Start A BusinessEntrepreneurshipHow to Dispel the Low-level Thinking that Holds You Back - Garrison...

How to Dispel the Low-level Thinking that Holds You Back – Garrison Wynn, Author of “The Cowbell Principle”

Extraordinary success requires emotional competence, mental clarity and a willingness to disrupt the status quo. You must dispel the myths and release the low-level thinking that holds you back. Here to help us understand what it really takes to become a successful entrepreneur and business owner is Garrison Wynn, CEO of Wynn Solutions, best-selling author of “The Cowbell Principle“, award-winning motivational speaker, and business consultant. Garrison has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and Inc. Magazine. He also has presented for Berkshire-Hathaway, American Express, and Verizon.

Garrison managed to take a hilarious SNL sketch and create a profound analogy for life and business with his best-seller, “The Cowbell Principle“. In the sketch, Will Ferrell keeps aggressively using a cowbell during his band’s recording session. While the band is not thrilled with the excessive cowbell, Christopher Walken’s character, the producer says, “Give me more cowbell”. The simple concept around the skit is that the people around you might not agree with you, but if you love what you’re doing, and the people who write the checks love it, that’s a cowbell. That’s what you want to aim for.

The best ‘real world’ example of a cowbell is Uber, according to Garrison. It began with a market that is poorly served. Cabs, limos, and other carpool-type services have a lot of problems and back customer experience indicators. There was a desire for something better, and Uber came along. They were good at developing software and GPS systems, and in addition to market desire, became wildly successful.

cowbell princpleThe 10 lessons of the “The Cowbell Principle’”:

  1. Demand
  2. Mentorship
  3. Opposition
  4. Testing
  5. Teamwork
  6. Happiness
  7. Creativity
  8. Excess
  9. Foolishness
  10. Profits

For more advice and insight from Garrison, be sure to watch our entire interview above.


The Atlanta Small Business Network, from start-up to success, we are your go-to resource for small business news, information, resources.

Follow us on Facebook here and stay up to date or catch-up on all our podcasts on demand.

While you’re here, don’t forget to subscribe to our email newsletter for all the latest business news know-how from Atlanta Small Business Network.

This has been a JBF Business Media production.

ASBN Newsroom
ASBN Newsroom
ASBN is your #1 resource for small business news, trends, and analysis.

Related Articles

How millennials are shaping this holiday season’s shopping trends – Charlie Wise | TransUnion

With the holiday season in full swing, millennials are expected to play a significant role in this year's shopping trends. In today's episode of...