It’s Either Called Courage, Blind Faith or Sheer Stupidity

Tags: amateur comedians, comedy, comedy scene, entertainment, failure, Saskatoon, stand-up comedy, The Stand-Up Diaries, trevor dean

My dad is a successful small business owner and has been for many years since the mid-1980s.  I remember around the time when he made the decision to open his own business in the same field he previously worked in.  My dad is the most honest guy I know, very hard working and very helpful too.

I was around ten years old at the time, remembering back to the days after he left the company he worked with.  While he may have been terrified, angry or scared about going out on his own he never showed it to me.  Then again when you’re that age I don’t think you fully understand what is taking place, the responsibilities that seem to pile up (along with the bills) from each passing day that you aren’t collecting a paycheque for your family.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this story in a previous post but it is worth repeating.  He rented some storage space for his products, and made an office downstairs with just a single file cabinet and one of those old teletype machines that had the capabilities of a typewriter.  Soon the months progressed and got to the point where every phone call to the house was for the business, where at that time he decided that he could now afford an actual office space instead of taking up valuable kids playing space downstairs.  He then didn’t take a holiday for the first 13 years he worked by himself until I came along full-time to work alongside him.

I tell a bit of that story again to illustrate a point.  It doesn’t matter what the decade is, what the product is or what sort of backing that you have.  Starting a business is a huge undertaking not to mention scary to a certain degree, because there is always the “what ifs” the plague your mind and keep you up at night.

I have tried to start regular comedy nights in two previous locations in the city.  Both failed.  One lasted a few months while the other one only lasted a couple weeks.  Part of the reason it didn’t work is because I was still in the “unfunny” phase at the start of my comedy career, not really knowing how to be funny or how to connect with an audience.  I understand why I failed and have no problems with the fact that I tried something twice that didn’t work out.

But now here we are once again, back for a third time trying to start comedy at a location in the city.  I’m not sure how comedy friendly the layout of this location is, but it’s a start. I have the support of a few comedians to perform and the knowledge of how to be funny now.

Anytime you start something new that you previously failed at, you must learn from your mistakes and learn not to sweat the small stuff that is seemingly out of your control.  If you are prepared, confident in your abilities, surround yourself with good people to help you and you properly put the word out, then the end result will take care of itself.  I just need to keep that in mind.

As we get the date finalized for the end of this month, I will give you a more detailed history of the two failed attempts at comedy in the city and why this one might work.

Be blessed, and keep your eyes peeled for another posting coming soon!