7 Lessons Solopreneurs Can Learn From “Mad Men”

I am a fan of the AMC TV series “Mad Men”—the dialogue, the clothing, the sets, the music. My wife and I watch the episodes on DVD; we are almost finished with Season Two, which means we are one season behind the episodes being shown on TV.

“Mad Men” is many things, including a morality play that speaks to relationships and business. If you don’t watch “Mad Men,” the program is set in the early 1960s. The mad men in “Mad Men” work in advertising at Sterling Cooper, a thriving Madison Avenue agency. Marketing and business are primary subjects on the program.

As I finish Season Two (and as my “Mad Men” avatar looks on, below), what have I learned from “Mad Men” that can be applied to the solopreneur life?

1. It’s tough being Don Draper. The main character, Don Draper, tried to become someone he is not after he stole the identity of a fallen World War II comrade. Don’s lie and his attempt to look like the Perfect Man tortures him daily, leading to debauched behavior, dreadful decisions and a shattered soul. In your small business, don’t try to be Don Draper. Be yourself and revel in your unique, imperfect qualities. People will love you.

2. Be like Peggy Olson: be prepared. Peggy has risen from being a newbie in the steno pool to being a key member of the creative team. She’s (almost) always prepared. She anticipates client objections. She does not place her ego’s needs before the needs of the client. She takes her job seriously.

3. Don’t take clients who behave wretchedly. Don makes the grave mistake of agreeing to work for comedian Jimmy Barrett and his wife Bobbie. That deal with the Devil leads to the destruction of Don’s marriage to his wife, Betty.

4. Be loyal. Sterling Cooper walks away from a longtime client relationship with a regional airline, Mohawk, in an attempt to land the business of American Airlines. Don is very upset with the betrayal of Mohawk and asks Roger Sterling what kind of company Sterling Cooper is going to be. Roger comes back with, “The kind where everyone has a summer house?” When the play for American fizzles, the firm is left with its integrity in question.

5. Show your clients the possibilities. Sterling Cooper unveils a daring, imaginative ad campaign for a client, Playtex, whose sales figures are outstanding. The Playtex executives love the new campaign but decide to stay with their conservative but successful ad approach. Undaunted, Don observes that the exercise was worth it, because it bought Sterling Cooper several more years of business with Playtex.

6. Connect yourself with talented people, and be smart enough to recognize their contributions. Joan Holloway is reading TV scripts on an informal basis for Sterling Cooper’s fledgling, failing TV department. Joan has a knack for the job, and clients love her. Suddenly the TV business is good for Sterling Cooper. But she’s passed over when the script-reading task is made a salaried position.

7. Remember your purpose. When Sterling Cooper conducts a blood drive, one of the ad men asks Don what the prize is for a high rate of participation. “Helping another human being,” Don says.

Are You A “Mad” Fan?

What business lessons have you learned from “Mad Men”?