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The anti-startup: doing good in your community

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Let’s think creatively about how we do good in our communities. I just ran across my notes from 2011, when I heard Alon Nir (@TheKotel) explain his project, Tweet Your Prayers. He called his talk “The Anti-Startup,” and he proceeded to tell us how he ignored all the “rules” of business to make a difference.

140Conf NYC
Alon Nir explains his “Anti-Startup.”
You can borrow his principles to create
good in your own community. 

1. Go to market without a product. Figure it out later.
He offered to take prayers to the wailing wall. When he got an overwhelming number, he found that people are eager to help when they see a good cause.

2. Users don’t have to actually use your product. Forget about traction.
People would download his prayer-submission app, but many would never open it. He learned that some users felt better just by having the app, even without submitting a prayer.

3. Outsource to competitors.
Lots of other tweet a prayer services have sprung up, and he sends people there, too.

4. Who needs a business plan? Just don’t monetize.

5. Create meaning and effect change.

I kinda quit taking notes, because Alon had us all laughing. But you can watch the video to get the principles of creating something good in your community. 

(Email subscribers, if you don’t see the video, click to view this post online: The anti-startup.)

What do you think? Is there a place for the Anti-Startup in your community? Are you doing an Anti-Startup right now?

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

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