FFForward Blueprint #2 - What is moving FFFWD forward?

I recently shared the steps it took us to go from zero to one, from an idea to having a community-driven business up and running. While this was a significant challenge given our unique setup, creating an engine that would allow us to grow and capitalize on the work we're doing together was even more challenging. This process was more about learning from experience than planning everything in advance. We had to spend time together, complete a few projects, and face our fair share of failures before we got it right. Or, to be more accurate, before we landed on our current iteration.

The image above attempts to translate our model into a more digestible infographic. The two main components of this system are the flywheel and our operating system (OS).

The Flywheel is what gives us momentum. We recognized early on that the synergy between people and projects was crucial for our growth. Every project wasn't just about business; it was an opportunity to refine our processes, learn, and strengthen our community interactions, often bringing in new members. But in this balance between people and projects, it's challenging to determine which should take precedence. A business like FFForward can benefit immensely from a network effect: with every new member, our chances of landing new projects increase exponentially. However, adding members without discernment, just to chase growth, carries significant risks. It's not just about preserving our ethos or maintaining work quality; it's about ensuring genuine engagement, which means both frequency and quality of interactions as highlighted in the scheme above. This insight is the result of extensive conversations with those who ventured into community-driven businesses before us, for whom the primary pitfall was a lack of genuine community involvement. To manage this, we've set boundaries. First, we limit the number of new members we can invite each year. Second, we place a greater emphasis on the quality of interactions rather than quantity. Doubling from one to two in-person meet-ups annually is a prime example of this.

The OS is the system that allows us to function. Developing it was a journey in itself. From the outset, one question kept coming up: how much structure is too much structure for a community-driven business like FFForward? Starting with a foundation of trust has expedited our processes, allowing us to experiment and refine without being bogged down by formalities at every turn. But while trust is a fundamental principle for us, we also understand the importance of having a clear legal framework and operational guidelines. The challenge though, was to find the right balance between autonomy and collaboration. Too much structure can stifle individual freedom, while too little can hinder collaboration and quality interactions. Over the years, we learned to aim for just enough structure. And while there's no one-size-fits-all answer, a good practice is to question the need for additional structure whenever the topic arises. If the answer is yes, then do it once, do it well, and try to automate it as much as possible, as it might take a while before you can revisit what you've built in the first place. Having the right incentives in place to motivate and empower the community to take the lead on building and operating this infrastructure is also key to making it happen.

A parting thought: Without our flywheel, the initial projects, and our founding members, the OS would be a hollow shell. Overemphasizing structure without a cohesive team and consistent revenue is a recipe for stagnation.