The Entrepreneurs Exodus | Sohai Zandi & Sara Elbert | TEDxOneonta
The speaker argues that achieving an "entrepreneurial Exodus" requires five ingredients: acknowledging intuition, keeping the endeavor within your skill set, integrating into the community, making a full commitment of effort, and remaining self-aware; these are best illustrated by the opening of the 28-seat eatery, *brushed*, in Bovina.
## Theses & Positions
- A "small country town that lies beyond every big bustling city" is a place "bursting with opportunity" for new beginnings.
- To start anew, one must acknowledge that *enough was enough* and have the will to "listen and just go."
- The speaker presents a five-part recipe for an "entrepreneurial Exodus," which is more reliant on gut instinct and faith than scientific method.
- The goal is to create a lifestyle that merges work and play, making most days feel "productive successful and happy."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Entrepreneurial Exodus:** The process of leaving one's current environment (like a metropolis) to start anew in a different, less developed locale.
- **The Aha Moment:** The instant when one realizes how to seamlessly integrate business goals with personal happiness, such as "trout fishing in the morning or weeding the garden in the afternoon before dinner service."
- **Commitment (Ingredient 5):** The active state of applying "elbow grease" to an idea, involving showing up day after day, like family-run operations.
- **Emotional State:** The ability to picture a place as a "dream" or a place that feels "new and undiscovered."
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **The Recipe for Exodus (Five Ingredients):**
1. **Acknowledgement:** Recognizing intuition and gut feelings when current needs are unmet (e.g., "acknowledging that your needs are not being fulfilled at your current job").
2. **Wheelhouse:** Keeping the venture within the skill set, advised against starting an art gallery if one comes from the hospitality world because the "learning curve is much too steep."
3. **Integration:** Blending into the community by showing respect for existing customs, such as adhering to local liquor laws: *"we took the local legislation as treasurer never trying to upend the plan that works here."*
4. **Commitment:** Committing fully, like being willing to help wash dishes or run food, viewing the business as something to "make a mark."
5. **Self-Awareness:** Constantly reevaluating to meet community needs, acknowledging that overcompensation (like offering affordable items) can be necessary to avoid appearing overly expensive.
## Named Entities
- **Bovina:** The specific, small town location where the speaker opened *brushed*.
- **Brooklyn:** Area where the speaker and partners were previously trained in the hospitality industry.
## Numbers & Data
- **28 seat eatery:** The size of the business, *brushed*.
- **2014:** Year the eatery opened its doors.
- **30-minute drive:** Distance from the eatery to Bovina Center.
- **Six ingredients:** The final section summarizes the core components of the process.
## Examples & Cases
- **The *brushed* Eatery:** Located in Bovina Center, opened in 2014, serves "comforting classics to travelers and community members."
- **The Early Struggle:** Initially thought of as merely "luck in kismet," the initial breakthrough was aided by finding a "beautifully preserved building in the heart of a town we loved."
- **Community Adaptation:** Instead of serving cocktails, they respected Bovina's local legislation against liquor in the hamlet, focusing on an inviting atmosphere.
- **Service Model:** Using pricing strategies, such as offering a less expensive house red or house white wine, to appeal to both daily diners and special occasion visitors.
- **Daily Life Integration:** The ideal working life involves integrating tasks like "trout fishing in the morning or weeding the garden in the afternoon before dinner service."
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **brushed:** The name of the eating-house created and operated by the speakers.
- **Menu Staples/Specials:** The technique of maintaining reliable staples while introducing specials to keep the community engaged.
## References Cited
- None explicitly cited as books or papers.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The process is "far from scientific," relying heavily on "gut following," "much happenstance," and "blind faith."
- Overcoming initial community resistance is difficult, as newcomers are often assumed to be trying to create their own "kind of utopia at any cost."
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Hard work is not just physical labor; it includes "redirecting your life paths and starting anew."
- One must always "constantly remind yourself of all of those skills in your wheelhouse" and use gratitude and loyalty when integrating.
- Never assume a perfect, pre-written map exists; the journey requires working hard to overcome "distrust confusion and resistance."
## Implications & Consequences
- The success of any new venture depends on becoming integral to the community, making the endeavor feel like a natural, local addition rather than an imported "plan."
- True success requires the founders to be present day in and day out to maintain customer relationships and trust.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"it's the small country town that lies beyond every big bustling city bursting with opportunity."*
- *"you don't have to leave a metropolis to know the hunger pang of wanting to start again to wipe the slate clean."*
- *"A recipe for an entrepreneurial Exodus."*
- *"The only answer for stumbling upon this place was luck."*
- *"Your new ventures mission statement should flow effortlessly right one if there fits and starts and you hit a wall you might be heading down a road that's not necessarily yours to travel."*
- *"It's not about being transported it's about being reminded why we all chose to be right here now."*
- *"The recipe for an entrepreneurial Exodus for the reinvention of normal and for following your passion is far from scientific."*
- *"We can tell you that listening to your intuition and tending to your passion will unlock a world of possibilities."*
- *"Your customers want to know your story and being there to tell it to them firsthand makes it both fun and enjoyable."*