September in review

I’m almost embarrassed by how excited I am about shifting to a podcast format!

I know, I know. There are a bazillion podcasts out there and the topic of entrepreneurship is not that rare, either. But let me tell you, after more than 800 hours spent on interview production, writing and editing for the Community, I am SO very ready to shift to a new medium! What’s more, I am working with the brilliant Sean and Tara McMullin at Yellow House Media who have been incredibly helpful in asking the right questions and shepherding me through this process (if you’ve ever tried to create something awesome all by yourself, you know the isolation and brain-loop-madness I’m talking about!).

They helped be step back to square one and figure out why ecosystem building for social change is even relevant. I mean, YOU know that. And I know that. But putting myself in the shoes of someone who has not been reading and absorbing everything under the sun on that topic for the last six years was a challenge, I kid you not.

Here are a few things that became very clear to me in laying the foundation for this podcast:

• I despise elevator music. I will turn off any podcast that starts with mellow classical jazz.
• I cannot stand podcasts in which two people sit down in front of the mic and simply shoot the $#!+. Come on friends, this is the heyday of content creation and I, for once, cannot wait to lay out the first four seasons that I want to produce for you. Once the first one is done that is.
• I find that existing podcasts on ecosystem building do an excellent job of spotlighting thought leaders and experts. I have decided to focus on practitioners from the field who do this work day in and day out. Personally, I get the most out of conversations with practitioners who geek out over the nitty gritty processes and stepping stones in our line of work rather than visionary ideas and global trends. I’m nervous whether it will draw enough of an audience.

Now that you let me share my freaky excitement, here’s what else has been happening:

• As you know I’ve partnered with Zebras Unite this year to interview co-op members, chapter leads, founding members and allies of the movement. You find all interviews under Community and on Zebras Unite’s Medium channel as Bush Radio series.
• I’m working with a different client by contributing to the growing body of research and case studies on entrepreneurial ecosystem building. I’ll share the outputs once we have something to show!
• I’ve put off creating a lead magnet for as long as I could and I’m determined to give this a go this month. I’ve taken the courses, signed up for challenges and have drafted it in my head ten times over. Now all I have to do is execute. Wish me luck!

What’s next

For the rest of the year, I’m putting myself back in the shoes of people who are interested in ecosystem building for social change but are new to it. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to come across an exciting new concept but feeling overwhelmed by the terminology and expert talk. In Unlocking Entrepreneurship, I explore why entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for social change and how a systems approach – instead of a hierarchical one – can help us unlock its full potential.

How you can help

I want you to come along on this podcast journey! Be it because you want to start you own one day, be it because you simply enjoy looking under the hood – I don’t want to do this alone! See what’s happening behind the scenes, weigh in on decisions, recommend awesome ecosystem builders I can talk to and let me know what else you want to hear about:

*This is not the fortnightly Impact Curator newsletter that you have come to love and adore.