12 Most Scary Business Lessons Learned from Halloween Monsters

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In celebration of Halloween, let’s take a look at 12 classic Halloween characters… and (with tongue firmly in cheek) the sometimes scary business lessons we can learn from each monster.

1. Frankenstein

No matter what our circumstances or how we got here, being human in our interactions is always important – online and off.

2. Dracula

You don’t have to be a morning person (or even work during daylight hours) to be productive. Today’s diverse workforce works all hours of the day and night – in whatever time slots they can sink their teeth into.

3. The Clown

Most people want to work hard; you can always count on them as partners and team members… others just put on face paint, a rubber nose and big shoes – and pretend. Your business doesn’t have time for pretenders.

4. The Blob

Once burned by a small problem that is allowed to turn into a big issue – like the Blob – every business person knows that quick resolution done sincerely is best, every time.

5. The Witch

Thanks to social media, there are more wicked witches (also known as “trolls”) than we would have ever imagined. Lesson learned: don’t let those who choose to be deliberately wicked impact you, or your business.

6. The Skeleton

Thanks to politicians and so-called thought leaders, transparency has sadly become a buzzword. From the skeleton, who has no choice but to be “see-through” all the time, we learn there is no such thing as selective transparency.

7. The Ghost

Or in this case, ghost writer. Ask the pretenders how much it can hurt to hire a ghost writer to act as you on social media… only to have a bitter employee or intern come back to haunt your brand.

8. Mummy

No matter how you wrap a dead product or brand – it’s still dead. Don’t mummify your company, hoping for the curse to lift. Move on. Innovate.

9. The Devil

Like Satan himself, a business can literally steal your soul. Don’t let passion for your start-up or enterprise let you fail in other aspects of your life… or you’ll have the Devil to pay.

10. The Pirate

Ask any businessperson who has had their treasure (product idea, copy, content, etc.) stolen by a pirate – they’ll tell you that being proactive with copyrights, trademarks and servicemarks can save your bounty.

11. Werewolf

The werewolf comes in many forms: co-founders, vendors… even customers. In each case, they shift to a different creature as your business moves through critical phases (moon reference implied). As you build your company, focus on those with consistent character rather than those with the loudest bark or the biggest bite.

12. Zombies

No one plays dead anymore. Your competition is always there, just waiting for you to get so comfortable that you forget to look over your shoulder at what’s chasing you.

As you celebrate Halloween, think about which monsters and goblins scare you, or your business, the most – and let us know in the comments below.

Happy Halloween!

Mark Babbitt

http://youtern.com

A passionate supporter of Gen Y talent, YouTern CEO Mark Babbitt is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. Mark has been quoted in Forbes, Fortune, Mashable, ReadWriteWeb, and Under30CEO.com regarding internships, emerging talent and the current job market – and was recently honored to be named to GenJuice’s “Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors” list.