You are the infrastructure
I just returned from Nashville, TN where I facilitated the latest Start Up Weekend. The details about the event follow in the next blog posting. But, I want to separate one aspect of the weekend out and address it here.
One comment that I heard more than a few times was that Nashville is not as supportive as other cities of their entrepreneurs. They have the Nashville Technology Council, whose Chair and Chair Elect attended and that is a great start. But what I kept hearing was that support for entrepreneurs, for certain types of ideas, was limited. That the infrastructure for innovation and entrepreneurship was missing.
I don’t know if that is true, but I want to say this to the 70 people that I met this weekend:
You are the infrastructure.
Do you realize your collective power? You are 70 people who believe in self-reliance, self-determination, creativity, perseverance, teamwork. You are 70 people who decided Friday night to create something, and 48 hours later, you had created six companies. Do you understand the power in that? No venture capitalist made that happen, no city patriarch, no agency.
You did it.
Without any help from any one else.
Except 70 like minded individuals with passion and a drive to create something.
And here’s the thing. I bet each of you know at least one other person exactly like you. If you do, that’s 140 entrepreneurs who believe in self-reliance, self-determination. And if 70 people can create 6 companies in less than 48 hours, what can 140 people do? And if those 70 people know other people?
Collectively, you are the infrastructure
Don’t wait for permission, guidance, handouts from some other source.
Create the Nashville you want to see.
You did it in a room at the Owens School of Management. I know many of you. You can move it outside of that room, off that campus and into the city, until it becomes part of the fabric that is Nashville. I know you can do it, and deep down, each of you do too.
Thank you for an invigorating weekend. It was a privilege and a joy to work with you.
October 14, 2008 at 10:37 am
George,
That’s great advice. Thanks for the incredible guidance both in this post and during the last weekend.
Darrin
October 15, 2008 at 12:39 am
Love it. I firmly and wholeheartedly agree. I was struck with the caliber of attendees at this weekend’s event, and definitely encouraged about the access I have to people who can get things done in Nashville and beyond.
Thanks so much for being there this past weekend. It was great to meet you, of course! But also your comfort level with the process was incredibly helpful to us Startup Weekend newbies.
Remember to let me know next time you’re in Nashville!