Midnight Train to Portland: Playing with the 'Competition'

Okay, it wasn't midnight. And there were no competitors.

But I did ride an Amtrak train last weekend. I was traveling with my Biznik friends, some of which I had never met.

"Online social networking site" is too lame a term for what Biznik is. I call Biznik my virtual sandbox. Huge virtual sandbox.

The magical mystery—ahem, I mean Biznik—train (also known as the Amtrak 513) started way up north in Bellingham, WA and picked up Biznikers along the way. It stopped at the Tacoma station for one minute on Saturday, long enough for me to jump on.

Aside from their Biznik avatars, I knew some people only from our online conversations, forum discussions, and articles they might have written. Yet I felt I knew them well. 

Others I had hosted live workshops with or shared a lunch with at a networking event.

Some I had never had one interaction with. But here we were, sharing the same space.

Portland: a fine city for spunky entrepreneurs

Now it's kind of karma-like that we would end our train trip in Portland. People there don't exactly fit the mold. Bicycle commuters.

Vegetarians. Tree huggers. Spunky protestors fire-bombing a Starbucks. Or storming City Hall to demand that Wal-Mart pack its bags.

Portlanders have an independent streak. They don't blindly follow the crowd. It's okay to be different in Portland. A little funky. A little counter culture. Just like us. 

The train ride was amazing. Eleven entrepreneurs. Eleven unique voices.

One woman had been an undercover cop back in the days when most female officers didn't get respect from their bosses, who were usually men.

Another was a graphic designer whose heart was broken when she volunteered at an animal shelter and saw good dogs dropped off for "behavior issues. " She decided to start a second business as a dog trainer. 

I sat across from a brilliant and intuitive Bizniker who knows gobs of stuff about raw foods, long distance cycling, and using bio-energy and quantum physics to help us biz owners align with our mission and life purpose.

Whew! And that was just three of my train companions.

One train car. Two hours. A billion stories.

Why we went to Portland

Lori Richardson in Bellingham and Tshombe Brown in Portland had a crazy idea one day. What if a bunch of talented solopreneurs left the isolation of their offices and home studies for two days and came together to think about ways to collaborate?

Wait. Let's put them on a train to Portland and see what happens when they get there.

Now, some people think it a little strange to meet up with people, some of whom do the very thing you do, and think of ways to help each other. Are we insane?

Partnering. Collaborating. Community building. Sharing. Leveraging.

We know those words. We've practiced rolling them around in our mouths.

"Collaboration is so much better than competition," we say. "Let's work together. Support each other. How can I help you get what you need?"

But what does that really mean? How does it look when we do that and what happens as a result?

Café mochas, cappuccinos, and chats about collaboration

We ate and laughed and ate again. We listened to hysterical stories told from the heart. We were led on walking tours and visits to the "Saturday Farmers Market" on Sunday (more Portland quirkiness), sometimes resembling a high-energy group of distracted first graders at Disneyland. We engaged in café conversations, as Chris Brogan calls them, around just what collaboration means and whether it is even a valuable thing.

We didn't all agree. But that made it all the more fascinating.

We are living in ground-breaking times for small business. People are tired of the corporate bailouts, the huge bonuses for misbehaving executives, the absence of values and ethics. The old way of doing business hasn't really worked that well.

It's time for a new model. 

5 things I learned (actually, some of it I already knew):

1. Community building and collaboration have nothing to do with age. I've seen younger entrepreneurs with a competition mindset and 60-year-olds who place sharing and building partnerships center stage in their business practices.

2. We don't know all the ways we can share until we start talking. I got to know an awesome auctioneer and connected the dots to the director of a huge nonprofit client of mine whose gala auction is their fundraising event of the year.

3. Because someone is in the same business as me doesn't mean we can't find ways to support each other. Two copywriters. Two graphic designers. Two business coaches. But not one of us had the same strengths the same target clients, the same niches. And even if we did, we could still find ways to share our skills, learn from each other, support the value each of us brings to the table. 

4. Getting to know two people really well is better than listening to 12 people take 5 minutes each to answer the question, "What do you do?" In our whirly-twirly business lives, we don't always take time to get to know our colleagues, customers, and clients. Incredible things happen when you take the time to develop those relationships.

5. We don't always approach a problem from the same perspective. Each of us had unique observations and interesting ideas about collaboration and competition. For instance, collaboration can give us an advantage over big businesses, but healthy competition can lead to innovation and greater efficiency, and more customer choices.

And one more thing I learned:

Figuring out who owes what on dinners the brewpub put on one bill can be a nightmare. Okay, the Saturday night dinner was still a very fun experience. But I just wanted to give Tshombe, our gracious host, a big hug when it was all over. 

That's my train story. Got one of your own?

Comments

[Tshombe]

Dear Judy,

What a wonderful blog post. Thank you for writing it, and "getting it," the whole idea behind the great train experiment.

As I mentioned before, I love to read your writing. You really take me "there", wherever that may be.

Thank you for your impressions, your insights, and for YOU, Judy. You're an inspiration and I'm proud to know and collaborate with you.

[Diane Bridgwater]

Judy, what a fun blog you wrote about "our" experience on the train. It sure was fun and you have said it all...cooperation not competition was what it was all about.

I enjoyed meeting you and Bob, and I still don't believe you're an introvert! Your easy going manner and real interest in what others are saying is sure a gift.

Thanks for writing it!

[Lisa Hanna]

Hi Judy!

Thanks for taking the time to write such a fun article about this event. I had planned on meeting up in Portland but it didn't work out after all.

I am thankful to you for sharing the event via this blog so I could get some of the info anyway!

Fabulous!

Lisa Hanna
Action Biz Concepts
~Biznik Enthusiast

[Tammy Redmon]

Judy, you are a Blogging (and Train Riding) Rock Star!!

The train was a blast, so much more fun than I actually thought it would be. You are right on the learning that took place. Just by being present to what others had to share forward toward our collective success was perhaps the best part. You are always so generous with your gifting of very good information, tips an strategies.

Personally I loved the conversation (robust at times) about 'competition' and how it gets trumped by collaboration. So interesting to hear thoughts from multiple perspectives on it's truth or not in business. (Thanks Scott Peters - Competition isn't a bad thing!!)

I have talked to multiple people about the trip and am looking forward to The Next time. Of course, I won't be staying at The Mark Spencer, hahaha. Got our bags back and that's a good thing, thanks to Lori, Diane and April!1

Wonderful trip, thanks to all who attended.
Tammy Redmon
www.redmonandassociates.com

[Judie Lindquist]

Wonderful Judy!

It was an honor to be a part of such a wonderful group - Looking forward to seeing you all again soon :-)

-Judie Lindquist

[Judy Dunn]

Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving a comment. I also loved the discussions about collaboration and competition. I especially like it when someone shares a perspective I had never considered and it stretches my mind and makes me think in new ways.

What a great group you are!

[Lori Richardson]

Judy,
Thanks for this great post - I am sure that everyone who particpiated that read it got a smile on their face as I did, remembering moments on that trip.

I am enjoying creating the outline for an article on hosting a long Biznik event and will love to get everyone's input.

Yes, learned a few logistical things - and yet it was wonderful in so many ways just as it was.

I agree that the learning and sharing that happened once everyone let their "hair down" - which doesn't usually happen immediately - so a train ride is such a good environment for this.

When it comes to collaboration over competition I even altered my "story" - from totally focusing on collaboration. Someone in our coffee group reminded me that GOOD, honest competition can help us step up and create a better product or service. Even though I use the phrase "industry counterpart" rather than "competitor" - there IS room for them and they keep us sharp.

Can't wait to plan the next ride. Thanks to everyone for your graciousness and support of others in the group.

Lori

[Judy Dunn]

Lori,

Thanks for sharing your perceptions. Because, as a sales coach, you are so skilled in training and facilitation, I very much look forward to reading that article you are writing.

Knowing that people's learning styles and ways of taking in information differ, it is next to impossible to meet everyone's needs on a trip like this. Some wanted more structure on the train ride segment. Others liked the informality and the chance to get to know their traveling companions.

What you say about the value of healthy competition is so important. I think it can certainly lend itself to product and service improvements.

The nest trip will be even more awesome, I am sure!