Why humor can be tricky in business stories
Is there anything funny about business?
Recently someone suggested I add comedy to my business. I’ve done stand-up comedy, with some success, so the idea was appealing.
And then I started thinking.
It IS true that overthinking is dangerous. It’s easy to talk yourself out of anything.
But if you think about it, we have no comedians in the business world.
I did find agencies that promised to supply a corporate comedian. And I think some corporate actions are pretty funny. For instance, I got a recording that said, “If you’re having trouble turning on your computer, just go to our online help desk.”
Entrepreneurship seems more personal.
Jokes about entrepreneurs don’t seem especially funny. Things like, “Entrepreneurs work 80 hours a week to avoid working for someone else for 40 hours.” That’s partly true; some people work 20 hours a week and do pretty well.
So here are 3 reasons why we don’t have business comedy.
You need a worthy opponent.
If you listen carefully, humor depends on making fun of someone. It’s rarely a good idea to ridicule your competitors. It’s generally taboo to ridicule your clients too.
