When A Founder Should Step Aside
Smith Sense
As Matt closes the door on his CEO days with Royalty Exchange and moves into a Chairman position, he speaks with Antony about when is it the right time to step aside and let someone else take the controls.
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Digital Nomads, Independent Thinking, and Why Bobby Casey is Optimistic
Smith Sense
Matt chats with Bobby Casey from Global Wealth Protection about digital nomads, working from home and independent thinking
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Distribution is King
Smith Sense
Entrepreneurs tend to focus on product and marketing. The real opportunity is in distribution.
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Killing Innovation
Smith Sense
At a time when we badly need innovation, less regulation — not more — is the answer.
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Doug Casey Talks Covid-19, Fedcoin, and the Future of Western Civilization
Smith Sense
A Conversation with Doug Casey about the current chaos the US finds itself in
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Performative Entrepreneurship
Smith Sense
Are you innovating or performing?
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Frame
Smith Sense
Gary Young joins the podcast to discuss how to use ‘frame’ to influence.
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The Power of the Overton Window
Smith Sense
Royalty Exchange cofounder Gary Young joins the podcast to discuss how self-limiting ideas — our own and those of others — shape our daily reality.
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Just Cause
Smith Sense
To play an infinite game, start by defining what you stand for
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Hiring and Firing
Smith Sense
How to attract talent, pick the right candidates, retain star employees and say goodbye
info_outlineHow do ideas that were once unthinkable become accepted policy?
In this conversation with Royalty Exchange cofounder Gary Young, we discuss the Overton window — the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time — and what it means for entrepreneurs.
The concept, named after Joseph P. Overton, frames the range of policies that a politician can recommend without appearing too extreme in order to gain (or keep) public office, given the climate of public opinion at that time.
The concept offers a helpful way for entrepreneurs to think about their own individual biases and the ideas that shape their daily reality. Many of these can be self-limiting, so it’s helpful to examine them.
I outline four ways Overton windows change over history:
1) Crisis mover (9/11, Covid-19).
2) Gradual persuasion (same-sex marriage, decriminalizing drugs).
3) Charismatic salesman (MLK with civil rights, Ronald Reagan with taxes).
4) Provocateur (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Tucker Max, Malcolm X).
Gary adds a fifth way:
5) A shift in media technology that allows people to observe variances in different people’s Overton windows (talk radio, social media).
Our advice:
- Know what boundaries you’re operating within. Test where they are and see if they’re useful.
- Don’t be an agent of the Overton window, by shaming and guilting people for their thoughts and actions. Independent thinking will help get you out of an Overton window.
- Be an anti-agent: Speak the truth (see “The Turkey Problem” episode) and plant seeds in people’s heads.
Resources
“What You Can’t Say,” by Paul Graham
“The Turkey Problem” (previous SmithSense episode)