Snowfall FX — Why Every Entrepreneur Should Watch — 6

🚨 SPOILER ALERT!!! 🚨 If you haven’t already, check out Part Five

Episodes 7 and 8 of the hit drama series Snowfall shares more of the entrepreneurial journey of the show’s protagonist Franklin Saint. All the while giving game and providing nuggets of wisdom to my fellow entrepreneurs. Here are some of my takeaways from the latest two episodes.

Profit vs. Empathy

The most successful capitalists, the ones with longevity, focus more energy on others than they do themselves. They surrender to the belief that if I help enough people get what they want, then eventually, I’ll get what I want.

However, there is one person that is an exception to the rule — the corporation. Sadly, putting the organization or its investors first is not necessarily fatal when it comes to corporations.

As a professor once told me, “corporations never die.” Meaning, idioms like, “when you cut the head off a snake, the body will die” don’t apply. Instead, when you cut off the head of a corporation, a new one grows.

We’ve all witnessed countless examples of corporations put greed over human life; from the NFL hiding the truth about concussions and brain damage to the Volkswagen emissions scandal, which caused about 60 early deaths.

Many would argue that greed drives the lack of empathy these companies seem to have for humanity. But in reality, the distance between the organization’s leaders and its customers/employees creates a lack of empathy. This distance enables leaders to practice selective ignorance. And at the core of empathy is knowledge and understanding.

The internal battle between empathy and profit is the greatest challenge an entrepreneur will face during their journey.

Since entering the cocaine business, Franklin has never sold crack to a user. There’s always been some space between him and the end consumer. Episode 1 of this season, when Andre took him to the crack house, was his first reality check. He, for the first time, saw the damage crack was doing to his community.
But Andre’s scare tactic didn’t work as he intended. Instead, Franklin chose to undermind the addictiveness of crack. His willful ignorance showed in his conversation with Leon during their search for Mel.

“That’s what I’m saying. Eva and Mel are strong. That’s why they are friends. Wanda, she’s always been weak.”

“I’ll call Wanda everything but a child of God but one this she ain’t is weak. What you think we’re making all this money because this stuff ain’t addictive?”

Leon challenges Franklin’s assumption that the user is weak, reminding him that the drug is addictive.

Seeing Mel was the first moment it hit home. The lack of empathy that allowed him to build an empire with little consciousness began dwindling away. But Franklin is a corporation. He’s in too deep, and it’s too late to turn back now. He’s got people depending on him to eat and a lifestyle to uphold.

Moreover, as entrepreneurs, it’s critical to remain empathetic to the social impact our product or service may have directly on our customers or indirectly on society as a whole. Don’t allow your desire for money to overtake your empathy!

Crisis Management

“Denial is the single factor responsible for the overwhelming majority of crises; it’s not whether or not your company will face a crisis; it’s how, when, and why.” — Ian Mitroff

Episode 8 confirmed that Franklin’s been in denial. Not having a Crisis Management Plan in place demonstrated that deep down, he didn’t think his deepest fear was a possibility.

Since the start of the season, Reed’s CIA status has loomed over his head. He knew there was a chance he may need to flee, but he chose not to address it completely. Instead, he only created an offshore bank account.

“At the root of every crisis are critical core assumptions that if left unchallenged set the stage for crises. One of those assumptions being there is no need for prior preparation we can react to anything bad that hits us.” — Ian Mitroff

The difference in response to Reed’s call between Avi and Franklin signifies Avi’s preparation and Franklin’s lack thereof.

When Reed told Avi, “you have to leave town now, and you don’t have time to pack your bags.” Avi responded, “my bags are always packed.” Meaning I’m always ready. Avi understands and has accepted that this is the nature of the game he’s playing. So without question and with great ease, he receives Reed’s bad news.

Franklin, on the other hand, has no protocol, so after seeing his house ransacked, he began to panic. Yes, having no drugs in the house shows police raid preparation. However, his money laid out on the table shows he’s not prepared to flee or to leave at the drop of the dime.

“But no crisis ever happens in isolation; instead, every crisis is part of a chain reaction or sets off a chain reaction of other crises. In other words, crises are systemic; you can’t just point to one person or one single or simple cause it’s the whole system which means that the solution has to be systemic.” — Ian Mitroff

Moreover, Franklin accepting that a Crisis Management Plan is necessary means that he can no longer leave his team in the dark about the business’s risks and danger. But he likely fears that laying a bomb of that magnitude will be catastrophic to his team. And that it may be the fatal blow for a few key members of his organization, primarily Leon and Uncle Jerome.

As an entrepreneur, it’s important first to accept that a crisis is liable to happen at any moment. Then begin planning and preparing for what does happen.

In conclusion, catch Snowfall on FX every Wednesday at 10 pm. Happy watching to my fellow Snowfall fan club members, and stay tuned for the next article in 2 weeks as Season 3 comes to an end.