Collaboration

Momentum Mountain

From the moment we decide, a force is required—action geared to find and then maintain momentum.

Extra Shot

Everyone has a creative spirit. When an appetite for (calculated) risk is applied, the entrepreneurial spirit emboldens.

Meaningful momentum is awakened in endless ways. Early propulsion can mean showing up at an event for the first time, researching the competitive landscape, testing an early hypothesis, leaning into customer discovery, considering potential co-founders, building product, and eventually activating a launch sequence.

Once a project is launched, the need for momentum gets stronger. There are a world of examples, but growing the business, achieving milestones, and celebrating progress are all forms of momentum.

Even in later stages of a company, momentum drives activities like succession planning, navigating exit paths, and considering how your human, financial, cultural, intellectual, and network capital can be recycled back into the startup community.

If momentum is maintained long enough, the result can be a flywheel effect that feeds on itself. Most things you want to grow require attention, but with less friction, momentum delivers bonus time and valuable understanding. Space for new activity emerges and that keeps things interesting.

The tough reality is that if momentum is melting, it’s difficult to recapture. Once something melts, it’s never quite the same. These dips are moments to consider when and what to quit. If there’s enough energy to keep going, there may be a way to keep building.

The longer stagnancy lingers, the further you get from momentum. Tactics to maintain kamiwaza, even when momentum is melting, start with communication.

Honest communication spells out the pace. Reducing the weird by exposing the why also keeps different stakeholders on the same page. By reducing the tension that quietly brews in silence, teams can run at lower speeds, even during lethargic times. If left unattended, however, this can devolve into a lack of urgency that brings another set of challenges.

At lower speeds, perhaps less movement is needed to regain the sense of shared momentum? That’s true, but also lame. When it’s time to thrive, here are climbing tactics to awaken the mountains of momentum:

  • Say yes to unlock adventure.
  • Say no to create space.
  • Travel to expand the mind.
  • Share premium human time.
  • Revisit customer discovery.
  • Experiment with new ideas.
  • Onboard new customers.
  • Build a fresh feature.
  • Add to the team.
  • Consider a pivot.
  • Alter your routine.
  • Embrace continual learning.
  • Expand your engaged network.
  • Attend a new startup community event.
  • Revisit an activity you once enjoyed.
  • Stay centered on any descent.

    Momentum is crucial to playing long-term games with long-term counterparts. Find the proper pace by recognizing the momentum you’ll need to move through different stages of the quest. This awareness helps us quit chasing momentum and frees us to forge better art at a sustainable speed. Continue to multiply mass and velocity, which equates to momentum when, where, and how it’s needed to stay wild.

    Brewed From Within
    📖 Entrepreneurship

    By Ben McDougal, ago

    Líneas Invisibles

    Están por todos lados. Este barrio contra el otro. Nuestra comunidad contra la de ellos. Mi estado contra tu estado. Este país contra aquel país. Las líneas invisibles crean lealtades. Crean un sentido de pertenencia. Ayudan a estructurar los recursos. Pero con el tiempo, también pueden crear barreras, divisiones y frenar la colaboración.

    DOSIS EXTRA

    Esta enriquecedora contribución fue escrita por Jorge Sánchez. Este generoso traductor une a líderes angloparlantes e hispanohablantes de todo el mundo.

    Los buenos líderes reconocen la importancia de pertenecer, pero también comprenden que el futuro se construye sobre puentes, no con muros. La innovación no se limita a nuestro lugar de residencia, lo que nos invita a celebrar la singularidad de cada ciudad, región, estado y país, mientras abrimos la puerta a la colaboración entre diferentes culturas. Esto se ve desafiado por el contexto histórico compartido entre dos lugares. Cuando las personas de una comunidad tienen opiniones preconcebidas sobre otra, estas suposiciones pueden limitar el interés en la colaboración futura. En lugar de repetir quejas del pasado o lamentarse por lo que le falta a la propia comunidad, reconozcamos lo que sí tenemos. Celebremos la singularidad que aporta una diversidad enriquecedora y avancemos gracias a la colaboración con nuestros vecinos.

    Además de la colaboración comunitaria, se requiere un esfuerzo adicional para desarrollar negocios a través de fronteras invisibles. Siempre habrá factores específicos a considerar, pero aquí presentamos algunas actividades clave para construir puentes entre diferentes lugares.

    • Participa y comparte experiencias en ambos entornos.
    • Encuentra un aliado honesto que comprenda las diferencias culturales.
    • Crea una red de contactos en ambos lugares y únelas.
    • Estructura legalmente un negocio para ambos entornos.
    • Mantén al día licencias, permisos, obligaciones fiscales, impuestos aplicables y auditorías.

    El lugar de origen aporta valor cultural a cualquier situación, pero esto no tiene por qué convertirse en una limitación. Aprender a desenvolverse en múltiples entornos permite acceder a mejores recursos y ayuda a que las zonas vecinas prosperen sin perder su propia identidad. Respetar las fronteras invisibles es necesario, pero la verdadera oportunidad, los recursos y la armonía esperan a quienes construyen juntos.

    Brewed From Within
    #47 📖 Leadership

    ENGLISH VERSION

    They exist all around us. This side of town versus that side. Our community versus that other community. My state versus your state. This country versus that country. Invisible lines create loyalties. They create a sense of belonging. They help structure resources. Over time, they can also create silos, divisions, and limit collaboration.

    EXTRA SHOT
    This contribution was written by Jorge Sanchez. This translator unites English and Spanish-speaking leaders worldwide.

    Leaders recognize the importance of belonging, but also understand that the future is built on bridges, not walls. Innovation is not restricted to where we live, which calls us to celebrate the uniqueness of individual cities, regions, states, and countries, while also inviting collaboration between different cultures. This is challenged by the historical context shared between two locations. When people in one community have opinions of another community, assumptions can limit interest in future collaboration. Instead of relaying ongoing complaints stuck in the past or dwelling on what your own community lacks, recognize what you do have. Celebrate the uniqueness that adds healthy diversity and go further thanks to a neighbor who can extend progress.

    Along with collaboration at a community level, extra work is required for individuals building a business through invisible lines. There will always be specific environmental factors to consider, but here are key activities to build on any border.

    • Show up and share stories in both environments.
    • Find an honest ally to understand cultural distinctions
    • Build a network in both locations, then unite them
    • Legally structure a business to span both environments
    • Maintain required licenses, permits, financial variations, applicable taxes, and ongoing auditing

    Where you’re from adds cultural value to any situation, but this does not need to become a limitation. Learning to inhabit multiple environments enables people to access better resources and helps neighboring areas thrive without losing their own identity. Respecting invisible lines is necessary, but authentic opportunity, resources, and harmony awaits those who build together.

    By Ben McDougal, ago

    Goosebumps

    Nic Roth is an author, illustrator, and full-time artist. He is also Ben’s younger brother, so have fun sharing EP60 with a sibling and laugh out loud as we explore what it takes to be a full-time creative. We also talk about book publishing, becoming a muralist, and attending art school, before hearing Bloop from the Roasted Reflections library.

    After the break, we invite leaders to always create, while at the same time, welcoming mistakes to brew lasting progress. BEN BOT then helps us compare invested time, versus spending, passing, and wasting time. After a few quick thoughts on being brothers, Nic wraps up EP60 by recognizing that belief in one’s self is contagious, as well as, how opportunities to collaborate awaits all of us, every step of the way.

    LISTEN on APPLE PODCASTS
    LISTEN on SPOTIFY

    BONUS MATERIALS
    https://NicRothStudio.com
    http://Goosebumps.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com
    Reading Break from Roasted Reflections: Bloop
    http://CollectorHardbackEdition.com
    http://RoastedReflections.com
    http://BENBOT.ai

    By Ben McDougal, ago

    Winterizing

    As temperatures drop, those who live in seasonal climates prepare for winter. There are chores around the house and year-end tasks to wrap-up in business.

    Transitional times can be uplifting, but the coming chill can also freeze progress. A temptation to coast makes it easy to push action into the future, but in doing so, a message that once united momentum can start to feel dispirited.

    The team has earned a relaxing break, but what goals were not accomplished? Instead of putting progress on ice, reverse engineer past goals to determine whether a few final acts might move the needle. These sneaky achievements add closure and a positive boost for initiatives after the break.

    Doing what’s easy delays hardship, but this resistance causes suffering. Winterize your world by attacking hardship. This demonstrates commitment, and the cold will feel more like an elegant refreshment that conditions invincible warmth.

    Brewed From Within
    #102 📖 Life & Happiness

    By Ben McDougal, ago

    Tenured & Tired

    Consistent action transforms opportunity into potential. As experience expands, successful leaders are rewarded with increased capacity, attention, and control. Along with many cultural motivations, financial capital is often involved as well. These alluring incentives make it no surprise that many prominent positions are held for too long. Leadership calls for lasting commitment, and long-term leaders can sustain longstanding progress.

    But how can we interact with complacent leaders who have become tenured and tired? People who are coasting. People who act as gatekeepers to progress. People who hold on to power from the past.

    When starters run into the aloof, misaligned energy can lead to a standoff. Time is the ultimate answer, but what if progress is needed now? Every situation is complex because of the environment, people, and organizations involved, but here are tactics that work no matter the circumstance.

    The first leans on social currency. It requires us to set the ego aside and instead celebrate all that the accomplished, yet stubborn gatekeeper has achieved. Use respect, kindness, and appreciation to form a bond. Relationships that feel less transactional often create leniency toward new ideas. When a crack in the wall of inactivity is created, be the glue that maintains the integrity of the existing system. For example, “I’m too busy” is a common qualm, so lean into that pain by offering to execute ideas that sparked mutual interest.

    It’s important to be realistic in these moments, because when promises are made, credibility is at stake. As you light a path toward progress while you also champion change by evolving ideas into reality, trust is gained and your ability to continue making a ruckus increases. Along the way, take responsibility for failure, but give credit away when success is achieved.

    If an organization is involved, another tactic invites the tenured leader to level up their team by activating a colleague. This provides a new hire the chance to get personally involved within the startup community, while the organization is seen as being engaged within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. It’s hard for some to understand that time spent in the wild is more valuable than clocking time in the office, but if the organization allows this person to show up, everyone wins. The new community member feels a boost of innovative energy and brings intrapreneurial vibes into the organization, while the startup community benefits from fresh perspectives and expanded support.

    Extra Shot

    “Make things better by caring enough for those we serve, to imagine the story they need to hear.” –Seth Godin

    If you’re tenured and feeling tired, you’re not alone. We all experience motivational ruts and emotional dips. Even in ideal situations, leading for any length of time is depleting. Markets, products, services, teams, strategies, and cultures change as well, which shifts how your own interests and skills align over time. If haphazardness is left untamed, a lack of purpose impacts your attitude and everything around you. When the urge to settle drags us away from being our best, setting new milestones helps to spark fresh enthusiasm. Other galvanizing tactics include trying something new, developing other areas of your career portfolio, resting, reading, writing, hibernating for a longer break, or quitting if it’s time to write a new chapter. Even if it’s challenging, make an effort to find fun and be wary of consuming more than you create.

    Once rejuvenated, get back into the startup community. Even if we’re just listening, we can feel invigorating energy from the creative ambition of others. New opportunities will emerge for experienced leaders, but there’s no rush. Instead, adopt the inspiration. Let others lead, and use fresh intensity to break through emotional lulls as you uncover more ways to make an impact with your art.

    Brewed From Within
    #61 📖 Leadership

    By Ben McDougal, ago