Not all sourdough is created equal

Artwork courtesy of DALL*E, with apologies to the Basquiat estate, or maybe not considering some of the places his work has started popping up the past few years.

I don’t read business books.

To me, reading a business book and trying to implement the ideas or techniques in them is like trying to use a cookbook without having any of the ingredients.

Sure, it’d be great to make some amazing chocolate chip cookies, but all I’ve got is one egg, ketchup, a few soy sauce packets and the other 4.75 pounds of that 5 pound bag of flour I bought five years ago when I tried — and failed — to make pancakes. Long story, hope you’re doing well Paul.

You’re telling me to preheat my oven to 325, and all I’ve got is a spoon and a bic lighter and by the way, is it supposed to burn this much? Pretty sure when I saw someone doing this before they weren’t making cookies. Feels illegal.

And even if you have the ingredients, you don’t really have them.

As any lockdown sourdough baker will tell you, getting the right starter makes a huge difference in the end product.

And sure, you can get your starter. But it’s not the same.

Theirs is a secret batch that has been passed down for generations that can seemingly self-replicate on demand, but you’ve got whatever you could find on the shelf at Whole Foods because your lazy, good for nothing, immigrant ancestors were just trying to “survive”.

See how effortlessly theirs just rises, while you’re down there with a straw hyperventilating as you try to blow some fucking life into yours.

How can you not feel like a failure?

Clearly they are masters at this and you should just suck it up and shut up and take whatever scraps they throw your way.

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That’s not to say it isn’t helpful to explore ideas and approaches of people who’ve been successful. Just that they are ideas and approaches. Not answers.

Things to consider, and more importantly, to compare against your circumstances and opportunities.

If these were playbooks that anyone could use, we’d all be successful entrepreneurs. We’re not because maybe there’s more to it than what fits into a book. And maybe, the most important part is pairing the courage to chase a dream with the discipline to do the hard work it takes to make it a reality.

Or maybe, me not reading business books is why I am where I am, with a smattering of burnt cookies and duck sauce pancakes in my wake.

Now, if you need me, I’ll be back in the kitchen working on a new recipe.