Founders, Startups & Communities.

Sir Isaac Newton has something to teach us about startup community building – what not to do. Newton’s first law of physics states that “a body remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by a force.” For a second, and possibly with a frosty beverage or two in hand, let’s consider your startup community as the “body” in this metaphor. Go ahead, repeat the first sentence but replace the word “body” with “startup community”: “A startup community remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by a force.” If we apply Newton’s law then your community will: remain stagnant or at rest unless you create a force to remove that state, or continue to grow in a straight line (or similar trajectory) unless a force is created. As a community building leader, you are either in fear of living in a stagnant startup community, or you are in fear that your current growth trajectory is either unsustainable or needs a new force to kick your community to that next level. This fear can lead to poor choices. The key element in this borrowed metaphor is “force.”  What …