As I sit here pondering my own existence on a cold December night, I catch myself wondering, "what is the essence of TNT?"
What is at the heart of the TNT spirit? An ethos distilled into 6 words to live by: Have Fun. Make Friends. Build Companies.
I like to spend my holidays reflecting on the stories that defined the past year. And replenishing the mind, body and soul with introspection, spirit and mirth.
So here are 6 vignettes about TNT in 2021 that I find inspiring. They highlight the people that make TNT possible. I am reflecting on them as we head into 2022.
Story 1: Behind the Scenes
I posted an impossible job description a year ago that no one could possibly answer. I just basically wrote down my Christmas Wishlist of every talent, skill, and positive personality trait I envisioned someone should have to do my job better than me. As if running an entire not-for-profit rested in the hands of one impossibly charismatic, talented soul.
Well one person did in fact answer that call. And he kicked off his tenure at TNT by volunteering to be the technical zoom host of our New Year’s Eve Special on December 31
st! Where could you possibly find commitment like that? A year later, Brandon Kwong is now legendary within the TNT operations team: ‘an incredibly logical mind’ that closed 457 signatures in 2 weeks in December!
People like Brandon Kwong never ask for their day in the spotlight, but anytime you are impressed with something Startup TNT pulled off, like running 3 simultaneous hybrid events on the same Zoom call, you can be sure Brandon Kwong was the master operating making sure it went off without a hitch. We need more Brandon Kwongs operating, building, and systematizing businesses in our startup community.
Story 2: A rock and a prayer in YYC
Two guys from Calgary sent me separate emails at the end of 2020 to let me know they wanted to get more involved. Jade took our linkedin account from 500 to 2,000 followers in 12 months! Neil stepped up to lead our YYC ambassador team. Together, they launched the YYC happy hour and co-hosted our Spring Investment Summit – as volunteers! Every time I asked either one of them if I was abusing their volunteer hours they both told me the same thing:
Please stop asking me that, I have as much time for TNT as you need. And they’ve given it. And look, they just got us
this press coverage - over the holidays!
Story 3: I wish I had Jesse’s…
In May of this year, I had a call with this young guy named Jesse out of Saskatoon who told me he loved what we were doing, wanted to get involved with the summit, and was interested in exploring how we could bring this community to his home city. I was a little flattered (and intimidated) by his enthusiasm. Within a few weeks, he had built a ‘Happy hour business plan’ (yes, that’s a thing at TNT 😊) and was ready to launch TNT YXE! Six months later, Jesse hosted a record-breaking, 5-deal TNT Summit in Saskatchewan for which he personally recruited 4 of the 5 deals. When people voice their concern that Startup TNT isn’t scalable because there is only one Zack Storms, I simply share stories of this incredible guy from Saskatoon named Jesse, who has built an entire TNT community without Zack ever even setting foot in the city!
Story 4: Tim Bits
Just about everyone that works at TNT I met at TNT, including my Co-Founder, Tim. I often have to remind myself of this when I witness people embodying the TNT spirit better than me. Tim seems to spend 12 am - 2 am on most weeknights reviewing dry legal and financial documents for TNT. He rebooked his flight itinerary for his summer vacation to co-host the pitch marathon after-party in Regina. A few times a year, he puts his entire life on hold in order to finalize TNT Summit deals – and he’s now worked directly to close 28 syndicates! Our community doesn't need people like Tim in Bits, we need them in spades.
Story 5: The Ambassadors!
As our community grew in 2021, we brainstormed how to best ensure the unique TNT culture permeated throughout all our members. So we launched the ambassador program. It ensures our community of investors remains self-facilitated and self-led. Many impressive characters have joined our ranks, but two stick out to me for their dedication and ingenuity: Lindsay and Kenzie. Lindsay consistently looks out for the participants that don't speak loudly but would very much like to be heard while Kenzie goes out of her to way to ensure the TNT message is shared far and wide - even making home-made marketing videos for marquee TNT events!
Story 6: Back to the Future
2021 challenged us all in ways we probably never thought we’d be challenged.
Startup TNT ended 16 straight months of hosting a virtual happy hour in June of 2021, most of which was in the midst of a pandemic. And for most of those events, we didn’t just host a happy hour, we hosted a pitch night.
But the heart of any happy hour is building relationships. Slowly. Over good times and good beer. And so let’s build more friendships in 2022. Here's the start of a few conversations I've had with members of our community recently and hope to have more of in 2022:
“I recently sold my company and I’m looking to actively invest in a local startup. I could serve as the CE0/COO/CTO...”
“I just quit my job at the government to either start or join a startup - Do you know any?”
“My friend told me that Startup TNT might be a good place to find a co-founder...”
"Hey! If you're out of town next week, I can host the happy hour for you with my friend."
Let’s have more of these calls in 2022, TNT!
