Weekly Reflections 31/03/23
Reflections on a fast-paced, eventful week...
Marketing: There is a Kaizen-like continuous improvement cycle bedding in regarding how we articulate our value proposition at Consilience. The revolutions cycle around how we not just empathise with our prospective customers, but understand what fix we are selling them for a specific problem - and, going beyond this, how easily we can make the delivery of this fix as smooth and painless as possible. We're thinking not just about the formulation, efficacy and side effects of our painkiller or vaccine, but the implications of our chosen vector/device/mechanism of administration - to use a somewhat contemporary, if sectorally irrelevant, metaphor. The 'eureka' moments are increasing in frequency and intensity and there is palpable excitement punctuating the atmosphere of deep focus.
Jiujitsu x Business: I have two damaged knees and have never been a particularly good wrestler or judoka, so I play a lot of open, closed and butterfly guard - particularly if it looks like my opponent is a strong wrestler with a low centre of gravity. Why on Earth would I fight him in a setting where he has the advantage? I want to be able to dictate the pace, position and what attacks I can apply. Similarly, when I'm approaching new challenges in business, how can I bring my best characteristics, traits and actions into play from a place where I am initially out of my comfort zone and unable to immediately apply them? By mapping routes from my new position to a position where I am more comfortable, whilst simultaneously looking for familiar patterns for how I enter or setup familiar attacks that translate well to my new position.
Liverpool tech ecosystem: I've had 5 different founders from Liverpool in the past fortnight tell me they're applying to Sequoia's Arc programme. This is amazing; Not to put a particular VC or brand on a pedestal - but amazing that there is such tech startup activity, with global ambition, occurring locally - which seemingly did not take place much 5+ years ago. You don't need insane amounts of money and gloss to build a successful ecosystem - just committed risk-takers and volunteers. To quote Joey Diaz "...because you don't need 20 friends… You just need three motherfuckers and you can take over a country… You give me three bad motherfuckers and you're finished."
