Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.

By Alyssa Royse

We have a lot going for us as a startup community in Seattle. We have all the investors, advisors, service providers and partners you could need to get started. Doesn’t mean they’ll give you what you want, but you can get to them, and learn from them. Not to mention hundreds of brilliant thinkers who are starting, running, and closing great companies. We have a pretty thriving eco-system here, and I love being part of it.

So, I was surprised when I got an email from someone whose product I said I didn’t like in a recent post. I said it was an opinion, that I was totally biased against the whole market in the first place, and then used a local product as an example of why the whole market drove me nuts. And I got the following response the same day:

I am surprised to hear about your dislike of  [our product] on a public Seattle forum. In LA, NY, SF, entrepreneurs tend to rally and support each other so I am very disappointed that you don’t share the same spirit. When one start-up in Seattle achieves success, it spurs job growth, tech culture, venture capital, access and many other local benefits. It increases the possibility that other local start-ups will be successful.

It took me a while to respond, because I  didn’t know what to make of it. At the heart of it is the notion of a supportive community. What does that mean?

Does a supportive community support every idea, product, company and product in it? 

I don’t think so. I think that a supportive community tells the emperor that he’s naked. Let’s look back a few years, at a company that was going to replace the US Postal Service. How many of us knew that was ridiculous? And watched millions of dollars disappear into that venture, for what? No one said anything, though everyone was talking about it privately. Their funding success was lauded; their business model was barely discussed.

Did our collective silence support the community? No. Not at all. That was millions that could have been invested in real companies that had a real chance.

What about the people who have treated employees and investors badly? Who have gone back on deals? Who have otherwise screwed people over, but no one ever says anything about it because we may want them to invest in our company some day, or hire us?

Does our collective silence support the community? No. Not at all. We allow ourselves to be treated badly and be swindled when we don’t call people on their shit. We lower the barre and let people know that we’re okay with that.

For the purpose of public discourse, I would say that a supportive community is one that encourages vibrant dialog about ideas, markets, products and the potential future we will build together.

Until you’re getting a product to market, business isn’t a popularity contest. It’s not about everyone liking and agreeing on something. It’s not about pats on the back and everyone saying, “yes, that’s a great idea, you can do it!” Because even if no one has the balls to tell the emperor that he’s naked, you will not be able to successfully market that invisible suit to the world at large, and you better hope that your supportive community will stop you before you sink everything you’ve got into making a product that nobody will buy.

Some ideas are stinkers, and that’s ok. Ideas are a dime a dozen. You know what else is a dime a dozen? Opinions. Gather them freely, use what you want and disregard the rest, but don’t take them personally. And for all of our sake, don’t silence them – encourage them!

Opinions are cheap market research. And if one person is saying it, there are probably hundreds thinking it who aren’t speaking up. It may mean there is a flaw you need to address, a market that you need to educate, or a talking point that you need to be able to answer. Or it may mean nothing, but give you an opportunity to reflect, which is always good.

Here are some things that I think a supportive community does – all of which you will find here:

  • Host forums for entrepreneurs to gather and talk with each other to develop strong networks.
  • Encourage open and honest dialog about what’s going on in the community.
  • Enable a variety of ways for entrepreneurs to connect with both angel and institutional investors.
  • Foster an implicit network of “friends” who can connect you with talent and investment.
  • Foster a diverse variety of service providers who can and do work for a combination of cash and shares.
  • Offer organized learning opportunities for both entrepreneurs and investors.
  • Offer great co-working spaces.
  • Have hundreds of coffee shops where, at any given time, you will find entrepreneurs talking to investors or advisors. (And not be able to tell who’s who by looking at them.)
  • Have hundreds of bars where we can all drown our sorrows and toast our success.

When Marcelo first called me to talk about creating Seattle 2.0, it was specifically because we wanted to create a place where diverse voices could spark conversation about the things that we are all going through – but that no one was talking about. The only way to get ink in Seattle, at the time, was to close a round. Ink followed money, not ideas or logic. We haven’t achieved our original vision yet, but we’ve come a long way towards humanizing the very real business of starting companies. And I, for one, am proud of it.

There are, however, rules of discourse in order for this to work:

  • No calling people names.
  • No being mean.
  • Talk about products, markets, ideas, viability, not about people.
  • When you do talk about people, talk about their behavior and their actions, not about whether you like them or not.
  • Never assume you’re right, call an opinion an opinion.
  • Don’t take anything personally.

I did eventually respond to that email. I said, basically, a short version of what I just told you. The response was that I should have called them to do research and understand the product better.

No. If you have to explain your product to your target market, then you’re not doing it right. Besides, I understood the product, I was explaining why I found it annoying and would never use it, and would block other people who did from access to my social media streams. And if I’m not your target market, than my opinion is meaningless and should be treated as such.

But that wasn’t the point anyway. I was expressing an opinion. That’s all. And that’s precisely what makes this a vibrant startup community, and me a very strong supporter of it.

Some of us will succeed, this time. Some of us will fail, this time. But we are doing it together. A high tide rises more boats, and by being honest with each other, connecting each other with the ideas and resources that we need, and supporting each other with clear integrity rather than blind applause, we will all be in better shape.

We are stronger together.
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Alyssa Royse has a pesky habit of speaking her mind. She loves people who have the courage to try and create new things. She does not love people who are mean and swindly. She’s happy to share her opinion, and knows that’s all it is, an opinion. 

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