We go back to prehistory to forge an exciting future
In January we had author and speaker Nick Williams, speak about how to turn your passions into enterprises. One of the techniques he mentioned was building your own tribe – finding people that have the same interests, perspectives, or business philosophy as you.
This statement got me thinking about our coworking space, and how it fits in with the grand scheme of change. Change is happening and not in the mundane sense, i.e. every day is another opportunity, another type of change, but one that will match the Renaissance or Age of Enlightenment.
What change? Well, if you pay attention it’s there, tangible and palpable. The catalyst? Social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter, Meet-up, etc., have allowed people from any part of the world with different backgrounds to connect, discuss, and create new groups. These new groups are based on the same founded beliefs, interests, hobbies, or business goals. Any individual now has the power to form their own tribe, modelled on their own concerns, and thus with the concerns of hundreds and millions of followers all connected in their one single objective. Twitter especially puts you at the centre of your own personal tribe – you are the head shaman, attracting followers with the ideas you put across.
The social paradox is that through more advanced levels of technological communication we have returned to our most base and human survival tactic – tribes. In the pre-dawn of civilisation, we had to stay in tribes to survive attacks, famine, harsh weather conditions. The tribe as a unit ensured the survival of our offspring. Our new, technologically-enabled tribes are there to ensure that our intellects, beliefs, and brands survive. We are protecting our intellectual offspring, our legacy.
The first stage is finished. People now understand the power of joining like-minded people, the tribes are rapidly forming, growing, and developing. Even the most technologically adverse and slightly socially autistic people like me have discovered this phenomena.
The second phase is well on its way. Businesses, services, and physical spaces will enable the new tribes to grow, prosper, and create viable economies. Coworking in the next five years will have taken off, reaching new worlds dotted in the sky as more people decide to turn their ideas into business in the hope of establishing a tribe. With that in mind, coworking spaces will be a natural breeding ground for tribes which are more specialised, more secular niches. For example, THECUBE’s tribe is made up of people who want to create enterprises from their ideas or passions. A hypothetical space in two or three years’ time might be made up of members who specialise in consultancy, or who are all of a certain age group.
In regards to business, entrepreneurs who are looking to drive their business forward by creating brands will need to think about how to provide the best service possible, inherently care about their customers, and constantly supervise that brand equity is polished.
I’m sure big corporations will survive for a while, but people now want niche businesses, ones they identify with and feel proud to promote as part of their tribe. One of the greatest modern examples of tribal formations, which made the impossible possible, was President Obama’s victory.
Regardless of your political view, his victory was amazing; the length of his journery and the amount of hurdles he had to overcome in order to reach his position is testament to that. His win was psychological, social, and tribal. Obama is a great observer. He knew exactly what to say and do for the time he was living in. He knew that he had to reach the people that are not usually reached by political campaigns or big advertising schemes. Instead he penetrated the very core of hard-to-reach communities by building his tribe, winning his term in office one small community at a time, each adding up to one whole nation. One big Obama tribe.
This is something we can all use in business. As we begin to create a brand we have to reach people one community at a time, using tools like Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, events, and speaking engagements – to name a few at our immediate disposal. We need to think about how we can communicate through strong branding; this means matching our language with the language of our potential tribe members, connecting with them on a personal level, and reading their wants and needs. It means planting a seed in each different patch of earth you find – care and attention will mean a strong plant, with well founded roots. But a plant will not take in hostile soil – the selection process has to be careful. Look for relevant tribes.
Even the biggest companies started as tribes which have evolved into self-sufficient nation-states. It is possible to start with one client, and that’s all you need to begin the creation of your new tribe.
Araceli = Thought Engineer
Russell = Literary Engineer
