14 years ago today, I stepped through the wide glass doors onto the rooftop of Soho House Berlin as the sun cast its first light over the city.

At 6 a.m., the restaurant was quiet. Arash was setting up the bar for breakfast service in quiet contemplation while all I could hear from the kitchen was rhythmic chopping and the timid clanking of dishes. Ten hours from now, I wouldn't be able to hear myself think. This was the calm before the storm.

In my ironed and starched uniform, I set about opening the parasols around the pool, stocking each server station with buckets of ice and hotel towels and lining up bottles of still and sparkling water with their labels facing forward.

I loved the morning shift. Guests came in for good food, some reading by the pool and to take meetings or have breakfast with friends. These were my people; they appreciated service with a smile and a little chat.

I got my start in hospitality right out of highschool and for some time, I seriously considered a career in restaurants. I genuinely enjoyed creating a magical experience for a couple sharing a romantic dinner overlooking St Kilda Beach (whole roasted chicken with vegetables served table-side, I'll never forget). I loved serving champagne at the Sydney Opera House to ring in 2006 and I relished the sense of camaraderie after making it through another crazy Sunday brunch at La Cucina in Port Douglas, Queensland (Lee, congratulations on getting married at St Mary's by the Sea across the street!).

I'm currently reading Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara and many of his stories remind me of my time in hospitality. It occurred to me over the last week that this love for hospitality is directly reflected in my desire to be of service to my community - be it by hosting the 19th Startup Champions Network Summit, CreativeMornings and a myriad of entrepreneur-focused events.

On page 5, I was so enamored that I put down my fiction read, on page 145 I was in tears. Unreasonable Hospitality might just be one of the best management books I've ever read: Will describes in vivid detail how he built a business model around excellence and taking care of his people.

Between my ears

Life, most recently: Things I'm excited about, pondering and trying out:

• I'm figuring out how to translate some of the lessons from Unreasonable Hospitality to managing the Ecosystem team at SCCF. I'm new to managing a team and if I know one thing, it's that I want to take care of my people while helping them grow. If anyone else is also pondering this, I'd love to hop on a call and swap notes!
• On the last night of the SCN Summit, we celebrated ten years of Startup Champions Network. I shared in my welcome speech three weeks ago how far we've come as an organization - see for yourself in this tribute video.
• Progress. I recently chatted with a graphic designer in Staunton who said he never shared his work until it was absolutely perfect and up to his standards. I wanted to pat his hand and say - in my most grandmotherly voice - "Oh honey, share your work!" It's a lesson I learned from Austin Kleon and I hold it dearly.
• I'm also reading Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. It's a little sinister and set in the 1870s during mostly cold winters up in Maine. I'll admit, the first hundred pages are a little slow going and dark but I think I'll stick with it.
• Last week I made Egg Roll in a Bowl by Eating Birdfood and loved it - most of the ingredients are pre-chopped which makes it a quick gluten-free, vegan weeknight dinner.

On my desk

What I'm working on right now:

• We're hosting our last CreativeMornings morning meetup before this summer break this Friday. If you're local, join us in Waynesboro!
• Over the summer, I try to give the CreativeMornings team a break from event planning so instead of our monthly morning meetups, we're experimenting with pop-ups: We partner with other arts & culture organizations to host joined events and convene the community. We have 2 exciting pop-ups planned in June and July. If you're local and want to be in the know, sign up for the CreativeMornings Shenandoah Valley newsletter!
• May 21 (today!): How Ecosystem Mapping can aid your region - a webinar with Sourcelink and my friends at EcoMap.
• May 30: I'm super excited for this free webinar about Feminist Systems Change in Practice hosted by the Systems Sanctuary.
• The Biden-Harris Administration just launched a Rural Innovators Initiative to shine a light on extraordinary rural leaders who create opportunities for their communities. If you know of one, nominate them here!
• Now that the Startup Champions Network Spring Summit is in the rearview mirror, we gathered some feedback and as a team reflected on the event. Here's what you missed:

Featured Episode

Equity > Accessibility Fay Horwitt hosted a session during the SCN Summit on how to ensure equity in our approaches in an anti-DEI climate. For those who couldn't join us, here's a treat: Listen & subscribe

On my radar

I come across a lot of resources that I want to share with fellow ecosystem builders and changemakers. If we're connected on LinkedIn or Instagram, they might already show up in your feed! In case you missed any, here's my curated list from the last two weeks:

Jobs

• Right to Start is hiring a West Coalition Manager in Nevada or New Mexico.
• Forward Cities is looking for an experienced CEO to lead the next chapter of the organization so that the wonderful Fay Horwitt (see "Featured Episode") can return to her sweet spot in program design and implementation.
• Stellenbosch University in South Africa is seeking applicants for their Postdoctoral Research Fellowship – 2024/2025: Entrepreneurship in the context of extreme poverty and conflict.
• Cambio Labs is looking for an instructor in Brooklyn.
• Johns Hopkins University is hiring a new director for their St. Louis Innovation team.
• The Skoll Foundation is looking for a new Digital Platforms Manager.​

​

If you're looking for a job with impact, I highly recommend you connect with Servane Mouazan and Julia Firestone on LinkedIn - both of them share more jobs with impact than anyone I know (drop them a little note and say hi, don't make it weird).

If you're in a transition phase in your career, you may benefit from working with Julia Firestone or George Neighbors - both of whom are passionate about helping impact makers live their full potential and find positions that align!

Speaking of talented people living their full potential: I currently have three experts locally looking to support other organizations. If you're looking for remote (unless you're in the Valley) support in any of these areas (part-time or hourly), hit me up and I'm happy to make an introduction:

1. Strategic planning and project management for small businesses and nonprofits.
2. Branding and social media.
3. Executive coaching, training and facilitation for nonprofits, purpose-driven entrepreneurs, academics, startups.

Mark your calendars for 2024:

• May 29-31: Inventures, Calgary, Canada
• June 13-14: Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research Conference, Boulder, Colorado
• July 15-18: Global Entrepreneurship Congress GEC+, Puerto Rico
• June 16-18: IEDC's Economic Future Forum​
• October 28-30: SOCAP Global, San Francisco

I will be back in your inbox in two weeks!

In camaraderie,

Anika