In the four-part Hulu series Thank You, Goodnight, director Gotham Chopra does a deep dive into the impressive career and longevity of the band Bon Jovi.

Led by founder, chief songwriter, and frontman John Francis Bongiovi, the band has racked up astounding benchmarks over its 40 year run:

• Sales of 130 million records worldwide.
• Live performances for 34 million fans in 50+ countries (as of 2019).
• Awards aplenty (one Grammy, two American Music Awards, four MTV Moonman trophies, two Country Music Television awards, many others).
• A new No. 1 album, Forever.

Stellar songs, powerful charisma, relentless persistence, and abundant energy have made the band’s many wins possible, but also in the mix were Bongiovi’s savvy behind-the-scenes business decisions. 

Here’s three guiding points entrepreneurs in any industry can borrow from Bongiovi  to increase their chances of platinum-level prosperity:

Constantly enhance and update your product

The coin of the realm in the music business is a well-crafted song that connects widely and deeply with audiences. Having a cool image, slick studio production, and impressive performing chops are all essential, but if the songs driving that stuff are meh, artists will have difficulty finding “customers” for their creative works.

Bongiovi’s obsession has been to write songs that are meaningful to him and also would appeal to the public.  As he’s gotten older, the subjects of his compositions have kept up with his life circumstances. Bon Jovi devotees have embraced the touchpoints of his journey.  If Bongiovi was still recording tunes that reflected his lusty Bad Medicine mindset of 1988 instead of his heartfelt Beautiful Drug vibe of 2020 (which is a more mature and romantic take on the love-as-pharmaceutical concept), he wouldn’t have acquired new enthusiasts who found relevance in his evolving musical messages.

Business owners must apply this lesson to their own products/services.  If thriving entrepreneurs think that they can maintain their position by lazily cutting/pasting their success formula as an ongoing loop, their fortes will eventually dip and their stale inventory will be meaningless to prospective customers/clients.

By following Bongiovi’s buyer-focused mindset of persistently refining what you sell, you’ll keep your output relevant to the marketplace and desirable to your “fans”.

Savor the good times, but be ready for unexpected chaos

In 2013, Bon Jovi was about to embark on its 80-date Because We Can tour, beginning in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Hours before the first sold-out arena gig was to begin, Richie Sambora—Bon Jovi’s lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and Bongiovi’s songwriting partner—went AWOL. He subsequently backed out of the tour, citing personal reasons for his departure.

Bongiovi had a complicated decision to make: nix all of the shows (which would have meant firing hundreds of crew members, technicians, and employees; losing mega revenue; and possibly getting sued by enraged promoters and venues) or figure out a way to continue forward.

The biggest hurdle with staying on the road sans Sambora was the personnel quandary—specifically, who could quickly and seamlessly take over to sing/play his parts?

Bongiovi had a fix: He’d tap Bobby Bandiera, a reliable veteran of the Jersey Shore music scene who had been part of the Bon Jovi team as the “second guitarist,” to step in.

Bandiera knew all of the band’s songs, Sambora’s solos, and the correct stage positions. He also could rock with the confidence, professionalism, and intensity that was needed to keep the tour alive.

Did Bongiovi foresee that Sambora, who had well-publicized difficulties with his home life, was capable of bagging at the last minute? The answer isn’t provided in the series, but the outcome was ideal: Bobby was a perfect fit, and he remained on the road with Bon Jovi through 2015.

For business owners, this crucial lesson is a must to understand. Bon Jovi was at the top of its game when Because We Can launched, but even with that excitement, Bongiovi was prepared to address unforeseen mayhem.

The takeaway is that no matter how promising and profitable things may be right now for your organization, safeguards must be carefully put in place in the event that the stage craters.

Insist that all of your team’s opinions be corroborated with facts

In the early 90s, Bongiovi expressed interest in doing some movie acting. He bounced this desire off of Doc McGhee, the band’s manager at the time, and McGee thought it was a horrible idea. “You stink,” said McGhee.

But Bongiovi’s aim of giving the big screen a try had deep roots: He was emulating one of his idols, Frank Sinatra, who navigated career paths in music as well as cinema. Using fellow Jerseyite Ol’ Blue Eyes as his inspiration, Bongiovi wanted to explore a creative venue outside of stadium stages and the recording studio.

Thank You, Goodnight doesn’t reveal the reason for McGhee’s reticence to Bongiovi’s acting bug. Maybe he thought that his acting would interfere with the band’s touring schedule. Or that his fans would never accept him in any other role than a musician. Or that acting was for wimps.

Whatever drove his opinion, Doc voiced it loudly and he wouldn’t budge. His stubborn and seemingly unverified position led Bongiovi to confer with his bandmates and fire McGhee.

This clash reminds me of an old sales adage: If I’m trying to sell you a widget and my opinion is that it‘s great and your opinion is that it’s crap, your opinion will win. But if I bolster my opinion with data, truth, and evidence that validates my widget’s greatness, you as the prospect will quite possibly begin to question your opinion and potentially become a buyer.

If in your company there are strong opinions either for or against a particular initiative that differ from yours, insist that they’re all backed up with authentication, especially metrics. This guideline will help to convert biased viewpoints into useful recommendations that will benefit the organization’s direction.

(NOTE: Bongiovi seemed to have a blast as an actor. The highlight of his silver screen pursuits was the Oscar winner U-571, in which he starred with Matthew McConaughey, Harvey Keitel, and Bill Paxton.)

Bon Jovi’s longevity

Hyperlocal startups that develop into healthy global ventures don’t survive—and continue to grow—for 40 years unless they’re doing something really, really right. In the case of Bon Jovi, the band’s significant catalog of material has endured marketplace distractions from grunge, post-grunge, nu metal, alt rock, skate punk, pop punk, emo, metalcore, etc. etc. to become enduring sources of joy for music fans of all ages.

Entrepreneurs would be wise to pay close attention to Hulu’s Thank You, Goodnight and then crank the band’s hits up to 11 in an effort to absorb Bongiovi’s business world prescience and acumen.

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