To finish things off this week, and every week from here on out, I’m going to send an actual newsletter with a few takeaways — both with respect to the content from the week and what I’ve learned about bringing Speaking Engagement to life.
First, about the content this week.
I’ve been sitting on the idea of John Hill’s “be the job” thinking around democratizing entrepreneurship. We really are at a point where the future is so unpredictable that it’s hard not to reconsider dramatically how colleges and universities equip students with the tools and knowledge to start a business. Advancement teams need to be part of the solution.
The businesses that students are creating look totally different now than they ever have before. My son is in middle school, and I’ll casually check out what he’s watching on TV. Fact check, he’s watching a screen, but never cable, and rarely streaming an actual show or movie. He’s watching YouTube shorts, mirrored from his phone. He’s watching guys playing video games or commenting on basketball highlights.
My point is that the generation that’s in college now is thinking about content and “being the job” in ways that colleges are just catching up on. As I mentioned in my article this week, colleges like Syracuse are getting rid of traditional majors and starting programs designed to teach the creator economy to young entrepreneurs. Alumni teams should hire creators rather than lean solely on staff or student interns. These alumni need to be featured and partnered with.
To quote John, “This is where the ball is bouncing.”
About building Speaking Engagement
It’s been a (mostly) fun ride getting to this point. Speaking Engagement is live, and I’m proud of the reception it received this week when announced on LinkedIn. A lot of people said they thought it was a cool idea. Chris Marshall and my colleagues at Washburn McGoldrick were great and incredibly supportive helping get the word out.
Rock on.
I had some pitfalls, too. I hired a freelancer on Upwork, but it didn’t really pan out the way I’d hoped. It was way more my fault than hers. It would have been hard to read my mind, but then again, I was hoping for someone who could ask me the right questions to get this all set up.
Then I got a real win by finding Carrie Loranger. She runs an agency that helps Substack newbies bring their business vision to life. Her publication is called 9-to-Thrive. If you’re at all thinking about building a Substack business, she knows the ins and outs and was a great help.
I also rediscovered that I’m not a particularly good speaker when I’m freewheeling. I have a painful number of verbal tics, like saying “sorta” or ending statements with “right?”
It’s been humbling to listen to myself. I think I’ve always known this, however, which is why I’ve focused more on being the interviewer. Thank god for the Riverside platform that I use to edit videos. I can delete these verbal crutches and make myself sound decent.
Last thought for this week
I really feel like I hit a home run with the Contributors team. Thanks to Annie Bastida Quade, Dave Hail, and Kristin Hanson for their great articles and Breakout takes. I added Lindsay Anderson, formerly at the University of Denver, towards the end of this week, and I'm excited for her to join the team and make her presence known.
There’s some great content coming. I’m excited to share their thoughts and hot takes, which is great because it allows me to keep more of the “sortas” and “rights” unspoken.
Thanks for your support!
Onward!
Ryan
