I had a conversation with an early founder who’s spent time in Atlanta’s and San Francisco’s start-up ecosystems. He’s trying to decide which will be his home base. I’m a huge advocate for Atlanta, so I was curious to hear his perspective on the two cities. He shared a variety of things, and the main thing he said stuck with me: San Francisco embraces dreamers; Atlanta embraces hustlers.

From his time in San Francisco, he learned it’s a city that respects big, outlandish visions. Even if it sounds crazy, people (investors and other founders) will support it. There’s a belief that the outlandish can become reality, have a big impact on society, and generate massive financial returns. Atlanta, he said, is a city that respects action and execution. Getting stuff done and moving things forward matter most. People prefer execution to big visions.

I’ve never heard anyone make this comparison before, and it got me thinking. I haven’t spent enough time out west to judge San Francisco, but I do know Atlanta well. I’m not sure that I agree with him. I think Atlanta embraces big-picture thinking but is also pragmatic. The pragmatism is rooted in the exits local start-ups have had. As those exits have increased in size, so have beliefs around what’s practical (for better or worse). As more founders have larger exits, I think we’ll continue to see bigger dreams embraced by the city.

I was catching up with friends yesterday. One of my buddies I haven’t seen in a few years was there. We’ve known each other since childhood, and we both migrated to Atlanta after graduation. We were catching up on life and how we navigated the pandemic when he casually mentioned that he reads my blog and finds its content helpful. There were other people around, and that remark sparked a great conversation about the power of knowledge, proximity to success, and the impact that mindset has on the ability to accomplish something great. Most of the people involved in the conversation aren’t entrepreneurs (yet), but they were engaged and had lots to offer from their perspectives.

I rarely talk about work and haven’t discussed my blog (for better or worse) with childhood friends, so yesterday was an anomaly. The conversation was enlightening for several reasons. One was that it reminded me that there’s a desire by non-entrepreneurs for the same information and experience sharing that entrepreneurs appreciate. Lots of learnings derived from the entrepreneurial journey are helpful for non-entrepreneurs too (e.g., the value of self-awareness).

I rarely hear from people outside tech or entrepreneurship about my posts. The conversation was motivation not only to keep writing but also to consider other ways to share my experiences with non-entrepreneurs.

I watched a fireside chat by a successful founder yesterday. He shared his thoughts on the importance of one’s network and the impact his has had on his career. Advice he got from mentors twenty years ago continues to be the foundation for his growing enterprise. He believes strongly that you’re an average of the five people you surround yourself with. He also believes your net worth is a result of your network.

The people in your network can have a big impact on your trajectory, for better or worse. I was a nontechnical founder who knew zero about software. Being friends with other founders who were building software was the impetus for me to pursue building software for my start-up. The software was the backbone of our ability to scale the company to over $10 million in annual revenue. And I could give you countless other examples of how my network led to big wins throughout my journey.

Founders should be mindful of the outsize impact their network can have. A strong network can’t replace execution. You still must do the work. But a network of credible people can be a great complement that accelerates your success.

Over the last eighteen months, Atlanta has seen an influx of new residents. I was able to chat with a local commercial real estate expert recently. He’s lived in other major metropolitan cities out west and has a unique perspective. I was curious to hear his thoughts on Atlanta as a city and from a commercial real estate perspective.

He’s bullish on Atlanta and believes the city has the ingredients for sustained growth. Here are a few takeaways:

• Expandable – The city has undeveloped and underdeveloped areas to support its growth. Other major cities, such as San Francisco and New York, have a limited ability to expand to support residential and commercial real estate growth. We specifically discussed the west side of Atlanta; for instance, West Midtown.
• Tech hub – Several large companies are establishing tech offices in Atlanta. Some of them have had small offices or small teams based in the city in the past. This time is different. Some are constructing entire buildings and hiring thousands of employees. See here, here, here, and here. These employers are bringing high-paying jobs that many believe are less susceptible to economic downturns. And all those employees are looking for housing and can afford more (especially if they’re coming from more expensive markets).
• Insufficient housing supply – Single-family homes are likely to be in short supply for the foreseeable future because of the city’s popularity as a place to live and other factors. Builders are playing catch-up, but it’s going to take a while.‍
• Warehouse demand – Warehousing space is in high demand like never before. Properties that were vacant for many years are being snapped up or leased at a record pace. Some industrial areas with lots of warehouses are experiencing a renaissance and being turned into trendy mixed-use space.

I found these insights interesting, especially since they’re from a seasoned real estate expert. All signs point to Atlanta growing for the foreseeable future. It’s a great city, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Yesterday I shared my ideas on how diversity of thought can help smaller communities. A buddy responded with a few of his:

• Insular – He used this word instead of “smaller,” and it got me thinking. The size of the community likely isn’t the right way to describe what I’m referring to. Lots of progressive, innovative communities aren’t huge. Though small, they’re generally receptive to new ideas, even from outsiders. “Insular” is a better adjective.
• Conduit – He’s noticed that he has a different network than most in his hometown, an insular community. He’s credible in both communities and can lend credibility to both sides. Start-ups and people from the insular community that he introduces to his network are embraced with open arms and may even get opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t. And he’s able to convince people from his network to visit his hometown. When they do, they’re embraced with open arms by locals because of their connection with my buddy. If he didn’t act as a conduit, the two communities would tend to distrust one another. When he does, though, the people in both have open minds and generally have a great experience and positive impression of each other when all is said and done.

I’m glad my buddy shared his thoughts with me. I think he made some great points. The conduit role he described is a great third way to foster diversity of thought and help insular communities thrive. I’m looking forward to my thoughts evolving more around this topic.

Years ago, a buddy told me that one of the problems with second- and third-tier cities was that people left after graduation for better opportunities in bigger cities. I think he called it a brain drain. He believed the solution was to convince graduates to never leave. As someone who left Louisiana for Atlanta, I did the exact opposite of what he was advocating for. I agreed that a solution is needed to help less-progressive communities keep up with the pace of change and stay economically competitive—but not his solution.

Exposure to new ways of thinking and doing is an important part of helping these communities evolve. Instead of convincing graduates to never leave, let’s encourage them to go to larger markets to gain exposure with the goal of returning home. To bring back those new approaches and ways of thinking. And to combine them with their understanding of the cultural norms in their home community to help create bespoke solutions that their community can rally behind.

All graduates who transition to larger markets won’t move back home, and that’s OK. They can still play an important role. Because they understand two different communities, they have a unique perspective that qualifies them to be a bridge between them. They can help make others aware of opportunities in larger markets and ease the transition for those who aspire to move.

Exposure can lead to diversity of thought, a powerful change agent for a smaller community. It seems to me that making diversity of thought more accessible is a better path than limiting it. These are just two rough ideas about how to encourage diversity of thought, make it more accessible, and hopefully empower people to change the communities they care about.

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Over the last year, I’ve chatted with a few founders who are relocating to Atlanta. I’m bullish on the city and believe the best is yet to come, so I’m glad others are recognizing its value and moving here. I sat down with one of these founders, who just solidified his move date. I wanted to better understand his decision.

This founder shared a lot of things, and one of them especially resonated with me: he’s too comfortable. He doesn’t feel challenged and isn’t growing. He isn’t around people who are pushing the envelope, so he hasn’t been pushing as hard as he could, either. He’s hungry and knows he can go further as an entrepreneur but isn’t in the right environment.

During his visits to Atlanta, he found the community welcoming, and entrepreneurs were willing to share their experiences and relationships. The variety in the types of industries entrepreneurs operated in was refreshing.

Atlanta isn’t the only place founders are migrating to. Miami, Austin, and other cities are also attracting great founders. I do believe that Atlanta is unique, though, in that many founders who relocate see themselves putting down roots and calling Atlanta home for the long term. I’m excited about this movement and can’t wait to see what’s in store for Atlanta. I hope it will be known as—among other things—the place entrepreneurs call home.

I’ve lived in Atlanta for many years, and I’m a proponent of the city. Atlanta has a lot to offer, but I think that for a long time, people haven’t realized how great a city it is or where it’s headed. That’s starting to change, though. People are paying close attention to the city’s upward trajectory, and many are choosing to make it their home.

This weekend, I read an article describing how Atlanta’s attractiveness caused more people to move to the city and drove a higher rate of inflation here than in any other city last year. A few takeaways from the article:

• Housing costs were the single largest driver of inflation in Atlanta. The shelter index rose 7.7% in Atlanta versus 4.1% nationwide.
• Atlanta attracted home buyers from more expensive markets like the Northeast and West Coast.
• The median sale price of homes in Atlanta rose 23% in a year, more than the 15.2% national average.
• Atlanta is still more affordable than coastal cities like San Francisco and New York, even though prices are rising quickly.
• Transportation costs, which include vehicle prices and gasoline, are up 29.3% in Atlanta (and up 21.1% nationally).  

I’m curious to see if this trend continues and will watch housing costs closely this year.

I wanted to take today to celebrate the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His contributions to society were foundational in moving our country closer to equality for all.

Hope everyone had a great MLK Day!

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Over the last two years, remote work has exploded. Absent the need to be in the office, many people have incorporated exploring new places into their work routine. I talk to founders regularly. During first calls, I’ve started asking where they’re calling from. Paris, one founder responded this week.

How we work won’t go back to pre-2020 norms anytime soon, if ever. This got me thinking about the intersection of vacation and work. Historically, people have scheduled vacation time to spend time away from their office and home city. During quarantine, many people camped out and worked remotely in new locations outside their home cities. From anecdotal evidence, it appears this trend is continuing.

How people work has changed for sure. But I think where people work will also change. I foresee some people early in their career (or without attachments) adopting more of a nomadic lifestyle. The line between work and vacation will start to blur a bit. They’ll spend a few weeks or months working remotely from a location that interests them or where they have community. When they want a change of scene, they’ll go to another location for a similar amount of time. They’ll have the opportunity to learn about new cultures or places, build or strengthen relationships, etc.

I think the people doing this now are hacking it together on their own. Going forward, I see an opportunity for employers to gain a recruiting advantage by supporting and even encouraging this work-from-wherever approach. I also see lots of entrepreneurial opportunities to help the nomads make the best of their experience.

I’ll be paying close attention to this trend this year to see how it unfolds.