michael Hageloh and Tim Vandehey, and it demonstrated a new approach that was particularly useful in running my enterprise.

It was a lazy Tuesday afternoon when I saw a UPS truck pulled down near my home. Quickly finishing my morning cup of Joe, I went out to see whether or not I’d received a package. Yes, the long-awaited package with the book “Live From Cupertino” had arrived! On the Cover Page, I read: ‘Advanced Reader’s Copy, Not for Sale,’ and on the first page of the book, I’ve noticed the gracious greeting of its author, Michael Hageloh: “Thanks for the Read!”
“Well,” I thought to myself, “Thank you, Michael, for sharing!”

‘Live From Cupertino’- Book Review and Author’s Bio

I felt great while unpacking the gift and anticipating an extraordinary reading journey ahead of me. Born Jewish with a Catholic Education in his background, Michael Hageloh spent twenty-two years working for Apple Inc., where he spent most of his time on the front lines of the sales department of the company. In his book, the author and closer to nearly one billion dollars in Apple sales takes you inside of the history and sales culture that made Apple the world’s first trillion-dollar corporation. I wanted to hear more about what Michael had heard and learned about the big secrets of Apple’s ‘machine,’ so I grabbed the book and opened some of its random pages.  

‘Live From Cupertino’-Book Review

Whenever I first start reviewing a new book, I pique my curiosity by randomly reading some parts of the book in no particular order. I usually carefully read two or three chapters to see if I like the author’s language and the way he or she expresses their thoughts. I inquire whether or not the author’s argument is persuasive and if the plot of the book is interesting enough to continue reading it. This long-time habit gives me a sense of adventure, of discovery, and it stimulates my thinking, imagination, and briefly feeds my emotions. Continue reading ‘Live From Cupertino’-Book Review, to get a glimpse of the book too!

Reading a book is like meeting a friend or a stranger who trusted you with his most intimate insights. The book “Live From Cupertino,” surprised me with many interesting literary twists and non-ordinary  unexpected comparisons, but I can’t say that it is an easy read. This meticulously researched book left me intrigued and engaged as it shared some new insights into the behaviors, culture, and intellectual capacity of the employees and the leaders at Apple.Inc and it tapped into the myriads of fascinating memories of Michels’ life.

The author of the book saw it all: the rise and fall of Apple, the return, the departure of Steve Jobs, and the innovative efforts and charisma of Ron Johnson and Tim Cook. While reading the first pages of the book,  I expected to find a report on the technological expertise of Apple’s workers or some details of new product design.
To my amusement, the author brought in some fascinating parallels and compared the Computer Business and its Sales and Marketing Strategies with Music.

What Music and Apple Have in Common?

Mr. Hageloh, a great storyteller and a drummer for life, believed that music got to the core of the Company and infused everything that Apple did. Music was the case study for effective storytelling, the backbone of the Business, where more than half of its staff worked as musicians or artists prior to when they were  hired by Apple. In his book, Michael Hageloh proved that there are many lessons that the majority of people (including salespeople and businesses) can learn by keeping music and business laws tight in their minds.

The Core of the Book

This Business book ‘Live from Cupertino’ contains ten chapters where each chapter’s title is somehow related to listening, writing, or performing music. In the Table of Contents, I read the following: 1. Rehearsal, 2.Storytelling, 3. Listening, 5. Rhythm, 6. Improvisation, 7. Soul, 8. Orchestration, and so on.
While reading the book, I sometimes was puzzled with the purpose of the paper. I couldn’t grasp the primary meaning of the text as its author prioritized the music as much as the strengths of the Company, he worked for.

Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Storytelling Lesson for Marketing

Mr. Hageloh generously enriched his writings with stories and references about notable musicians and music bands. We hear about Deep Purple, Doors, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Michael Jackson, and other legends.  He used these tactics to show how storytelling can be in songs. Also, we learn how the laws of music-writing can be applied to the Marketing, and Product Sale processes in particular.
Such a twist made his ‘business’ writing similar to an anthology of pop music combined with an impressive list of leadership and business lessons. Needless to say, for me, an avid music lover and a piano player, such a combination was blissful and intriguing. Michae’s approach to Storytelling showed a new perspective that kept me hooked for days.

The book also shares many teachable moments that marketers, business leaders, and creatives can bravely apply to their daily life. In the next few paragraphs, I will focus on a few such teachable moments that I took almost personally. I took them as a direct guide to my ways of life, writing my Ebooks, and running my Marketing, Consulting, and E-Commerce Businesses.  

How do you become a celebrated storyteller and push your enterprise forward? Why is mastering writing content an important skill for any entrepreneur? ‘Live from Cupertino’-Book Review tells it all.

Teachable Moments

As we know, teachable moments can happen anytime, and they often pop up when they are least expected. The author of the book suggested learning a storytelling’ technique” from eloquent songs, and legends of English and American pop, blues, and rock music. I couldn’t agree more.
We all know that great Storytelling is always a win. It needs a catchy beginning, dramatic middle, and a powerful end to make a statement.  But what else will you need to create your best content, your Lesson Plan, an Elevator Speech, your Product Sales Pitch, or a Stage Presentation? 

Framing, Perspective, and Reasons

According to chapter two of the book, you will first need to focus on three aspects: Framing, Perspective, and Reasons.

Framing
Framing’ is an essential function of the story. ” When you apply a frame to disconnected events, you connect them as part of a larger tale. A framed narrative says something about you, your Company, or your product. It tells people who you are, what you care about, and what you will do to succeed. If you are a manager or an executive, your people need to know your company story.”

Perspective
We all heard in Business Schools: keep your customer in mind while creating a new product. Care for him first and yourself next.
In his book, Mr. Hageloh explained this business concept on a deeper level. “An essential part of psychological maturity is the theory of mind. It is the realization that everyone around you has their own complex inner life. In other words – everybody is The Star of their own story. In order to craft a story that impacts people and that they will adopt as their own, you need to respect that reality..” (M.H)

Reasons
If you remember your English Language class in 5th grade, your teacher might have asked you to write a story answering five magic “W” questions.  Who, What, When, Where, and Why.  So Michael Hageloh believed that  the “Why” question is as much as necessary as ” Who” or “What.”
What is the reason this story is useful for your audience?
Why do they need to hear it?
Why will they benefit from learning from you? What makes your story and product so unique?
Why can’t they learn from a book instead?

Live From Cupertino-Pros and Cons

Answering all these questions is not an easy task. Those in Business who developed their enterprise from scratch know how difficult it is to be excellent in all three aspects. But who said that this mission is impossible? So, now, while the entire world is resetting its clocks due to COVID_19, it is probably the best time to reevaluate and restart anew. Are you ready to make a sad song better by continuously learning, working, experimenting, and feeling some more?    

I think that the book ‘Live from Cupertino’ has an intimate tone and shares many stories that interlock the reality of the systems engineer, Mr. Hageloh, and his poetic dreams of the passionate musician. For those content creators and people in marketing and business education, who love rock music, this book is a must-read. For others, it is a challenge that they might never regret.  

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