American Chopper

American Chopper is one of Discovery Channel’s most popular reality TV shows which focuses on a father & son business that builds custom motorcycles. Of course, since its television there are obviously “Hollywood” elements to the show, such as over-dramatized diatribes between characters, artificial dialogue about project status, and extra curricular activities optimized for on-camera antics. But my facination with the show is from the business perspective.

American Chopper is an amazing case study into how a business is operated, and the character, personality, and management traits of the people that make it all happen. Here are just a few of the things I think about when watching the show:

* Project Management - Quality, Time, or Cost - pick two.
* Operations - managing and controlling normal day-to-day duties with the demands of custom projects
* Scope Creep - producing results and getting it done instead of over-promising and being late
* Teamwork - being able to trust and rely on those you work with through thick and thin
* Skills - ability, know-how and in-depth experience to get the job done
* Passion - making a career out of doing what you love
* Drive - having what it takes as an entrepreneur to build a business
* Sacrifice - long hours, strained relationships, and giving it all you’ve got
* Just a good, honest day’s work - no cryptic management speak or corner office kingdom building
* The dream of a father grooming his son to take over the family business
* The stuggles of a son trying to follow in the footsteps of his very successful father

As it turns out, I couldn’t help but buy the entire series on DVD. It’s a fun way to take a break from running my own businesses and makes me think about how I would handle the various situations. I’ve always thought that having a television show that focused on how people actually start or operate businesses would be interesting. Ah, but who are we kidding. It’s not all just about business - these guys really do build some sweet rides!