I attended Camp Hustle this week. Here’s what I learned:
- The common theme that I heard from the experts when asked, “What do you look for in your first hires, or in Founders?” There were many answers, but Grit really ruled them all. I love that, and there’s a great book by @AngelaDuckworth by the same name, that talks all about it. Duckworth says:
“A combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal — is the hallmark of high achievers in every domain.”
2. Make it so. Announce your intentions. And so it will be. Six months ago when I was “interviewed” by Brian Nichols to determine whether they wanted me in Angel Squad, and whether I wanted to be in the Squad, the only pre-requisite that I can tell was — don’t be an asshole, because Angel Squad has a “No Asshole” rule. Guess what?
The gathering was full of humane humans. The nicest, most genuine and some of the all-time smartest people around.
Pleasure to be in their company. And I’m reminded of a recent tweet from Eric Bahn — “Working at @HustleFundVC and serving its communities of good humans (teammates, founders, LPs, partners) has proven to me a canonical truth: Surrounding yourself with kind people will inspire you to be even more kind. It’s so wonderful.”
3. Just say Yes. Yes is magical. Yes is expansive. Yes opens doors. Yes is an Orientation. IMHO, so many accomplished and aspirational fellow #camphustle attendees are where they are today because they said Yes.
Yes to…working hard; celebrating the wins; analyzing the losses; trying trying trying; picking themselves up and dusting themselves off; leaning into networks, friends, mentors; Yes to All. Of. It.
4. Smart folks know how to party, and like to have a good time. Andrea Walne tells me I missed the breakdancers at the bar on Thursday night (I needed sleep). Key lesson: Sleep when you’re dead (or you’ll miss the breakdancers).
5. Covid still sucks! Sorry to our resident @HustleFundVC minivan enthusiast, Eric Bahn, for missing the whole party that he planned due to “norovirus”. I feel for the guy! Wish I could bottle up some of the camp magic and sprinkle it on him and his minivan!
6. Diversity always wins.
“Diversity beats ‘meritocracy’ every time” is what one of the smartest women on Wall Street, turned start up entrepreneur — Sallie Krawcheck — shared with us.
And she’s right. As far as I can tell, 15 of the 16 speakers at #camphustle were either (and sometimes both!) women or BIPOC. I’ve never seen those odds before.
Here’s a hot tip from Me to You — Design With Diversity in Mind.
Really well done. And it’s no surprise that @HustleFundVC was founded by three Asian rockstars…
7. Write your own story. Every one of the Founders, Fund Managers, and VCs that I met decided they didn’t see what they wanted to see already existing in the world, so they created it themselves. It really seemed that simple. #justdoit
8. Sit in the front row! I always sit in the front. It’s the best place to be. #camphustle was held in the woods 20 minutes outside of San Jose, not in some stuffy convention center, or office park. That made all the difference. On top of which, I showed up at 9:29a for a 9:30a start on Day 1 and decided to wade through the crowd of 200+ and park my bum in the front row. Why? I wanted to focus, to learn, and to be totally immersed in the magic unfolding right in front of my eyes. I didn’t want an obstructed view. And in turn, I got major eye contact from all of the presenters. And I felt that even if momentary, they were passing their magic to me and we all know that the most efficient way for magic to travel is the shortest path between A and B, which is a straight line.
9. Book Swap should be something we’re all doing at every gathering we host. While Marie Kondo aspirationally said to donate or give away everything that doesn’t #sparkjoy, the reality is, you probably have some good literature laying around in your home that deserves a second life. I brought @BritBennett’s Invisible Half, and in turn, I picked up — @SafiBahcall’s Loonshots.
10. Connect. Connection. Authenticity. Dope learning. That’s what these unforgettable two days in the woods of San Jose was all about. Find your people and then soak up every last drop of them. I am infinitely lucky to have connected with so many great people including: Rawan, Todd, Guled, Andrea, Raquel, Maggie of First Republic, Haley, Shiyan, Janel, Lidia, Matt, Hung, Oz, Helene, Barry, Aditya, Joseph, Najva, Andy (my bocce partner!), Joyce, Jen. *This list is not exhaustive.*
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Fine.
11. (Because it was just that good.) I think about Privilege a lot these days. It was a total privilege to be in that room. A lot had to be orchestrated and planned to make this happen. I had to be able to take two days off from work. My husband was the utmost supportive to watch two kids (while still sick with Covid) so I could travel. @HustleFundVC supported my participation. I leveraged my Mom’s guest passes from her employment at the World’s Best Airline — Alaska Airlines. I had the resources to get an @airbnb to stay in. I used more resources to book @lyfts when the rental cars were all rented. I can speak English and therefore can understand the presenters, connect with fellow attendees, etc. I’m able-bodied and didn’t have to think about how to navigate any bumpy terrain. And on, and on, and on. The thing about Privilege (capital P) is…we owe it to the world to pay it forward. So I am left asking myself…how do I help someone who has less Privilege, get the opportunity to attend #camphustle next year? Reach out if you have ideas, please!
Lastly, just a HUGE thank you to the people who were brilliant enough to conceive and implement #camphustle (@ElizabethYin, @ShiyanKoh, @EricBahn, @briannichols, @haleybryant, @janelspilker, @kerademars). You deserve all the credit and a big, GI-friggin-NORMOUS standing ovation.
