Tales of a Hudson Valley Localist
The Why Behind the SVI
by Ajax Greene
We have met the enemy and they are us. Oftentimes the biggest challenges
a business owner or nonprofit leader faces is the “stuff” we have that prevents
us from acting in our own or our organization’s best interest. For social
entrepreneurs who are working toward inventing a new economy this can be even
more pronounced.
Personally, I am not Buddhist enough to pray for adversity. Yet, as you could
learn at the upcoming Social Venture Institute/Hudson Valley (May 9-11) from
our two keynote True Confession speakers, failure is integral to success.
On Friday evening, we have Amanda Steinberg—the founder and CEO of
DailyWorth, a website rocking the world of personal finance for women. Now age
36, I have known Amanda since she was about 22 and we were working together on
a team responsible for creating the second best website I ever built. Amanda is
living proof that after several failed attempts, she found the right mentors
and discovered the right “business model.” With many millions of venture capital
raised, including from a Google founder, she is on a rocket ship. Be prepared
to be inspired by a young single mom who is choosing to overcome her
challenges.
The Saturday night True Confessions speaker is Dal LaMagna. I don’t want
to give away all the details, but on his way to becoming “Tweezerman,” and now
CEO of the Brooklyn-based recycled counter tops manufacturer IceStone, Dal will
recount how many credit cards he maxed out (a lot) and how many failures he had
(a lot) before becoming the amazing “overnight” success he is today. Maybe he
will even talk about his failed attempts to run for Congress.
If you cannot attend the entire conference but want to hear Dal and
connect with full conference participants, then you can attend the public
“Keynote + Cocktails” event. Dal will be providing everyone a free copy of his
book.
The idea behind the SVI is to not only inspire you, but also give you actionable
tools to maintain your business on a sustainable path to the success as defined
by yourself. This is not meant to be a quick crack high. It is a safe place to
learn and grow with your peers and gather the specific tools you need to
minimize your failures and maximize your dreams.
Consider applying to be a Case Study presenter. These are at the core of
the SVI model, where the greatest learning happens. A presenter poses a
specific business problem to a panel of “expert” respondents. Panelists and
retreat participants alike offer advice based on their experience and
expertise. My co-producer Scott Tillitt likes to call it “Shark Tank without
the snark.” Whether as a participant or a member of the audience, the learning
is deep and real.
We have four amazing panelists. Mike Oates works with local investor and
politician Sean Eldridge as CEO of Hudson River Ventures. It takes a keen
business eye to find a business that will repay a loan or give a return on an
equity investment here in the Hudson Valley, and that’s Mike’s role. Heather
Jassy is a VP at Etsy. A former entrepreneur and therapist, she now spends her days
designing programs to help Etsy sellers all over the globe to be more effective
business people. Raphael Bemporad is a partner at BBMG, a Brooklyn-based branding
consultancy that has done extensive research into why customers are so drawn to
values-led companies. I’ve previously referenced in this column Raphael’s work
on “in me, on me, around me.” Learn data-driven ways to more effectively
communicate your message. Then, through her “ecopreneur”-focused co-working
space, Green Spaces (soon becoming Impact Hub NY), Marissa Feinberg is at the
center of all the cool, hip, innovative, socially responsible companies in NYC.
We will end on a high note with Accord-based Jeffery Davis, a nationally
recognized expert on how creatives flourish in times of challenge and change. Not
a simple task, but maybe the most important.
We want nothing less than the weekend at SVI/Hudson Valley to empower you
to make the internal changes that will drive your organization’s success.
Remember that as social entrepreneurs we are working to solve both local and
global challenges with a new way of doing business.
Finally, something all conference producers know (but many will not
admit): As cool as all these speakers are, the real magic usually happens late
at night or over a sumptuous meal with your fellow attendees. We’re blessed to
host this at Omega Institute, a place conducive to such magic. SVIs have
produced new lifelong friends, profitable business collaborations, and intense
moments of connection. Please join us May 9-11. Details at
www.svihudsonvalley.com.
Posted by Chris Hewitt
on 11:14 AM.
Filed under
Rethink Local
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