This was a tough post to write. Coming back late last Thursday night from SXSW V2V, the premiere event in Las Vegas from SXSW, I've been bubbling over with ideas and motivation. Like the Austin version, there was so much going on, and so much to see and do — and I wanted to see all of it. Unlike Austin, the relatively small size (1500 as opposed to 30,000 registrants!) contributed to a friendly, welcoming vibe. Here, some things that I gleaned from all that time.
1. Be mindful in your social media. I was unhappy with a pricey swag bag from an event, that ended up including very little. The response to my disgruntled tweet? A "sorry" with no response to my follow-up question, and another tweet thanking me for having a great time. Clueless, anyone?
No one is perfect, but treat people with some respect, especially if they've invested in you (and ostensibly, your brand). I had previously signed up for this organization's website, but I'm going to deactivate my profile. There are far more organizations who appreciate the individual.
2. Create more collisions. Downtown Vegas is undergoing an amazing renaissance with quite a bit of thanks going to Zappo's Tony Hsieh. His idea of "colliding" conversations that enable fruitful ideas and partnerships is amazing, and from meeting a few of the downtown entrepreneurs this past week, I can see the effect it is having on the downtown Vegas economy and its people. It's positively inspiring, especially to someone who works alone most of the time!
3. Celebrate your achievements. From Tech Cocktail founder Frank Gruber, it's important to celebrate your achievements, even the smaller ones. It's easy to get bogged down in the minutia of the everyday grind, but taking time to acknowledge your wins makes it much easier to push forward.
4. Be selfish. As Micah Baldwin of Graphicly said in his talk, "You are not your company. Be selfish." In short — take care of yourself, because very often, we are our company. And we need to be in good shape to keep it going.
5. Always be learning. In my sessions with my mentees, I was so impressed with the energy and options they saw. It's a problem so many of us have: We have so much we want to do, but where to focus? My feeling has always been that you do what makes you money and in your spare time (great concept anyway!) work on your passion projects until they can become the focus.
But overall, I was inspired by their eagerness. It reminds me of where I've been and where I want to be — and keep striving for.
Kudos SXSW V2V! I was honored to be a part in 2013, and can't wait for next year.
Designer + WordPress developer for 20+ years. Love design, travel, good food and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
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