Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast, Peter Drucker is credited with this quote and the overwhelming evidence proves that companies that build a great culture reap benefits that cannot be replicated.
When people are first introduced to the Accelerator the one thing they bring up is the great energy they feel in our space. On certain days it is absolutely electric; you can literally feel the energy, because everyone is on the same wavelength, that’s the Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast mentality!
These are all independent companies, but they share the same goal – creating a successful business that allows them to control their own destiny. The key to creating this experience is getting everyone in the Accelerator to support one another towards achieving their goals.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb
This culture of genuine collaboration has helped the Accelerator succeed where most would have failed. To date the Accelerator has been turned down for funding by council three times. Incredibly, every time we are faced with such a difficult circumstance we rally together to find a solution.
Our last disappointment in front of city council, resulted with the Accelerator launching the #CreateWindsor crowdfunding campaign, which raised over $10,000 and generated incredible media and public interest. After waiting 7 hours to present our case (the hospital discussion was added to the agenda last minute and pushed all other issues back) and being turned down for a third time we were immensely disappointed. The magical part of the story is that instead of heading home frustrated and defeated, we went for a beer and decided to launch the crowdfunding campaign the next day.
The Accelerator exudes a spirit of inexorable determination and more importantly, an understanding that every challenge presents an opportunity. As one of the greatest military commanders in history famously stated, “We will either find a way or make one.”
Creating such a culture can inspire people to start a larger conversation. An exceptional outcome of the Accelerator being rejected at council is the broader discussion, which revolves around issues such as: should the city support initiatives like the Accelerator, the Downtown Farmers Market, and the WIFF? These are all amazing homegrown initiatives that generate a large impact with modest investment.
Exceptional organizations are created by exceptional people, and ultimately the culture of any organization will be defined by the people they attract. The Accelerator has become a magnet for people who envision what is possible and have the drive to pursue their dreams.
It is irrelevant if you are a non-for profit like the Downtown Music Initiative, who has provided free music lessons and instrument lending to hundreds of youth from low-income families or a tech superstar like Powerball that has the potential to be a $100 mill company in five years. What both organizations have in common is their desire to create something that adds value, not only to themselves and their clients, but also to the broader community.
I will leave you with a quote from Ethyl Percy Andrus that brings our story full circle;
“The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.”
