When I think about a typical startup and the word regeneration there is an inherent conflict in how these 2 ideas show up in the world.
Can we reconcile the two?
In the startup world you hear stories like the founder of Invidia working all day every day 7 days a week or Elon Musk sleeping on his factory floor at Tesla, I am using these examples to illustrate the culture which is very pervasive. A culture that is all sacrifice, hard work and success at all costs and is essentially extractive on the personal level. There are so many stories of founders burning out. Yes startups are hard, no doubt. Yes it requires grit and determination. At what cost though? Is this regenerative on any level? Hell no!
I think it stems from an energy of domination, winning, being the first or best, competition and control. I refuse to believe that things have to be this way.
It also begs the question of what really success is. If we zoom out are we succeeding as a species? I struggle to say anything but no. The Gini coefficient is getting bigger. We have not managed to slow climate change and our greenhouse gas release into the atmosphere in fact its still increasing. We have ecosystems collapsing, rising temperatures, wars, famine, you name it... There are a few people getting wealthy at the top while the rest are suffering more and more. And the future looks bleak if we carry on like this.
If we continue to duplicate this model of extraction on any level we will ultimately lose. So whats the antidote? Regeneration of course.
How do we apply it? I don't really know but there are many people having these thoughts and conversations so we are figuring it out. We do need to rethink how we do everything though. I am following my nose and trying to remain centered and listen to my instincts and this is what I have so far:
1. My health is vital. If I am not at my best I can not function well and my productivity and quality of thought bottoms out pretty quickly. So I make sure I get enough sleep every night, thats minimum 7 hrs, ideally 8. I walk away from my screen at 9pm latest so i can decompress before sleep. I exercise or move my body daily even if its 15 minutes of yoga and ideally includes time in nature. I meditate as often as possible, ideally daily. I eat healthily. I have regular walks with friends in the mountains. I surf when I can. I don't sacrifice these for work otherwise I become miserable.
2. I have a family which is very important to me. Success to me also means being a good husband and father. So I eat dinner with my family every day. I make sure I have at least one day on the weekend where I don't work so I can be with them. We have family holidays at least once a year. I spend time with my daughters at any chance I can get, they are teens now so my days are numbered. For me neglecting my family is not worth any financial or work related success.
3. I feel very passionate about what I am doing with Source, my startup, and know that I will get there so I am playing a slightly longer game. I am not pushing myself insanely hard and focusing on priorities and quality of engagement. Its a balance though because I do still want to get to market as soon as I can, it has to work with the rest of my life in balance though otherwise I start asking why I am doing this.
4. I may be the one who has started Source and am pushing it forward at the moment but I dont need to own or control it. I look forward to the point when there are many contributors and we are doing it together. Collaboration is a key value of regeneration for me. Its replaces the domination and competition energy. We have such big issues to solve globally that if we dont do it together we are fucked. This in my eyes has to be the new way. And to me in my body it feels way better. Less on edge, less stressful, more harmonious. How this looks practically I am still figuring out. maybe it will means a part community ownership model...
5. Source has a business model behind it. people who want their stories and content distributed will need to pay a subscription for the service. But, there is a different pricing model for the global south and for non profits. Indigenous wisdom holders will be free forever. With this I am acknowledging the inequality in the world and trying to rectify it.
6. My longer term vision is to create a fund for creators. So a significant amount of our profits will go towards grants to help people tell their stories. There are voices in this world that are not being heard, who have things to teach all of us. I want to level the playing fields so these people and communities and have a platform to be heard in this world.
7. Probably the most important for me is humility. I am learning as I go. i don't have the answers. I am asking for help. And I am ok with it.
I would love to explore any of these thoughts further with anyone who feels drawn to.
I have an open door policy.
get in touch.
Lets talk and listen.
