Wednesday, 11 July 2012

ever feel isolated as a startup?




I LOVE our business. I have two fantastic co-founders sharing a BIG vision for a business to help entrepreneurs. We are launching in the emerging Arab World thousands of kms away. Yet to have a meeting face to face; my co-founders are located in Australia while I operate out of Canada.

As virtual founders we are building something very real via email, Google docs, the cloud, collaborative software and good old Skype. We are thinking BIG and building with heart.

What’s missing is the contagious emotional energy that feeds off of every new discovery and idea shared face to face. We experience some of that during our Skype calls – but it’s just not the same as sinking into a soft chair at your favourite coffee shop, contemplating your deepest thoughts or raising your voice and glass over the energetic background noise of your local pub.

What our virtual scenario does provide is the benefit of knowledge and trends from over three regions. Peer energy and support is never far away with the plethora of startup and entrepreneurial associations and groups available across the globe.

At this very moment I am on the train destined for the International Startup Festival in Montreal. These are the kinds of gatherings that feed the soul, open the mind and result in a grand creativity dump post-festival, not to mention new friends. 

If you feel isolated as an entrepreneur, reach out. You can easily find empathy, respect, support, ideas and friendship around the corner. And more good news, many organizers are aware of budget limitations of startups and accommodate their budgets accordingly.

Don't just network - connect!

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