by Ray Keating
Commentary
DisneyBizJournal.com
October 27, 2023
What are you up to this weekend? I ask because early this month (at the end of September and start of October), I spent a Friday night, and all of Saturday and Sunday with 50 entrepreneurs in a hotel ballroom.
Sound boring? Quite the contrary, it was inspiring and invigorating.
Yes, it helped that the hotel just happened to be right outside Walt Disney World, and most of these entrepreneurs had some kind of connection to Disney, whether being a fan or having a link through their business.
But in reality, this gathering really had nothing to do with Mickey Mouse. It was about the lessons and takeaways, and the people. Lessons and insights didn’t just come from a great lineup of speakers, but also from the fellow entrepreneurs who happened to be seated at your table.
The annual gathering is called the “Momentum Weekend Workshop,” and it’s put together and hosted by Lou Mongello. In terms of entrepreneurial journeys, Mongello was a lawyer in New Jersey, who left legal work behind to follow his dream. He moved to the Orlando area, wrote books about Disney trivia, and has become a wildly successful Disney podcaster. And he is an entrepreneur who helps and coaches others who are at various stages of their own entrepreneurial journeys.
At Momentum this year, speakers covered a wide range of topics, including monetization, email newsletters, how to tell the story of you and your business via social media, search engine optimization, creating a media kit, bookkeeping basics, how artificial intelligence can make entrepreneurs more productive, the relationship economy, and much more.
Entrepreneurs are a fascinating and diverse bunch. If you doubt that, spend a weekend with them like I did. They’re serious about their businesses, of course. For the most part, they are an optimistic group. Indeed, if you’re starting up, operating, and owning a business, deep down in, you have to be an optimist. And they understand the importance of values and traits like perseverance, trust, persistence, serving others, offering value to customers, and sacrifice.
And yes, as I’ve discovered over the years, entrepreneurs often are generous. That is, most entrepreneurs, despite being wildly busy, tend to be generous with their time and energy in helping others who are looking to startup or are building their own businesses.
Oh yes, and when you’re in a hotel ballroom with 50 people for more than two days, it helps that entrepreneurs, or at least this assembly of entrepreneurs, also rank as fun, humorous, and joyful. For good measure, the life of the entrepreneur – especially the solo-preneur – can be lonely at times. It pays to find a network of other business owners to help with ideas, advice, and perhaps just being willing to listen when blowing off some steam – maybe over a few drinks or a nice meal. This Momentum group was clearly that as well.
Not a bad way to spend a weekend. There’s a reason why this was my third Momentum weekend, and I hope to attend more in the future. Thanks to entrepreneur and WDW Radio podcaster Lou Mongello for making this happen (check out all things Lou Mongello, including his Momentum gatherings, at www.loumongello.com).
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
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