Networking

Import Knowledge

The focus on a local business environment allows small businesses, startup communities and entrepreneurial ecosystems to support the people they are closest to. This concentration allows available resources to be optimized, but overextending “local first” can devolve into close mindedness and groupthink if it is not accompanied by imported knowledge, global connectivity and inclusive collaboration.

Thanks to the efficiency of our connected era, increased proficiency is just a click away. Regularly inviting outside perspectives into local conversation normalizes fresh feedback and bolsters intellectual awareness. The sense of abundance paired with this shared experience adds confidence within a community. This emerging confidence can illuminate purpose and attract more of what an ecosystem needs, by leaning into what it already has. Over time, this adds cultural elasticity and opens fresh conduits for collaboration.

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Be quick to invite outsiders into the insider’s conversation.

As a local entrepreneurial ecosystem invites more outside perspectives, it also manifests itself to visitors from all over the world. This can grow the community, diversify the ecosystem, and boost the local economy.

These intellectual branches and societal bridges also give more people a chance to export knowledge as they interact beyond the local environment. This extension broadens our range of understanding and overall potential.

Can we stay committed to those we love and take pride in the place we live, while also reducing the limitations of our own location? I believe the answer is almost always yes. With a positive-sum approach to importing and exporting knowledge, we can lean on each other to all accomplish more with less.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Connectors Become Connected

In the connected era, building an engaged network is everything. This doesn’t mean you exchange a bunch of business cards at random networking events. An engaged network is activated when your connections care about you and you care about them. This mutual respect leads to improved collaboration through a genuine interest in one another. As we go beyond our immediate self-interest, it becomes clear that the only way forward is together.

One of the best ways to unlock your engaged network is by introducing people to each other. This triangulates you into more relationships. The more people you connect, the more connected you become.

Connectors eventually become the people who know everyone. When you know everyone, people start introducing themselves to you more often. This creates a cycle that inherently feeds itself. The social currency that comes with being a connector earns you the ability to keep connecting others. Over time, this cultural connectedness translates into an invitation to lead.

Connectors who decide to lead should continue to help others succeed while allowing new leaders to surface. Being an active leader and the go-to connector won’t last forever and that’s a good thing. It can be hard to let go of a leadership role, but your work will not be forgotten and proactive succession is healthy for the community. Let others lead knowing you’re not losing control, power or influence. You’re gaining the freedom to pursue new ways that make an impact as the entrepreneurial ecosystem is refreshed and given the latitude to grow.

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My new book debuts April 1st!

By Ben McDougal, ago

Super Sentence

Football is a battle between modern gladiators. Did you know there are only 11 minutes of live action in an average game? Even with such a small window of actual gameplay, think about the endless pregame analysis, commentary, predictions, production, and post-game highlights.

Each week, this machine churns attention, but the Super Bowl takes it to another level. With two weeks leading up to game day and another week for post-game highlights, the Super Bowl lasts three weeks. That’s up to 30,240 minutes of potential attention the National Football League can earn from each consumer. With those 11 minutes of live action representing only 0.04% of this three-week long spectacle, clearly the Super Bowl is about more than the game. It’s also about the host city coming to life, a stadium full of fans, the TV commercials, the halftime show, the food, and everyone sharing the spectacle together.

This is not by accident. The NFL understands their audience. They’ve achieved product-market fit, and since 1920, they’ve built around what they do best. This entertainment behemoth does American football really well, but $15 billion in annual revenue doesn’t come from 150 snaps per game. It comes from being outstanding at one thing, while not getting complacent. This strengthens an existing fan base while allowing experimentation to guide strategic initiatives to further increase the audience.

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If your company was given a free Super Bowl commercial, who would be your target audience? What story would you tell? What action would you want viewers to take, and would you be ready to convert attention into trust when they took that action?

The NFL makes product-market fit look easy, but building something that satisfies true demand is harder than it sounds. Avoid getting sacked by admitting that your idea isn’t special and the future of your business relies on your ability to consistently execute. Trust that early success relies on clarifying your value proposition and evolving your business based on continued customer discovery and your ability to collaborate with those around you. This takes finesse, thick skin and a peculiar combination of urgency mixed with patience. As you secure more paying customers, you may be given a chance to broaden the impact.

Can you describe what you do in one super sentence? Now, what’s another concise sentence to highlight your current quest? Let’s have a sequenced follow up. Finally, articulate how this work feels like play, celebrate members of the team, or highlight other fundamental elements of the business.

When these super sentences come together, you’ll have a playbook to better understand the realities of your work and how to earn first downs in the market. Over time, with an advancing playbook, small wins lead to larger victories on and off the field.

By Ben McDougal, ago