What Game Shows Taught Me About Running A Business
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As an executive producer, I’ve learned that creating a successful game show is a lot like running a business. An executive producer is essentially the CEO of a television show—you have to have a clear concept that is easy to understand. You have to test and refine that concept, manage multiple stakeholders, and build a team. You oversee the workflow, branding, marketing, and the customer experience. Every game show I’ve worked on has been like launching a startup, and each one has taught me valuable lessons.
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make in both game shows or business is becoming too attached to something that isn’t working. Just because you love it, doesn’t mean your audience or customer is going to like it. That doesn’t mean that you can’t take chances or that you need to play it safe. I think the exact opposite is true. By not getting too attached to the original idea or the original product, you are free to grow. Taco Bell began as a hot dog stand. Samsung originally exported noodles and dry fish. Play-Doh was a wallpaper cleaner.
If these companies hadn’t pivoted and looked at their products creatively, they wouldn’t have had the success that they did. The first step in being able to take a look at your business, is to ask yourself if you are serving yourself or your customer.
One of my favorite quotes from Steve Jobs is: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” So often, we try so hard to make something work that we overcomplicate what was originally a simple and clear idea. If it takes you more than two sentences to tell me what your product is and why I need it, your message is too complicated and your product or services needs more clarity. Simplicity is not easy. As Steve Jobs also said, “It involves digging through depth of complexity. You have to go really deep.”
When I produced Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, we knew that the core of the show was great questions—that’s what the audience cared about most. They didn’t want gimmicks, specialty episodes and new lifelines. They wanted to watch a regular person face super interesting questions for one million dollars. We built everything around that, and it worked. The simplicity of the format made it one of the most successful game shows in history.
The lesson? Know your audience and keep it simple. Whether you’re producing a game show or running a business, you have to strip away distractions and focus on what truly matters to your customer. If you build around their needs, not just your own preferences, you’ll create something that lasts.
Want to know if you’re truly serving your customers—or just yourself? Take my free Business Lie Detector Quiz and get the truth in 10 questions.
