Globetrotting nomad, Adam Haun, has spent the last two years connecting startup communities to educational programs and resources under the Up Global brand. Programs like Startup Weekend, Startup NEXT and resources like Startup Digest, have had a clear and defining impact and contribution to the acceleration of ideas and startups across the globe, including in our own region. We caught up with Adam on his way through Dallas to ask him a few questions about community building and to get his insights on new trends, resources and programs stimulating a entrepreneurial-driven city.
What is your approach to taking a local community and growing it nationally and globally?
Taking the grassroots route. It takes serious time to build a community. That’s a major component of success to an organization like UP Global and a program like Startup Weekend. Offering people something that has value along with a great experience, and people will naturally want to bring whatever it is your offering (an event, a program, a meetup) into their community. It’s always best to have someone who’s local launch your program/company in a new market, as opposed to deploying someone there and having them figure out the market.
One important thing to note is if you really want your program/event to grow nationally and potentially international, the value can’t be focused on networking. That’s a secondary benefit, not a primary benefit. The value has to be substantive. Your attendees need to be leaving the venue with a strong takeaway, knowing the one to two hours spent at that event were well worth it.
What’s the most exciting example of an event, activity or program demonstrating a vast impact in entrepreneurial community?
I think 1 Million Cups and Technori Pitch (both non-UP Global programs) are necessities for a thriving community. They fill a huge void showcasing startups with traction to the community, but also allow founders to tell a compelling story that speaks to their community. I find the best stories to be the ones where the listener can relate, but also find a way where they can help. If you ever present at either of these programs, your goal should be to activate the audience and turn them into ambassadors for your startup.
What have you seen that has worked well in other cities across the country?
I’ll state the obvious, but the very simple things that help a company grow – accountability, execution, trust, focus, and communication. No one can build a community alone, so you have to work with and rely on others to make progress. If you grow too fast, you’ll get burnt out and flounder. If you grow slow, that’s ok because you’re not in this alone. They key word is “grow” and if you’re not doing it you’re losing. Moving at a pace where there’s easy access for others to get involved will help tremendously.
What’s the best approach to reaching new people in our city that are unaware of the startup community?
I think community is most effective when you break down the silos and make it as open as possible. Over time, people from different industries will naturally join your entrepreneurial community and want to help it grow. When making progress, at some point you’ll need to introduce new industries to your progressing community. Meaning you’ll find a key contact or connector with a specific background, such as healthcare or the financial/fintech industry, and introduce them to what’s happening in your community. Naturally, they’ll bring other folks they know from their industry and introduce them to your community and you’ll slowly watch it grow over time. You’ll be surprised by how fast your community can grow when being so inclusive. Put in effort to make the community as diverse as possible.
What trends are you seeing across the country in community building?
There’s the obvious – more co-working spaces, more events, more programming, more news on what’s happening, but I think the most positive action (not so much a trend) is being collaborative. The communities I’ve seen that are excelling right now and making strides are the ones on the same page and in collaboration with each other, not competition. Directions get skewed and motives are crossed when everyone is in it for themselves, and not the community they should be serving.
If you could create one new program for the Up Global organization to run and implement, what would it be?
Focusing on startups post-accelerator stage. Everyone is quick to celebrate once getting into an accelerator, which is truly something to celebrate, but a lot of people forget how many startups fail post-accelerator. Getting accepted into an accelerator should be embraced as a kickstarter, and a lot to look forward to after finishing. Helping companies grow from early stage startup to scaling startup is really exciting to me.
What’s the greatest need or challenge you’re seeing in startup communities?
Being better at dissecting problems and identifying solutions, instead of pointing the finger why something isn’t working. This happens everywhere. I wish all community builders worked in cohesion to solve problems. But most are still very siloed. The more the collaborative the community the better and more effective for all.
I’d also encourage all communities and community builders to stop comparing or trying to become the “next Silicon Valley”. Focus on what makes your community great. Create your own identity and amplify those efforts.
One thing we talk about internally a lot at UP is being radically inclusive. A community isn’t owned by anyone, and are all welcome. A thriving community should be composed of people who want to help others and create their own, unique place to live in.
What resources are you looking into (blogs, articles, books, leaders) to continue your growth as a community leader?
Anything by Brad Feld is a great place to start. Another great one I like is called CMX, built strictly for the community industry. They hold community building conferences throughout the year and offer great content in their blog/newsletter. Most of their focus is on building a community around a specific brand or product, but a lot of the insight is applicable to offline community as well.
I really enjoy books around emotional intelligence and intrinsic motivations. Community is an area where there’s not really a financial reward, so your community efforts need to be authentic. Understanding people at a social and behavioral level when it comes to decision making and solving problems is very interesting to me. It’s a key thing to understand and is integral leading to the growth and development of a community.
Last, I enjoy content provided by Nir Eyal, who also takes a more cognitive approach.
What’s coming up for your new role and what’s next with Up Global? Any new programs or initiatives worth mentioning?
There’s a lot of things coming up. I’m excited to be working on a new program at UP that focuses on connecting people, sharing knowledge and experiences, and breaking down the barriers that create problems in ecosystems. Hopefully you’ll be able to read a few stories on that soon.
Other things to look forward to this year is the growth of programs such as Startup Next and Education Entrepreneurs. Dallas has been one of the most active Startup Next cities in the world, which is a promising sign for your community. Keep up the good work!
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