Running with the Ball

A couple weeks ago, in the hunt for a co-founder, I started to feel like the kid stood on the basketball court alone, bouncing their pristine ball, trying to recruit another player by effusing enthusiasm.? But everybody is either in the next court already playing one-on-one with someone else or has decided to play a different sport.? Frankly it got discouraging.? This is when I sought expert counsel on my ‘co-founder strategy’.

The advice was to start playing my own game, literally to ‘run with it’.? So I’ve been spending most of my time this week making shots toward (and sometimes in) the basket trying different techniques from various angles.? All while holding open the possibility that the right player will come along and think, ‘yep, this is the team for me’.

What does ‘running with it’ mean at this point?

Firstly, it has involved me percolating the idea in my own head, manipulating it, mentally stress-testing it.? It has also included doing a back-of-the-envelope sizing to see how big an ocean I’d be playing in.? After all, we are aiming to build businesses that will be valued in the billions.? It’s no use thinking up lifestyle ideas; I need to build something transformational.? This also entails checking who’s already playing in this space or nearby.? As a start up, I don’t want to face a gorilla on the court (unless I’ve got some super street-smart tactics of course).? It also involves understanding how the points are scored.? My problem space and potential solution are within partner channels, so I need to understand what would be considered game-winning for the ‘B’ in the middle of B2B2C.

Eventually it will be essential to ensure the idea is shaped to meet the needs of consumers ie the ‘C’ or endpoint in B2B2C.? However, first I want to ensure the idea will be embraced by the gatekeepers of partner businesses.? No use building something that doesn’t fit through the entryway…

Running with the idea also means to start ‘narrowcasting’ it, as I’d been advised to do.? What does narrowcasting mean?? I mean, I thought I knew what was meant by this, but I looked it up just to be sure.?

Definition – “Narrowcasting is?the dissemination of information to a specialized audience, rather than to the broader public-at-large; it is the opposite of broadcasting.”?

That settled, once I found I could articulate my thoughts semi-clearly, I started to share them.? I began with family, who were enthusiastic.? I know, I know, family members are supposed to be enthusiastic, but these in particular are among my toughest, least patient audiences.? I also started exposing the idea selectively to smart people in my network within and outside of Zinc.?

At Zinc we have Fellows’ Office Hours every fortnight, and I was lucky it fell this week.? I signed up with 5 separate Fellows, selected on the basis of their expertise in tech, commercial business development and overall great strategic thought.? I can’t emphasize enough how valuable those 25-minute sessions were with each Fellow!? Shout outs to Andy Crouch , David Janner-Klausner (he/him) , Jim Newton , Ed Brandler , and Amanda Vine , who individually helped me frame the problem area and identify the most important risks and opportunities to size up early on.

Armed with my identified priority areas and in preparation for the gatekeeper interviews, I found a relatively quiet space at the office (with considerable help from my noise-cancelling airpods) to bash out a discussion guide and exploratory interview questionnaire.? These are tools to guide the chats to elicit the needed information whilst keeping fluid so as not to miss any unexpected insights that could be central to honing my solution’s USP.

The Zinc team has recommended we take time to rest and recharge over the next two weeks whilst the program is on hiatus for Christmas.? I’ll certainly be fitting in time to enjoy family and my baking hobby, but I’ll also be pushing my idea forward. I may spare you an edition next week as it risks a take-over by my favourite recipes for holiday bakes. ?So that leaves us with…

This week’s –

Lowlight: being totally psyched for my first gatekeeper interview, which was postponed last minute due to their illness. ?Deflating but not the end of the world as it has been re-scheduled for next week.

Highlight: discussing the potential solution with Fellows knowledgeable in the tech industry and unexpectedly finding they are also experienced from a business and consumer point of view in the industry where I’m looking to play.

Asks: Please reach out if you know any of the following who might be open to a 20-minute exploratory chat with me –

• UK- or US-based personal trainers, working in a health club or gym.
• Gym owners or managers responsible for fitness and/or membership at health clubs (including tennis/golf) or gyms
• Potential co-founders expert in understanding, securely storing and deploying clinical health data and/or operational experience and gravitas within the fitness space

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And don’t miss out on the Zinc venture experience from the points of view of my talented colleagues:

• Marjo Palanee
• Natalia Baltazar
• Josh Piddock
• Guy Naor
• Veronika Bridgman
• Pavandeep Rai
• Lisa Rickers