Phil Lesh an original member of the Grateful Dead has passed. Here’s what it can teach us about B2B SaaS.

1. Till your own soil. TGD was the house band for San Francisco in the 60s. They are very much responsible for impacting the cultural revolution that we enjoy today. Now San Francisco is the global headquarters for Capitalism, ingenuity, and technology. All good things. But there’s still a whole other side to the city out there filled with musicians, artists, and Dreamers. And they don’t care about robotaxis or cap tables. They care about actual tables, and putting food on it. So you can support them by going to an ATM and tossing a bill in a buskers basket, going to a gallery opening, or catching a live show. No, the cabana your startup’s GP paid for at Outside Lands doesn’t count. Neither does a house DJ at a SaaStr fringe event.?The best marketers spend time embedded in culture and with those who curate it. If your product already has market parity it's only a matter of time before you're hiring for a Product Marketer and Brand Manager to differentiate yourself.
2. Build a real community. If you’ve never attended a Grateful Dead show, A. you should B. to describe it as a community is an understatement. Get down to the floor with 30,000 fans who’ve been around for a minute and you’ll start to see some familiar faces in familiar spaces. Everyone has their own preference for stage orientation. (Mine is 20 feet in front of the soundboard, just left of the tapers. If you ever see me and my dad there, please say hello.) Phil drops legendary “bombs” and if you’re Phil side in front of the woofers it’ll rattle your bones. And that my friends, is the Phil Zone. If you’re a b2b tech company that wants to start a community because it’s an easy way to build brand affinity, monetize, and leverage for an affiliate revenue stream, do it, just don’t like be obnoxious about it.
3. Think globally, act locally. In the 2010’s Phil opened a small music venue and restaurant in San Rafael, called Terrapin Crossroads. This was a legendary space and many made the trek to get to Terrapin. While it was the end for some, for others it was the beginning. If you’re a tech founder and can get 100 people to show up any night of the week because they love what you do, and want to spend time with what you’re creating you’ll be successful.?
4. Implement new technology. Phil was on the bleeding edge of bass guitar technology. In '83, he pioneered a 6-string with a MIDI pickup. In '92, he adopted a short-scale 6-string with 26 frets. But my favorite bass he played was back in '87. He tore it up with a headless 6-string Modulus. (Google it.) The lesson for tech founders? Cut your tech stack off at the neck. You don’t need half the tools you’re paying for. Here’s a simple exercise: If your sales stack has more tools than reps, that’s a problem.?
5. Express Public Gratitude. In 1998 Phil received a liver transplant. In the subsequent years, between songs Phil would express his gratitude for his donor (Cody) and encourage fans to be an organ donor. This is well documented in Grateful Dead setlists as “Donor Rap”. I’m not saying you have to be an organ donor, but by paying tribute to those who make our success possible, it has ripple effects for us and those around us. Real masculinity is humility + gratitude expressed publicly.?
6. Embody a Personal Style. Now Phil wasn’t known as a style icon during his time, but take one walk down Haight Street? and you’ll see Phil style on every corner - mullets and aviator optical frames, tie dye shirts with bleached Levis and chunky white dad sneakers. (*Looks down.* This is actually what I’m wearing currently.) Another enduring piece of essential Phil style was his crimson, white, and indigo sweatband he wore on his arm. This is so legendary that the bassist of another jam band adopted it as a lowkey nod to the OG - and that band had been playing for 25 years. Legends never die. So if you’re a tech founder, have some swagger. Just don’t wear a leather motorcycle jacket, that’s Jensen’s thing.?
7. Prioritize What Matters. There are a lot of reasons why Phil didn’t decide to play in Dead & Co. Just because you’re great at something and can do it doesn’t mean you should. The band kept playing on without Phil, while he did his own thing. His rotating troupe “Phil and Friends” has some of the best moments in contemporary improvisational rock and roll. Just checkout the archive.org recordings and show notes for some of the most famous musicians who played Grateful Dead songs with Phil. One of the reasons he didn’t play with Dead & Co. is that he was playing music with his son, Grahame. The lesson for all of us not just in tech: spend time with people who matter in your life.

When it comes to our impact in the world of work, it's important to remember that in life it’s such a long, long time to be gone, and a short time to be here.