Startup Therapy Is Taking Off
The message below is a post that I just made to the mailing list for "Startup Therapy", a new entrepreneur's group in Philly. I think that what we're doing has the potential to be really powerful. It's reminiscent of the Junto that met on the same streets 300 years ago.
One of the things that's really cool about this group is that we're not afraid to be exclusive. There's such a drive to "include everyone" in our society that we dilute their potential by allowing participants who don't contribute value for the group as a whole. While there are definitely areas where inclusiveness needs to be a part of the core model, like IndyHall, this doesn't mean that it's the only way to do things.
If you'd like to get involved in Startup Therapy, hit me up on twitter @bglick.
Message sent to Startup Therapy Group - August 27, 2011:
Hey everybody!We had a great Startup Therapy session yesterday. From IndyHall, we headed over to the aptly named Revolution House for great conversation and grub.In addition to some really helpful discussions on marketing / media strategies and leveraging each other's professional networks, we continued to refine the mission and values for the group. An important item came out of that discussion, and the group asked me to share it with this list.Startup Therapy is a group that values in-person participation. There are a lot of groups in the area that allow passive membership on mailing lists, newsgroups, etc. Startup Therapy is evolving into something different. We want to be a smaller group with a high level of engagement. The online presence that evolves, will do so to support of the offline, real world relationships.The weekly lunch meetings are the first step in building a vibrant, close-knit group. The next stage will be to begin hosting focused sessions where we can explore and learn about topics at a deeper level than larger events allow. To paraphrase Brendan McCorkle, there are plenty of places to get Startup 101 classes, but where can we get 201 & 301 classes.Some of the topics that were suggested for sessions included:
- Enterprise Selling
- Raising Capital - Beyond the Basics
- Setting Startup Priorities
Call To Action! (Yes, that means you.)If you have not been to one of our lunches, make the time to join us by September 30th. We gather at Indy Hall (20 N 3rd St, Suite 201) just before noon on Fridays and leave for lunch promptly at twelve.If you have been participating, now's the time to step it up and organize a learning session. We're a decentralized group, which means you are the leader who needs to take the initiative and share your expertise with the group. If you're not sure how to get started, just post a message here and I'm sure everyone will jump in and help.As a final note, if you don't participate in person, you're not part of the group. At some point in the near future, we'll be culling the Google Group to those people who are contributing to the collective. We understand that this is different than the approach that other local groups have taken, and that's what we think will make us special.Please reply to this message with any constructive comments and criticisms. The goal of this message is to spark a conversation that will help us define who we really are (and want to be).All the best,Brian Glick
