Seen.
Let It Go
Into the Unknown: The Making of Frozen 2 (Disney+) is remarkable.
The documentary follows Director Jennifer Lee and her team in the last year of the production. Whilst slightly stretching our usual rule for "seen" (real stories, from real businesses) we felt it too good not to share.
Without spoilers, the first five minutes shows the team presenting their 20% complete film to a room full of other Oscar winning Disney Directors. Then these Directors savagely critique it.
The team, having worked on the film for 3 years already, listen, take it on board and - without ego or resistance - set to work addressing every point made.
For us, this is what creative collaboration looks like at the sharp end. We were inspired by how familiar this felt to the process of creating a business. We often face criticism, often from people who claim to know better. We face brutal set-backs and knock-backs. Yet we hold our teams together and continue the journey.
The series - and Jennifer Lee herself - provided an inspiring example of how to do that with tenacity, humanity and passion.
Read.
Into The Unknown
At the start of 2019 there were 5.82 million small businesses in the UK providing three fifths of employment. Since 2011 they have driven over 70% of employment growth.
This article from the Sunday Times is a reminder that founders and entrepreneurs will be at the forefront of our recovery.
For us this is about more than the tanned-and-wealthy cliche of what entrepreneurs are. It's as much about your local corner shop or cafe. Businesses based out of your local business centre, industrial park or railway arches. Each one someone's dream and someones creation.
These founders are just as worthy of respect as the Musks, Bezos and Bransons of this world, if not much more. They will be key in rebuilding what Covid has destroyed.
But they are tired. Cash stretched. Drained by the past months and by the thought of what's ahead.
We felt this article was a reminder to the ranks of founders to take a moment to be proud. If you are among them, we'd love to see you do what you need to rejuvenate and reconnect with the passion that drove you to start your business.
You are hope as we head into the unknown of the coming decades.
Learned.
Show Yourself
Dear... from Apple TV involves people sharing letters they have been sent from others whose lives they have inspired.
This in itself pays tribute to the difference one person can make. Not just in what they cause to happen, but in how they are seen, and how that influences and inspires the lives of others.
In one particular story from the wonderful Jane Goodall she shared something from someone she found influential: her mum.
When confronted by someone you disagree with or who you believe is wrong, start by listening to them. Make your intention not to change their minds, but to get into a conversation.
This is how change starts.
And finally.
Every founder has their own metaphors for the experience of creating and growing a business.
A famous one is that it's like jumping off a cliff and working out how to build the plane on the way down.
We nearly called this blog, email and podcast "attacked by bees". For years, as we knew each other trying to grow the businesses we had at the time, this served as a metaphor for what it felt like. But we thought was a bit negative.
If you have a favourite metaphor, we'd love to hear it?
Don’t forget to check out the accompanying podcast version of #founderhacks for a tantalising live experience of team atomex!
