A Quarterly Gathering for Entrepreneurs

A Gathering in the Making

I’ve been working on a regular gathering for entrepreneurs for over a year now. It is something I believe is genuinely needed, given the nature of our work and the way we see the world. We’ve met eight times in a small group, and the impact has been powerful.

We are now expanding this work through the Livingston Business HUB and the Entrepreneurship Academy. March 3 will be our inaugural in-person meeting. We already have 40 people signed up, with an immediate goal of 60 and a longer-term vision of 100 entrepreneurs each quarter, culminating in a larger annual event.

Why This Kind of Space Matters

Before I go any further, I want to explain why I believe this kind of space is necessary.

Years ago, a book called Driven made a deep impression on me. One of its central claims is that entrepreneurship is not just a career choice. It is a biological and genetic disposition.

Entrepreneurs are wired differently. We are, quite literally, a small minority. Something like one in twenty. And the world, for the most part, is designed for the other nineteen.

The Gift and the Risk

Entrepreneurs are the people who change the world. We introduce new futures. We challenge existing practices. We see problems others have normalized and cannot unsee them.

That is the gift.

It is also the risk.

The same energy that fuels innovation can produce chaos, burnout, and spectacular train wrecks if it is not channeled well. We do a lot of good in the world. And yes, there are aspects of us that can be frustrating. We are opinionated. We do not color between the lines. We do not follow the process. We can be contrary.

We Do Not Need Fixing

One of the ideas in Driven is that entrepreneurs do not need to be fixed. We need structures that help us survive and direct our energy productively. That idea resonates deeply with my own experience.

For years, I have encouraged entrepreneurs to find their tribe. Not a networking group or a generic business community. A place where you do not feel like an alien. A place where your way of thinking does not require explanation or apology.

The Right Environment for Growth

We all need to develop. And for entrepreneurs to develop, we need a particular kind of environment. One where we are learning alongside other visionaries, exposed to new ideas, and better equipped to create the changes we are wired to produce.

When entrepreneurs find each other, something subtle but powerful happens. There is a sense of recognition. We tend to like each other quickly. Not because we agree on everything, but because we recognize the orientation.

How Entrepreneurs See the World

Entrepreneurs are unusually sensitive to how concerns are being handled in the world. We notice what is not working, what is breaking down, and what no longer fits. We are also unusually open to new perspectives. Most people, once they arrive at an answer, stop looking.

Entrepreneurs keep looking. We are constantly reading the world. But we still need sources for insight. Where do you get yours?

I often talk about being “Cartesian,” living as if the world is fixed and fully knowable. As if once you have found the answer, the work is done. Entrepreneurs rarely live that way. We stay curious. We stay in wonder. We are willing to entertain different interpretations, different futures, and different paths forward.

From Vision to Durability

Entrepreneurs are visionaries. We invent futures. We tell stories about where we are going and how we might get there. But vision alone is not enough.

To survive, entrepreneurs must develop real skill in strategy and business constitution. Without those, ideas never become durable. They never turn into something that can actually operate in the world. Where do you go to build those skills?

The Question at the Center

Which brings me to the question that has been on my mind lately. If entrepreneurs are different, and if most of the world is not built for how we operate, where do we go to sharpen the saw? Where do we reconnect with ourselves? Where do we think clearly, improve our mood, refine our strategy, and stay grounded in who we are?

I am in the late stages of refining a quarterly gathering for entrepreneurs, hosted through the Livingston Entrepreneurship Academy, with a longer-term vision that includes an annual convening.