Catch Up with Bootstrap Austin - May 2015

Happy May aka El Niño Month!

We’re excited to announce the next major release of the JOurneY Experience, a space for you to work on the unique meaning of your life. This release incorporates our latest thinking and the useful feedback we received from the Jan, Feb and Mar JOurneYers. We found that the group sessions were very effective, however, the weekly schedule imposed a timeline that did not always accommodate people’s lives. We also found that having a buddy was useful for reinforcing learning by reflecting on the content and assignments together.

The JOurneY Experience 2.0 is self-paced and buddy-based. Start by signing up for the JOurneY Experience Siminar. If you have questions about the course, need a buddy, or would like to discuss your progress, visit us during JOurneY Check-ins on Mondays 6-8pm at Rio Rita, 1308 E 6th St. Steve and/or Bijoy will be available in the back patio or indoors if it’s raining! Check @bootstrapaustin for weather/holiday-related changes to office hours.

We want the JOurneY Experience to be available to anyone and everyone who is interested. The coupon code "JOYrideforfree" allows anyone to take the course for free. Or you can use other coupon codes available at the bottom of the main page to contribute at any level. You can also contribute at the end of your experience.

JOYfully,
Steve Golab

Catchup with Bootstrap 3.0 - April 2015

Happy April!

It’s been a great first quarter for Bootstrap 3.0. The JOurneY Experience course has convened 31 new JOurneYers across 3 different coworking spaces, and we’re excited to continue in April at Vuka Austin.

We have 3 updates this month:

• SXSW Declaration of Meaning
• Monthly Get-together: JOurneYer Dusking
• JOurneY Experience Continues on April 20 

SXSW: Declaration of Meaning.

Photographer: Mike Holp at Holp Photography Bijoy and Danny Gutknecht co-presented the the rise of the House of Meaning at SXSW. At the end of the talk we announced the Declaration of Meaning coauthored by Bijoy and Josh Rubin. The Declaration chronicles the 400 year shift from fixed houses of authority to melodies of process in the areas of Phenomenon, Rights and Resources. Like previous declarations - Independence, Sentiments - the Declaration of Meaning is a call to action; in this case for anyone inspired to steward meaning in their lives and the world. Here’s an article in Community Impact on the SXSW Talk. Monthly Get-together: Dusking for JOurneYers. Our monthly get-together this month is for those who have participated in the JOurneY Experience course. We’re going for a leisurely stroll around the lake at dusk and will further develop the wider conversation around the JOurneY community. We'll also chat about forming JOurneY Boards - a way for JOurneYers to connect regularly, hold space for each other, and reflect together. Communitywide get-togethers will resume next month. We’ll keep you posted on Facebook. The JOurneY Experience Continues on April 20 at Vuka Austin. This week we had 10 community members complete the third JOurneY Experience of 2015. We’re now getting ready for the next group to go on the ride. Use the appropriate coupon code to donate between $0 and the retail price.

Course Overview The JOurneY Experience is a space for you to steward your unique meaning and help others do the same. You will learn the JOurneY Model, apply it to your journey, and come to class to share and reflect with each other. The duration is three weeks. Each week has an online component and an in-person session. The online work starts on Mar 20, will take approximately 3-6 hours per week and is a prerequisite for the in-person session. The course is cumulative in nature. The in-person sessions occur from 6-9pm on April 20 & 27, and May 4th at Vuka Austin.

The JOurneY Experience is better with a buddy. We suggest you invite a friend to come along with you. If you don’t bring one, we will pair you up and you will make a new friend! Thank you, Steve Golab email: golabatx@gmail.com mobile 512.657.1086 Subscribe to the Bootstrap Monthly Newsletter

Catch Up With Bootstrap 3.0 - Mar 2015

Happy March!

We have 3 updates for you this month.

• Feb 9 Get-together Recap
• Bootstrap at SXSW
• JOurneY Experience Continues

Feb 9 Get-together Recap

During our Feb 9 get-together, we convened a conversation around: you + ATX = ?! Our mystery guest Ken Webster discussed his journey and the role Hyde Park Theatre and Frontera Fest play as stewards of Austin’s theater scene. Frontera Fest, started 20 years ago, was one of Austin’s original incubators for local performing artists. Many other important influential ideas have been and continue to be formed as a result of Frontera Fest. Bijoy participated years ago co-creating the play, “Guru or Disciple? YES!” He later expressed it as Mystic Cab, a short film, which is now part of the JOurneY Experience.

Bootstrap at SXSW

In-lieu of our monthly get-together, Bootstrap will be at SXSW. If you have a badge, please join us at the Hilton Austin for our talk on “JOurneY: A Method for Meaning Creation” on Sat Mar 14 from 3:30 - 4:30 pm. Bijoy and co-presenter Danny Gutknecht will present the Human Fugue Model.  The talk will explore the shift from authority to process which empowers everyone to steward unique meaning for themselves, their ventures, cities and beyond. Everyone will be invited to sign the Declaration of Meaning.

The JOurneY Experience Continues on Mar 23 at Vuka Austin

Last week we had 9 community members complete the second JOurneY Experience of 2015. We’re now getting ready for the next group to go on the ride. You are invited to contribute what you can. Use the appropriate coupon code to donate between $0 and the retail price. 

Course Overview
The JOurneY Experience is a space for you to steward your unique meaning and help others do the same. You will learn the JOurneY Model, apply it to your journey, and come to class to share and reflect with each other.  

The duration is three weeks. Each week has an online component and an in-person session. The online work starts on Mar 20, will take approximately 3-6 hours per week and is a prerequisite for the in-person session.
The course is cumulative in nature.The in-person sessions occur from 6-9 pm on Monday Mar 23 & 30 and Apr 6 at Vuka Austin.

The JOurneY Experience is better with a buddy. We suggest you invite a friend to come along with you. If you don’t bring one, we will pair you up and you will make a new friend!  
I’ll be at the SXSW talk and welcome any questions you may have, so please come find me or contact me by phone or email.

Joyfully,

Steve Golab
email: golabatx@gmail.com
mobile 512.657.1086

What is Journey Entrepreneurship?

 

This video clip from my March 2014 Capture Your Flag interview asks the question: what is Journey Entrepreneurship?

The term “Journey Entrepreneurship” captures the deeper essence of bootstrap entrepreneurship with the unique missing ingredient: meaning stewardship. This is the “Inner Journey” line added to the Bootstrap Map after we read Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” at the Bootstrap Book Club. Without stewardship of its meaning, a venture exists purely as an economic entity. Stewarding meaning is a distinct process separate from other activities we commonly focus on such as building a product or selling to a customer. Journey entrepreneurs learn how to master this capability for themselves and their ventures. 

In Steve Jobs we find a skilled steward, both of his personal meaning and that of Apple’s. He articulated his personal meaning beautifully during his 2005 Stanford graduation speech. His stewardship of Apple’s meaning evolved at key moments: in 1984 with his announcement of the Macintosh; in 1997 with his return and the “think different” campaign; and near his death, expressing Apple as the intersection of Liberal Arts + Technology at the iPad launch.

The JOurneY Model describes how meaning can be continuously stewarded for all beings: people, organizations, cities. The Essence Mining Model by Danny Gutknecht is a process for meaning articulation. We will declare the shift from authority to process at our SXSW 2015 talk along with the Declaration of Meaning which you are invited to sign!

We will continue the JOurneY Experience after SX, starting March 23. Join us!

Catch Up with Bootstrap 3.0 - Feb 2015

Happy February!

We announced Bootstrap Austin 3.0 at the Jan 12th get-together with the theme of stewarding meaning for individuals, organizations and cities. During our monthly get-togethers in 2015, we will convene a conversation around: you + ATX = ?! Each month we are also facilitating the 3-week JOurneY Experience for individuals who want to investigate the JOurneY Model of meaning stewardship.  Here’s more info on the Feb get-together and course:

Get-together on Feb 9

The Ginger Man @ 6:30 - RSVP on Facebook

This series should serve as an Austin user manual for new residents as well as for locals who are inspired to express their unique journey in the world. All are welcome.

you + ATXing happens when an Austinite combines their unique journey with Austin and creates something for all to enjoy. Our surprise guest will share their story.

• 6:30-7pm: gather and connect. Ask each other: how do you plus ATX? Our surprise guest will be among us, so you just might discover who it is.
• 7-7:30pm: we reveal our surprise guest and hear about how they stewarded their ATX experience.
• 7:30 onward: connect some more.

The Ginger Man has let us reserve the back patio and a speaker system for this one, so there will be room for everyone and it will be easier to hear the interview.

Note: Bootstrap Austin meetings happen every 2nd Monday of each month. Mark your calendars!

The JOurneY Experience Continues on Feb 11

This week we had 12 community members complete the first JOurneY Experience of 2015.  We’re now getting ready for the next group to get on board. 

Course Overview

The JOurneY Experience is a space for you to steward your unique meaning and help others do the same. You will learn the JOurneY Model, apply it to your journey, and come to class to share and reflect with each other.  

The duration is three weeks. Each week has an online component and an in-person session. The online work starts on Feb 11 and will take approximately 3-6 hours per week.  You will get the most out of each week by completing the online work prior to the in-person session. The course is cumulative in nature.

The in-person sessions occur from 6-9pm on Feb 16, 23, and Mar 2.

You are invited to go on the experience with us for $250, and you have the option to bring a buddy for free. Once you sign-up, you will be emailed a code for your buddy to join the course.

We encourage you to share this article with anyone in Austin who you think would be interested.  We are accepting enrollments now, so please sign-up or ping me if you’re interested. Also, I’ll be camped out at the Feb 9 get-together and welcome any questions you may have, so please come find me.  We’re expecting JOurneYers from the January course at the get-together who you can speak with to learn more from, too.  

Bootstrap Adopts a Chimp

We’re excited to share the good news. If you opted-in at the last get together, we have loaded your contact information into the Mailchimp platform and you now have the ability to manage your own email preferences. We’ll continue to keep you updated as long as you stay with us. You can also friend Bootstrap Austin or follow @bootstrapaustin and subscribe to the newsletter. 

At your service,

Steve Golab

Bootstrap 3.0

Happy 2015!

The Bootstrap Austin community started its journey on Bastille Day 2003, when I gathered 25 Austinites at the original Ginger Man for beers and conversation.

During our first iteration from 2003-2010, we asked the question, "What is bootstrap entrepreneurship?" and co-created a learning community of entrepreneurs helping each other bootstrap their ventures. We learned from Austin's successful bootstrap entrepreneurs as they shared their stories at our monthly gatherings. Through this and the experiences of thousands of bootstrappers, the Bootstrap Map emerged outlining the stages, actions and principles of the bootstrap journey. And we experimented with different support structures for the founder's journey including subgroups by stage and industry, a book club and Boot Boards.

In our second iteration, we transitioned from supporting individual bootstrappers to stewarding the emerging ATX Entrepreneur Scene. Inspired by the Austin Equation, we convened its leaders, mapped the scene and evangelized it. It's been gratifying to see it blossom over the last 4 years and become one of Austin's key scenes alongside music, film, theater, art, and others.

It's now time for Bootstrap 3.0. We are stepping further into our journey by asking the question “How do we steward meaning for ourselves, others, our communities and organizations?” Stewarding one's meaning and expressing it in the world is a task Austinites are uniquely suited to, living as we do in the "be yourself" city. Our community has a role to play in holding space for this conversation.

Please join us to kick off Bootstrap 3.0 at our first monthly meetup of 2015. Around 7:15pm I will give a short talk on the Human Fugue with special emphasis on the fourth house: meaning. You can learn more at bejoying. I will also introduce Steve Golab in his role as community steward.

Please take a moment to let us know if you plan to join and feel free to invite anyone you think would be interested. I hope to see you there!

bijoy