I’ve been organizing Startup Weekend locally in Columbus since 2013. If you are not familiar, Startup Weekend is a 54-hour community event where individuals learn how to conceptualize, build, and launch a startup company.
On Friday evening, over 100 individuals with very diverse backgrounds come together and are invited to pitch their ideas for a startup company. The group votes on their favorite ideas, and 12-15 teams are formed to work on those ideas through Saturday and Sunday, finally pitching the MVP to a panel of judges on Sunday.
From Friday evening when attendees pitch their ideas until Sunday evening when they pitch the built concept, these attendees are constantly surrounded by their teammates and other teams who are in the trenches working hard on their own projects.
The result is electric, and I’ve seen it dozens of times over the last 5 years.
When you put people together who are all fired up about working quickly on their own projects, the collective energy is incredible and the amount that is accomplished over 54 hours absolutely blows you away.
But then the post-event hangover kicks in.
After Startup Weekend, folks go back to their regular day job. The excitement they have for whatever their project was begins to take a back seat to the reality of work, family, and other obligations.
When they are no longer surrounded by their teammates or other individuals who are driven and ambitious, it’s hard to sustain their own energy level. It’s easy to say something can wait until next week when you aren’t seeing the standard someone else is setting. And it’s especially easy to let things slip when you’re only accountable to yourself.
The key for these teams to continue progress on their project post-event is to keep up the tempo. They need to continue to meet regularly to sustain progress and forward momentum – especially as things get more difficult.
I’ve found this to be true for everyone that is working on their own project. The more you surround yourself with folks who can inspire, support, and hold you accountable, the energy and momentum will grow and grow.
That’s the secret to my success. You can experience the same, and I’d love to help you do just that.