From: http://www.bizjournals.com/

To an observer, it seems as if Tariq Trotter is, and always has been, exceptional at everything.

Also known by the pseudonym “Black Thought,” Trotter is best-known as the frontman of Philadelphia hip hop band The Roots. But he’s also a fashion entrepreneur and actor, who recently learned how to play the saxophone for a role in the 2014 James Brown biopic “Get On Up.” In his down time, he cranks out restaurant-grade ravioli and whips up the occasional roasted chicken in duck fat.

But in a candid conversation at the Harvard Innovation Lab on Thursday night, he opened up about the pitfalls of entrepreneurship, how he and The Roots co-founder Ahmir Thompson maintain a solid relationship, and his overarching commitment to music.

• Respect your co-founder. Every relationship with co-founders is unique, Trotter said. He and Thompson (better known by the stage name Questlove) have been friends and bandmates for nearly three decades. “What keeps our bond is that we have mutual respect and camaraderie, and we learn to give each other space,” he said. The latter point is key, and it’s why he and Thompson even have separate tour buses. They work together seamlessly, but they’ve done so without egos. “You can’t expect every idea of yours to stick or even come to fruition, you have to make sacrifices for the greater good of the team,” he said.

• Stay true to your mission. It took the band years to make a profit. They were playing music long before they were chosen as the official house band on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” in 2009, and long before they landed a gig withBruce Springsteen in Denmark in 2012. “Everything we’ve ever done has been for artistry’s sake, and for the greater good and paying homage to those who came before us and paving the way for those who come after us,” Trotter said.
• Work hard. Trotter’s first job was in second grade, running errands for an optometrist. As a latchkey kid growing up in Philadelphia, he valued the idea of hard work, which instilled in him a work ethic that he carries forward today.
• Be fearless. Trotter talked a lot about the idea of bravery and fearlessness in entrepreneurship. “Don’t do anything for fear, because fear will never do anything for you,” he said.
• Spend time on a name. Naming a band, and a business, takes some serious thought. Names that were nixed before The Roots were: Radioactivity, Black to the Future, Soul Fish and The Square Roots.