AUTHOR
Alon writes books. With words. Made from trees. Sorry about your lack of shade, but Alon likes writing books. He’s written two that will be launching soon. Like dueling rockets soaring into the sky on a collision course from hell... I'm gonna stop. This is turning into a horrible analogy. The first book, The Gotham Principles, is a study into how business leaders should position themselves more as Batman, rather than Superman. More specifically, the Christian Bale Batman. Not this new moody one. No one wants a leader with feral cat tendencies and translucent skin from spending all his time in a cave. The second is YIMBY – a book that teaches real estate developers how to score public support for their projects and become the darlings of the neighborhood by doing more than sharing eggs and milk. It’s all about YIMBY. Which stands for “Yes In My Back Yard” and not “You’re In My Brother’s Yurt,” like most would assume. I’m done spelling it out because you’re just gonna read them both, and neither of us have to speak about this interaction ever again.
THE GOTHAM PRINCIPLES
Superman is the kind of leader who predominantly focuses on his strengths and avoids the introspection that’s necessary for self-improvement. If you don’t face your weaknesses, you can fall victim to believing your own hype; repeat the inflated B.S. version of your origin story so many times that you will actually think that you are indestructible.
If your greatest weakness was Kryptonite, a glowing green crystal and you had super long distance and X-ray vision, how long would it take you to rid the world of this dangerous substance? An afternoon? A 3-day weekend? Would you leave it to your competition who are willing to put more time, money, and energy into using this weakness against you?
Superman is all about saving the day, not saving the week, saving the month, nor saving each business financial quarter, year after year, generating consistent returns for you and your investors.
To the contrary, Superman simply never plans ahead and to make things worse is not like he has a lot of other responsibilities in his life. He wings it every time when he haphazardly flies into battle and usually gets his ass kicked the first time, with no regard for the mass destruction of public property.
Meanwhile, Batman is so entrenched in submarket knowledge based upon his first-hand childhood experience of witnessing his own parents’ murder, that he knows that the city of Gotham is right for disruption because, despite all of their best business practices and putting in the hard work in overtime, the Gotham Police Department just isn’t getting it done.
Batman raises all the necessary highly motivated capital (granted, it’s easier for him to do it than us), invest heavily in the demonstratively ever-improving R+D tech sector, defines one city as his market niche instead of the entire globe, establishes an unmistakable brand identity that is consistently on message, streamlines his communications with the bat signal and the bat phone, discreetly starts a business out of his house, like many entrepreneurs, even with all of his money, Batman cuts costs starts the business out of the garage down in the bat cave and keeps his overhead low - with one butler and one unpaid intern.
The Gotham Principles is an engaging comparison of how most business leaders inadvertently model their managerial and communication style like Superman. Juxtaposed with Batman’s more inspirational, team-oriented, street-smart approach, Alon reveals that many characteristics that are traditionally considered positive attributes in large-scale corporations present significant pitfalls when managing entrepreneurial growth.
The book is an exposé that reveals how most entrepreneurs fall victim to the "Superman Syndrome," thinking that effective leaders need to do it all. It’s time to experience a paradigm shift in an entrepreneurial thinking that will turn nearly every leadership lesson taught in Corporate America on its cowl-covered head.
The Gotham Principles begs readers to ask themselves the question, when it comes to running a startup venture, "What Would Batman do?"
The book's theories expose how hardworking high-achieving people are a lot like Superman, accustomed to meeting their own high standards, selling their own expertise, and rising to challenges. However, these same best business practices that would earn them a promotion if they were the Man of Steel, using their bulging biceps as they climb the corporate ladder, could very well prove to be counter-productive and lead to their downfall as an entrepreneur.
In Superman, for instance, the author is quick to point out that Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mastermind ever to grace the silver screen, is a real estate developer / land speculator who bought up all of the land on Nevada’s state line, hoping to trigger the San Andreas fault with a hijacked nuclear missile to create lucrative waterfront property!
Forget trying to be the golden boy like Superman - this is about embracing the strategic, no-nonsense approach of the Dark Knight.
Grab your popcorn! Watching The Gotham Principles book promotional video is the closest you’ll get to a superhero movie without the spandex. Hit play!
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT DEVELOPER
Whether it’s a beloved animated features like Up, over-the-top musicals like Blues Brothers,or even a dance craze cinematic masterpiece like, Electric Bugaloo 2, Alon Barzilay’s latest book, Attack of the 50 Foot Developer exposes just how movies that paint developers in a bad light are all abound.
And don’t even get him started on how real estate developers nearly universally joined the dark side throughout Eighties comedies in films like Beetlejuice, Caddyshack, The Goonies,and Summer Rental, just to name a few.
Attack of the 50 Foot Developer covers the chronology of film history from an era when real estate developers were once thought of as visionary heroes to their image’s cataclysmic decline across a wide array of movie genres. From horror movies like Poltergeist to Nobody Beats the Zohan, pick a flick, you name it, and chances are that developers are vilified, while few movie fans barely ever notice.
In Superman, for instance, the author is quick to point out that Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mastermind ever to grace the silver screen, is actually a real estate developer / land speculator who bought up all of the land on Nevada’s state line, hoping to trigger the San Andreas fault with a hijacked nuclear missile to create lucrative waterfront property!
This eye opening book also juxtaposes how and why in comparison to developers, architects are nearly always revered in modern day films as, sexy, stubbled, industrious, dependable, contemplative, lovable, romantic, honorable, decent human beings.
“Geez, Matt Dillon’s played an architect in three different films and in There’s Something About Mary,” says Alon, “his character even pretended to be one since they have such good reputations! Nonetheless, for some God-forsaken reason, the real estate developer who actually takes the risks and makes things happen is relegated to the rapscallion throughout movie history.”
With a unique point of view both as an accomplished real estate developer himself and as the originator of YIMBY, an app that helps developers and neighborhoods “get to yes”, Alon offers a sharply opinionated and insightful investigation of how Hollywood has persistently created a negative portrayal of developers as villains. “Somehow someone just trying to develop anything anywhere nearly always becomes the threat that puts the entire movie plots in motion.”
Attack of the 50 Foot Developer is a seminal and diversive critique of the entertainment industry, exposing a controversial pop culture paradox…
The book forces readers to ask themselves the big questions, “Why does Hollywood always cast real estate developers as the slimy, corner-cutting, deep pocketed, politician-greasing scumbags, when all they’re trying to do is follow the entrepreneurial American Dream? Is it so wrong to want to improve the built environment? What’s driving all of these screenwriter haters to castigate a guy just for seeking some a zoning change to finance an apartment building or shopping mall? What’s so bad about contributing to better city planning, fulfilling local community housing needs, and fostering job creation, if you’re trying to make a buck doing it?
By typecasting developers as the “bad guys”, Alon explains how Tinseltown subconsciously programs and motivates movie goers to embrace (Not-In-My-Back-Yard) sentiments towards developers personally and the progressive new projects they propose.
This previously unrecognized “All Real Estate Developers are Evil” storytelling trope has given rise to a myriad of misguided social justice warriors who see themselves as starring in their own hero’s journey action flick, thanks to “Why-can’t-the-neighborhood-just-stay-the-same?” mantra forming cartoon movies like Hey, Arnold and thinly-veiled, anti-development Sci Fi blockbusters like Avatar.
Real estate developers beware! Yikes, after reading Attack of the 50 Foot Developer the way you watch movies will never be the same. Just think about what’s coming next to a theater near you! You’ll be trembling in your seat the next time that you are munching on popcorn in a dark and sticky floored cinema, now that you know that the twenty foot tall images on the screen in front of you will be subtly hypnotizing the audience and encouraging them to fight unfounded battles against urban growth and progressive development.
Alon’s wide-ranging expertise on the book’s subjects have also been translated into an informative presentation that takes his signature wit from the page to the stage. In both his public speaking and his writing about this topic, Alon entertains readers audiences, His high energy, laugh-out-loud presentation style is chock-full of rapid-fire, easily-digestible, action-packed takeaways, but with a delivery that embraces the same satirical sense of humor that you would expect from a night out at a comedy club. (Imagine your favorite college professor, a Comic-Con fanboy, and a street-smart visionary all rolled up into one.)
TESTIMONIALS
"One of the first relatable and informative books to guide experienced business owners through the psychological ups and downs that we encounter on a daily basis."
“A delightful guide full of useful information for those of us who want to understand organizational behavior in a unique, transgressive, and interesting way. I’ve always loved Batman, but until I read ‘The Gotham Principles’ I never knew why. This book will engage and inspire leaders at a visionary level and is applicable to organizations of all shapes and sizes.”
“The Gotham Principles takes readers on an amazing journey into the emotional world of being an entrepreneur with tremendous openness and honesty. For years, I was that guy who was used to running his business like Superman and I always thought that it was a good thing. In business, I’ve never been afraid of hard work, flexing my super muscles, using my superpowers for good, and saving the day. Alon’s book put into words what I was feeling, but never fully realized was going on until I hit the second phase of my company’s growth and now, I’m building my own Batcave preparing for the future.”
“Alon has written a must-read primer for anyone considering becoming an entrepreneur or taking a deep dive into what it takes to grow their understanding of how their company operates to the next level. The tools and insights Alon lays out in his book helped me realize the psychology, emotions, and problems that I’ve been dealing with are par for the course, and made me appreciate that I was not alone.”
"Whether you're thinking about starting your first business or if you're already knee-deep in a startup operation, or even if you're an experience entrepreneur, this practical guide offers authentic advice of how to harness your superpowers the right way."
“It’s required reading for any leader looking to strengthen teams and accelerate results. You should get to know Alon’s unusual perspective on leadership. I sort of knew a little about Superman from the Christopher Reeves movies and I remember Batman from those campy 1960’ TV reruns, but I’m the furthest thing from being a comic book expert! Nonetheless, all of the references came rushing back in my mind when Alon applied these characters, their origin stories, secret identities, and arch nemeses to the plight of an entrepreneur. Now, I can’t get his unique business philosophies and that annoying song out of my head! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na ….”
“Holy Toledo, Batman!” Reviewers have called his work ”Brilliant, irreverent, and ill-tempered!”…”One of the first relatable and informative books to guide experienced business owners through the psychological ups and downs that we inevitably face on a daily basis. I read through this best-selling one-of-a-kind book cover-to-cover in one sitting. It’s amazingly insightful, an easy read, and has forever changed the way I look at superhero movies!”
“As I brought on my new leadership team, this book and website virtually became a Management 101 class that was essential in improving communication throughout our organization. It gave us a fun, relatable language that was applicable to our novices as well as our seasoned experts and it continues to shape my approach to many aspects of my work. Who would have thought that all those Batman movies that my that my kids forced me to watch would ever be so useful in the office!”
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