Professional Equities - April 2020

HELP YOUR COMPANY SLAY THE DRAGONS With Business Lessons From Fantasy Novels

to success was putting the right people in the right positions.

than work to protect himself from risk (and liability), he failed to prepare for the worst outcome. Wishful thinking never helps leaders — even in fantasy stories.

The bookshelf of your average business owner is usually chock-full of hard-hitting nonfiction. And why not? Books like “The Obstacle Is the Way,” or “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” are great sources of inspiration for entrepreneurs in any industry. But did you know that the world of fiction has lessons to offer too? J.R.R. Tolkien’s first fantasy novel chronicles a quest for treasure, led by the upstart dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield. There’s just one problem: A dragon guards the gold and jewels. Thorin has no plan to defeat this threat, and his party unwittingly releases it upon a town. The angry residents then hold the dwarf king liable for destruction of property. ‘THE HOBBIT’: A POORLY PLANNED VENTURE

‘THE WITCHER’: TOSS A COIN TO YOUR MARKETER In Andrzej Sapkowski’s popular novels, Geralt of Rivia has a PR problem. Mistrusted for his supernatural abilities, he can rarely find work, despite being an expert in a niche industry: monster hunting. Those willing to hire him often misunderstand his services and think he’s an assassin, all due to a classic case of bad branding. Jaskier, who decides to write songs and poems about his adventures with Geralt. Soon, people across the continent know of Geralt and his talent for driving off things that go bump in the night, which goes to show that sometimes, good marketing makes all the difference. Fortunately, our hero’s prospects change when he befriends an eccentric bard named

‘HARRY POTTER’: HOGWARTS BUILT TO SELL In the final book of the megahit series, it becomes clear that Dumbledore’s real wizardry was in his ability to execute an exit strategy. Over the course of the novel, Harry and his friends

uncover the tools Dumbledore left behind to defeat Voldemort. The instructions he left were cryptic at best, but thankfully, Harry and friends eventually sort things out. Dumbledore’s key

The dragon attack was a known risk in Thorin’s venture, and he failed to account for it. Rather

Take a Break!

Inspired by AllRecipes.com

EASTER LAMB CAKE Ingredients

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Coat lamb cake mold with vegetable oil and wipe clean after a fewminutes. Then grease again and flour cake mold. 2. In a bowl, sift cake flour, then sift flour again with baking powder and salt. Set aside. 3. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter together to form a batter. 4. Add flour mixture and milk to the batter alternately. 5. Stir batter until smooth and add vanilla extract. 6. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. 7. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. 8. Fill cake mold with batter and avoid air pockets. Place the lid on the cake mold, secure it tightly, and place it on a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour. 9. Let cake cool completely before decorating with frosting, candy, and edible Easter grass.

2 1/4 cups cake flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

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1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup butter

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1 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 egg whites

Equipment

1 lamb-shaped, 3D cake mold

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