as an assistant to the editor. He also worked as a cashier in a deli until 9 or 10 at night, which confined practice time with the band from then until the wee hours of the morning. Stanley drove a cab. His taxi stand was right outside the door of the building where the band rehearsed, so when he took a break, he would run upstairs, | B r a nd s Th at Roc k     practice, and then go on to continue his shift. Both Simmons and Stanley had passion and were willing to work for their dreams, living the old adage, "Dont give up your day job." Simmons portrays an underlying principle especially relevant to start-ups of either the musical or entrepreneurial breed. Its the dif- ference between firms such as Hewlett-Packard, the archetype of the garage start-ups, and the myriad of dot-coms of the 1990s, which began with millions of IPO dollars available to fund a lot of unnec- essary and frivolous expenses. The same principle applies when building brands. Sometimes rich marketing campaigns and product launches make for lazy, unfocused strategy execution. Often the results attained from sweat equity are much more effective than those arising from deep pockets because of the attention to every detail and the heightened sensitivity to expenses and utilization of time and human resources.     Creating a Kick-Ass Experience   Just as it would be wrong to describe Southwest as just another brand of airline, it would be wrong to call the KISS product just another rock-and-roll brand. Admittedly, KISS never set out to be the best musicians the world has ever known. Nor did it set out to change the world with deep social messages and complex lyrics. KISS did set out, however, to give people the best damn show theyd ever seen. And it did set out to change the standard for concerts-focusing on the entire entertainment value of the event the band commandeered each night. The band also set out to connect with fans and make gobs of money along the way. Band members would make a connection to audiences from the stage, giving the fans something to talk about for weeks and remem- ber for years. Unlike other bands before them, KISS brought fire- works to the stage, along with fire-breathing tricks, simulated blood, and unleashed craziness-tactics that focused more attention on the musicians and the overall concert experience rather than the music itself. Simmons explains in the VH1 interview, "I started spitting fire during [the song] Firehouse. I would come stalking from stage right holding a metallic sword on fire at the handle. My mouth was full of k is s: k e ep i t s i m pl e, s t up i d |     kerosene. At center stage I would pause and hold the sword still. Then Id rush it within six inches of my face and spray the kerosene at the flame. When the flame met the kerosene it would ignite. The fans saw what looked like a huge fireball shooting out of my mouth." After all of the pyrotechnics, the stage would be ablaze with fire, smoke, and