Startup Shepherds

Shepherds feed, guide, and protect their flock.

photo credit: the bbp via photopin cc

As a leader within an entrepreneurial community — whether you are an incubator/accelerator manager, entrepreneur service provider, or otherwise — leading means feeding, guiding, and protecting those you serve.

1. Feed — Feed them resources. (TA, connections to capital, etc.)

2. Guide — Don’t dictate, but guide entrepreneurs towards self discovery and an iterative learning process.

3. Protect — Remove, minimize, or point-out harmful barriers in your entrepreneurial ecosystem. Maybe these are political or regulatory in nature. Perhaps there are people within your startup community who do not want to see young companies succeed. Whatever the barrier or threat, protect the flock.

Startup communities are beautiful. But they are also fragile — at least at first.

Make sure your ecosystem’s focus is not simply on growth, but also on feeding, guiding, and protecting the very entrepreneurs who drive that growth.

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