You Already Know The Answer

Yesterday I did something completely new, my take on a “networking event.” I took everything I hate about large networking events and flipped it into something I would genuinely enjoy.

The challenge with doing something new is you have no idea how it’s going to go. The plan was simple: each person would spend 15 minutes helping another founder with a real challenge, then spend 15 minutes being helped by someone else. Simple enough, other than I had no idea if 15 minutes was enough time, if the person helping could help at the level the other person needed, or if people would show up and get value at all and sure, I liked this style of event, but would anyone else?

I was hoping for a group of 8 founders and I had 8 founders register but more importantly all 8 showed up. I don't think that happened by accident as I intentionally created some friction. Everyone either paid a nominal registration fee or was already a paying member of one of High Achievers and everyone filled out a brief form beforehand telling me what they were really good at helping someone with and what they needed help with themselves. From there I personally matched everyone and emailed them ahead of time with who they were helping, what that person needed help with, and who would be helping them. There was a level of responsibility built into it, someone was counting on you to show up.

If I wanted as many people as possible, I would have made it free, removed every bit of friction, and tried to fill the room, but that wasn't the goal. I wanted the right people to show up ready to help, and they did.

My favorite moment of the session came from David. He was there to help another founder, JR, but during their conversation David ended up realizing something about his own challenge. When we got back together for the recap, he said, “I already know the answer, I just gotta go do it.” He didn't need more information. He already knew what to do, he just needed to go do the work.

Erin had a similar realization, she helps her clients eliminate friction and create more capacity in their businesses, and during the Founder Room she realized she needed to apply her own framework to herself. She also said something during our recap that was really insightful: “Thinking out loud forces you to confront what you believe, like, do I really believe the words that just came out of my mouth?” Good questions being asked of you forces you to own what you say next, which is typically very sobering.

When I envisioned the Founder Room these are the exact outcomes I wanted to create. Not more business cards, surface-level conversations, or a giant room where everyone gives their 30-second elevator pitch. Genuine connection and vulnerable conversations about real challenges that lead to action.

Before we finished, I asked every person to commit to 1 thing they were going to do as a result of the conversations they had. My job now is to follow up in a few weeks and ask a very simple question: Did you do it?

So yeah, the 1st Founder Room worked and we're doing it again, Wednesday September 30th 12p est. If you want to be invited when registration opens, reply letting me know and I will add you to the invite list.

My biggest takeaway was how hard it is to see our own situation clearly when we're living in it every day. We can usually see exactly what someone else should do, but when it's our business, our money, our time, or our decision, everything gets a little cloudier. Sometimes you don’t need more experience or more information, you just need someone who's in the arena with you to ask a few good questions because you likely already know the answer you just need help saying it out loud.

Paul