Hello Reader,

I'm excited to share that I'm joining forces with an entrepreneurial support organization to help strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Shenandoah Valley!

Between now and mid-December, I get to rekindle relationships, host events and provide technical support to entrepreneurs here in the Valley.

The goal is to revive parts of the ecosystem that haven't been tended to and inform what this work should look like locally in 2027 and beyond.

When I first started out doing this work in 2015, I wished I had a handbook to guide me.

Now I do.

It's called It Takes a Valley, and I wrote it.

Starting with this issue, five newsletters will serve as my live journal as I put the book to work in real-time:

Field Notes

Last week, after my talk at 1 Million Cups Shenandoah Valley, I sat down with an economic developer and asked what they need most right now.

They knew I had just taken on a 10-week project to help strengthen our regional ecosystem, and I wanted to know how I could help.

‘Can you create more time?’ they asked.

Unfortunately, I can't. But I can lend a hand to make more resources available to entrepreneurs across the Valley and here's what I'm starting with:

1. Entrepreneurs are our customers

To serve Valley entrepreneurs, I need to understand where they are and what they need. I'm lining up coffee dates with small business owners to find out what they most need right now.

2. Earn your place in the room

Before reinventing any wheels, I have put all entrepreneur-related events for the next ten weeks on my calendar. Free co-working days, happy hours, pitch nights, etc.

Alongside one-on-one conversations, I want to show up where they already are.

3. Communities move at the speed of trust

Having lived in the Valley for four years, I'm not starting from scratch. I can build on some wonderful relationships so we can roll up our sleeves as a community. But none of that will happen without a solid foundation of trust.

I used to think that trust is a natural by-product of working together.

After four years in the Valley and seven podcast seasons, I know better.

4. Pilot events to find out what works

I'm organizing six events, three in person and three online, to give local entrepreneurs hands-on tools and skills. I'm testing what days, times, and formats, including evenings and early mornings, draw the most people. I'm testing what accessible technical assistance should look like going forward.

What time of day does your ecosystem actually show up? Hit reply and tell me.

Bookish

Here's what I've been reading:

• ​The Rest of You, Maame Blue. If you enjoyed Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite, you'll like this. A family story split between Kumasi in Ghana in 1995 and present-day London, it resolves some family dynamics with a hint of growing up not knowing your roots.
• ​Culpability, Bruce Holsinger. I know, I know, I'm late to the party, but what a party it is! Loved this book and tore through it in a few days. A car accident caused by AI (or was it?) throws an entire family into a tailspin. I could not put this down.
• For the first time ever, I'm re-reading a book: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Set in dark Barcelona in the 1950s, Daniel Sempere hides a rare book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, and his life is never the same. Zafón is a master storyteller, and I've been wanting to re-read this series for Halloween for years.

Shen-Anika-ns

Last Wednesday, I had 8 minutes on my soapbox to talk about why consistency is key in building thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Imagine a first-time entrepreneur finally finds the courage to move forward with their idea.

• How will they find out what resources are available?
• How do they know what events are for them?
• Where do they connect with other dreamers and doers?

Hosting a weekly event series over free coffee and donuts (feeding people is always a good idea!) creates a consistent space for entrepreneurial talent to show up and start making the connections they need.

Thank you, 1 Million Cups Shenandoah Valley, for hosting me and letting me talk about what I believe in!

To read more about why consistency and serendipity are an ecosystem builder's best friends, grab a copy of my book:

I'll be back in your inbox in two weeks!

In camaraderie,

Anika