Kickstarting community through sharing “haves, needs, and wants”
Our work as a creative agency at the intersection of food, people, and place puts us in rooms with lots of founders, both seasoned and new, who are trying to solve problems and launch new ideas. We hear a similar refrain again and again - “I’ve never come up against this before,” or “I can’t be the only one.” And the magical answer is that they’re not - no problem is new or challenge unique. Making music, creating art, and dreaming up new ways of being can be lonely, and opportunities for genuine connection in the midst of the fast-paced making can be few. That’s why we founded our Founders Salon Series, holding the first event in November 2022 and with plans for expansion to New York City and Baltimore in 2023.
Being a leader in business, arts, and culture can be a lonely pursuit.
We know from personal experience how entrepreneurs are all too often siloed, almost always accidentally, in seemingly impenetrable bubbles; we get bogged down by mundane tasks, falsely-urgent demands, and the generally long days that normally come with creating anything worthwhile. Over the years as we (Antoinette, Cohere’s founder, and Erik, Tender Greens co-founder and Cohere advisor), experienced our own entrepreneur journeys and also worked with founders, artists, and makers and heard their similar stories, we began to dream of not just bringing all of us into a room, but facilitating shared problem solving. That dream became a reality with our first Founders Salon event in late 2022, and with more than 75+ people in the room in Philadelphia, we could feel the capacity of every founder there growing.
“I have. I need. I want.” It's how we form a basis for connection and action among founders.
The curriculum for Founders Salon Series is inspired by proven Google X exercises that ask attendees to write then dialogue with each other about their haves, needs, and wants. After people write down their answers to each guiding question and begin sharing with one another, not only do they have moments of genuine connection, but they usually find an overlapping need, helpful expertise, or shared goal. This creates immediate impact in the entrepreneur or maker’s network; we are defined by the people who surround us, and this exercise is a fast way to add five or more of the ideal people to your inner circle. And, as problems are shared and solutions collegially discussed, some of that burden that all founders inherently feel is lifted.
We all go further together.
As we expand and grow this Founders Salon Series, we’re thinking not just about the impact we could make individually for entrepreneurs, artists, and makers - but the collective significance for our local economies and cities. What if we compiled all of the “haves, needs, and wants” into a sort of guidebook for all those who found, set culture, and make? What if we thoughtfully and selectively brought in investors, consultants, and other advisors to be a part of these sessions? And what if the capacity and inspiration of founders in our ecosystem grew into new ideas and businesses? We all go further together, and we have a long ways to go - but with many tools for the journey.
