3 Lessons from Pinehurst that Have Nothing to do with Golf

If you've been on a team of any kind, you've likely experienced the powerful feeling of esprit de corps. It's the camaraderie that comes from affiliating with a group in support of a shared purpose, and ideally, a shared success. I'm biased for sure, but the Marine Corps is arguably the best organization in the world at instilling esprit de corps across its ranks. It goes to extraordinary lengths to do so because when people buy in to a common objective and each other, it's amazing how hard they'll fight to ensure everyone prevails together.

With Carry, we're building on lessons I learned as a young Marine to create a platform that fosters meaningful relationships through a shared pursuit (and shared love of golf) in order to maximize opportunities for success. If we've been on a call at any point over the past 13 months, you've likely heard my pitch about providing access and engagement and mutually aligned incentives. What differentiates our model from other vehicles to sponsor or invest in athletes is our commitment to facilitating "can't buy" experiences that bring "early-stage" pro golfers and fans of golf closer together. Fans get to participate in our aspiring Tour players' journeys (not just as capital providers) and the players get to interact with those who are providing their runway and cheering them on.

Our initial retreat to Pinehurst Resort early last week provided a successful case study. We had 28 people -- a mix of pro golfers, angel investors, and brand supporters -- join us for top-shelf golf and fellowship. Below are three takeaways from our time in Pinehurst that apply to most business situations. Please reply in the comments if you agree, disagree, or if there is anything you would add based on your experience and industry.

1. We all want to be part of something. Everywhere we look, we see ads for networking opportunities and publications about the importance of "finding our tribes." And seemingly everyone is hyping the latest fitness trend they've joined, the new apps that are changing their lives, or the locals-only-know coffee shop that serves the best $6 latte in the city. As humans, we crave connection, be it through a cause, a product, or a group of people.

At our event in Pinehurst, some of the names may have been familiar through our community portal, but most everyone was meeting each other for the first time. A few of our non-professional golfers probably arrived a bit skeptical about our model or the talent levels of our initial nine pros. But in less than 48 hours, strangers became fast friends, and our investors and supporters were going out of their way to figure out how they could help our players even more (a connection to a top caddie for an upcoming US Open qualifier, a place to stay for future tournaments, etc.) and line up when they could all play golf together again. It was inspiring to see legitimate bonds form so quickly and to read the subsequent text messages and social media posts from our golfers who now feel as though they have a "giant family" behind them. These genuine human connections are the fuel that will drive Carry forward.

2. People matter most. One of my platoon commanders once said, "leadership is easy if you have a good mission and good people, especially if you have good people." He was a humble man amongst boys and made everything look easy. But his words have stuck with me for over 20 years and they've been a mantra of sorts during early startup life. While our internal team is still small, we've placed an emphasis on aligning with great people (golfers, investors, advisors, and other golf brands). This commitment has necessitated tough decisions on occasion involving talented athletes and potential capital partners who don't share our ethos. When you're trying to survive the first 12-24 months as a new venture, it can be tempting to try and explain away "red flags." But I'm proud we haven't taken shortcuts, and I'm confident that was evident by the group we hosted in Pinehurst.

3. In-person is still better than online. I mentioned our online portal above. It's nascent but growing, and it's one way we're able to leverage technology to facilitate engagement across our community. Our members particularly enjoy reading the tournament update posts from our golfers. And that's really cool! But that pales in comparison to the joy everyone experienced by actually connecting in-person.

We'll continue to add resources and unique opportunities to connect via our online community, and I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about our platform and mission to please sign up. We're also going to focus on providing more frequent golf events to cater to a much broader audience. Stay tuned for more info to come.