Guy Reams (00:02.722)
This is day 170, Building an Ecosystem. Visited Austin, Texas this week and had the opportunity to hang out at Antler VC. This group focuses on early stage development of new businesses by emerging entrepreneurs that come to live here and visit Austin. For most of the afternoon, I just roamed around and
watched whatever was going on in their building. I talked to Sherma, the general partner that runs the firm, as well as various coaches, mentors, investors, entrepreneurs, and a lot of geeks all just kind of hanging out in the same area. The concept that kept surfacing in my mind throughout the day was an admiration of the ecosystem being built there. That's when this thought came to me, building your ecosystem.
Surrounding yourself with like-minded people or those connected to your aims and objectives, that's a serious ambition. Building an ecosystem is clearly not easy. And defending the culture of how you want that ecosystem to behave is even more difficult. But consider this. Perhaps this is the pinnacle of achievement.
Wouldn't this be a true reflection of the success most of us actually want? It's not necessarily about money. It's about how we spend our time, who we spend it with, and whether we find joy in that pursuit. If you could build the environment, the people, and the physical location you want to thrive in, wouldn't that be a remarkable state for any ambitious goal?
Sure, an organization like Antler wants to grow, make more money, and create more. But at some point, you also need to feel content and fulfilled in the process, right? A process that never really ends, just continues to thrive and continues to evolve. And what better process to nurture than one that you actually build yourself? If the answer to that is yes, that's what I want, then we must consider the next question.
Guy Reams (02:23.022)
Could we actually do that? Could we contemplate and envision and build an ecosystem that surrounds us with positive energy? I've built a few organizations, and let me just say, building culture is easy to talk about, but one of the hardest things that you'll ever do. Many times without putting conscious thought into it, I've seen cultures decay or evolve into something negative or even destruct.
I once built a culture entirely centered around the chaotic whirlwind of my own life, and that culture reflected it. It wasn't particularly fun for anyone, including myself. I had the chance to build a healthier ecosystem when I was younger, but I never really considered it important. Ultimately, it was that poor performing culture that hurt me the most. Since then, I've been involved in creating and defending cultures that thrived and became successful.
But once again, my goal at the time wasn't to build an ecosystem. It was just to build and improve my team to hit targets. I didn't consider a life-changing, fulfilling, and enduring ecosystem that would last regardless of who or where I worked. But we know a good ecosystem when we see it. That antler place I visited is no exception. What I saw there was thriving, healthy, and productive culture. When an ecosystem is working, you can feel it. It's alive.
It's pulsing with energy. All the interested parties, the people, the vendors, the employees, the owners, the investors, they all swirl around and build momentum around a central point. Because there always is an epicenter. A place that is calm, stable, kinetic. A gravitational pull that draws everyone in. It's the eye of the hurricane, the constant source of energy being siphoned into a living breathing system that's around it. Here's something to ponder. Could you?
your company, your city, your home, your office, your cul-de-sac? Could that become an epicenter? Could you deliberately build an ecosystem around you that radiates the positive energy and attracts the right people? I believe we all can become an epicenter. And wouldn't that be something? When like-minded people begin building their ecosystems adjacent to one another, we witness truly miraculous things.
Guy Reams (04:45.4)
We get iconic companies that serve as the soul of new social paradigm. We get communities that become centers of innovation, fundraising, and industrial disruption. We get downtown scenes that birth entire musical genres and shift generations. We get grateful dead concerts and scientific research centers and industrial parks. Yes, I think you can become the epicenter of your own ecosystem. You can be the calm in the storm, the place where the best people are drawn to.
If more of us pursued that path, who knows what we'd accomplish as a species? Thank you.