Creating Start-Up Champions

I give a lot of talks. When I do, I might speak to about forty entrepreneurs. Out of those forty entrepreneurs, one might come up to me after the talk, and we might form a relationship. But not necessarily. I might just get a business card. Or we might exchange business cards. But in reality, business cards don’t do much for me. There’s no real value in a piece of paper with a phone number on it. I have no personal relationship with a business card—or conversely, with the person whose name is on that business card.

It’s a hard truth, but a truth nonetheless. And you, as an entrepreneur, should think about it.

What I am interested in seeing is this: every start-up company should create a list of people—personal and professional—who care about you—emotionally or monetarily—and send out monthly or quarterly updates to this list about how your start-up is faring. I’m convinced this would create a feeling of ownership, of being vested in, or having a stake in your start-up that no business card could reproduce. In this way, you’re engaging someone else in your start-up, and you’re deepening possible connections with others in the business world.

Think of this as one possible way to network. If you send me an update about your company, then I have first-hand knowledge of how your start-up is doing and what it’s doing. So when I’m talking to other people who might be able to add to your start-up in some way, I can now recommend your start-up to them. Because you’ve kept me in the loop. I know where your start-up is and where you plan to take it. In essence, I’m now a champion for your start-up.

What do you think? Are there other ways you can create “champions” for your own start-up?