Lessons in Social Enterprise from Johnny Lawrence of Netflix’s Cobra Kai Series
“It doesn't matter if you're a loser, or a nerd, or a freak! All that matters is that you become a badass!” — Johnny Lawrence
With Netlfix’s Cobra Kai series about to drop the fifth season on September 9th, we thought it would be a great idea to take a look at the character of Johnny Lawrence and apply some of the insights that are applicable towards social enterprise. There will of course be major plot point spoilers if you haven’t watched the series yet, but we highly recommend you do watch the series anyway (and watch it again just like you read this article again too).
For those of you unfamiliar or in need of a refresher, Johnny is from the 1984 film classic The Karate Kid in which he plays the high school antagonist and martial arts rival to the protagonist Daniel LaRusso. When YouTube and later Netflix decided to greenlight a series continuing the story but turning Johnny into the protagonist, we went from an innocent worldview of black and white into one of gray and grey, showing that there are multiple perspectives of the same series of events and the constant lesson that poor communication is dangerous.
Cobra Kai has Johnny decide to resurrect the old martial arts school he belonged to and along the way learns many lessons about life and business while he is teaching his students. For this reason, we are emphasizing Johnny’s lessons as a business owner rather than the martial arts philosophy of Cobra Kai.
Don’t be afraid to bring back an old idea that didn’t work out so well previously and try again (and again)
In 2018, Johnny opens up Cobra Kai as a martial arts school after he left the original school in 1984 and it finally collapsed in on itself in 1985. He recognized the failings of the original school’s founder, teacher, and owner, John Kreese, and decided he could use those same lessons that improved his own life in order to help the youth of today. While we can see in the first two seasons there still are problems with the ethos of the school of Cobra Kai, what we can take away is that it is okay to revisit old ideas and try them again, because sometimes the time isn’t right for it to succeed, and people may be more receptive in the future.
Don’t get stuck in your original vision–allow it to grow, evolve, change, and transform
After the events of season 1 and throughout seasons 2 and 3, Johnny quickly realizes that he needs to make changes to how he teaches and conducts his business, seeing that the development of his students was not the result he had intended: they had become bullies instead of badasses who refused to be bullied. In doing so, we can conclude that some ideas seem much better in our heads than in reality, but without testing them, we can’t change and adapt them. By remaining open to change and willing to move beyond his original idea, Johnny was able to correct his mistakes with his students and turn them into badasses with honor and restraint.
Don’t rely on informal agreements—get everything in writing!
At the conclusion of season 2, Johnny loses the studio he had managed to negotiate with the owner, who claims that without documentation, he can give and take at will with no legal consequences.
For many entrepreneurs, it seems daunting to file the right paperwork and deal with bureaucracies, but these are meant to protect you, your ideas, agreements, and create boundaries, expectations, and specific criteria for deliverables while holding you and the other party or parties accountable for all of it. It may seem better to have informal agreements to cut through red tape or because you feel like you can trust someone, but today’s friend can be tomorrow’s headache if you aren’t careful, so document everything.
Be open to working with people you never would have considered before
By the end of season 3 and start of season 4, Johnny’s martial arts rival Daniel and him begin an alliance that brings together their schools Eagle Fang and Miyagi-do with the express purpose of challenging Cobra Kai for karate supremacy. Prior to this, the two of them would not be caught dead with each other without wanting to bash each other’s face in or some other trouble.
What brings them together are two things: 1) finding out that they have a lot more in common with their individual vision than they realized, 2) having a shared goal, which in this case is helping kids learn a more moral and safer karate from them rather than the dangerous and militaristic Cobra Kai.
An entrepreneur may find someone competing with them for funding and presence, but a visionary sees the potential for a partnership or even inspiration in doing something better or different than their rival/competitor. Keep an open mind, don’t burn bridges or write people off immediately–they could very well be working with you or you could end up working for them!
Remember that your stakeholders mean more than your vision!
Best summarized by Johnny himself in his own words: "I have a long way to go to be a better man, a better father, a better teacher…. But I can make a difference in these kids' lives!" Johnny’s intention to open up Cobra Kai initially was indeed as a means of paying the bills, but his first and foremost inspiration and goal was to help his first student, Miguel, become self-confident and able to handle his bullies and therefore succeeding in his high school life.
As we see in the series, he doesn’t always get the results he was hoping for due to the many challenges and drama of life, but he always seeks to improve the lives of his students because they come first before any wealth, fame, or fortune. If you find yourself at odds with your stakeholders and your vision, remember who you are working with and what you are working for and adjust as necessary so that everyone wins.
