The Doorstep Mile

About to step across the threshold—backpack on, shoes laced up, route mapped, door wide open—and there I stop, immobile. 

Have you ever found yourself struggling to take the first step? That, my friend, is where I find myself.

The Norwegians have a word for it, dørstokmilla, the doorstep mile. It’s the psychological distance that needs to be traveled to leave the comfort of home and go outside—or, in this case, to bring my new idea into the world.

Over the last several years, I’ve been playing with weaving together the threads of business, marketing, and ecosystems. Slowly, I’ve been developing the language and vision for what businesses can look like when we treat them as evolving regenerative ecosystems. 

I’ve tested hypotheses and played with different methods while working with clients from around the world. No matter where they’re rooted, all of my clients have two things in common: the desire to change the world (or at least their corner of it) and a strong dislike for traditional marketing methods.

The name for this new ideology is Wildpreneur Marketing for Wayfinders. 

I wanted this first email introducing Wildpreneur Marketing for Wayfinders to be a succinct treatise. I wanted to explore the principles of business ecology, how our networks mirror the mycelial web, the importance of recreating and rewilding our businesses in order to thrive in a new economy, and how perpetual creative response can be a guiding value. 

As I sat down to write this email, I realized that would be a book, not an email, and that’s not where we’re at, yet. 

This desire to make my delivery perfect and fully formed stopped me at the threshold.

I could see the gardens outside the door, just starting to wake from their winter slumber, spring ephemerals tentatively poking through the soil. I could feel my fear of not wanting to get tangled in the weeds, of wanting to stay safe. I could feel the habits of hibernation that told me to wait just a little longer.

And, I know on the other side of the threshold is where the true fun will begin—we will get to play with the ideas of evolving your business, playing in the mud in our muck boots as we explore the vernal pools of early spring, and discover new ways of being in relation to each other and our work in the world.

I’m ready to go on an adventure, and I want to co-create that experience with you. 

Will you join me?

Over the next few months, I want to have conversations around the following:

• The ecology of doing business - what does it mean to create a sustainable business ecosystem? 
• Perpetual Creative Response - how does this value inform how we thrive in our businesses? 
• Sustainability and regeneration - what would it look like for you if your business model nourished you financially, emotionally, and spiritually?
• Marketing tactics and strategies - what does marketing your business feel like when it is grounded in integrity, values, and service?

One of my guiding values comes from Yogi Desai, who said, “I exist in perpetual creative response to whatever is present.”

And one of my favorite ways to create content and explore new ideas is through the lens of answering questions and exploring creative solutions.

I invite you to contact me and share your ideas, questions, and longings for your businesses with me. 

I will try to answer the questions I receive in future emails, videos, and posts. 

Thank you for being a part of my business ecosystem! I’m grateful you are here.