When I was a kid I went to basketball and soccer camp, and never thought I would be going to entrepreneur camp, especially not after high school. I’ll be honest – I am quite tempted to go to camp now, at Workaway Camp.
As entrepreneurs it should have become obvious to us at an even earlier stage that we don’t have to follow the traditional ways of working and networking, so one entrepreneur did something.
Created in 2012, Workaway is a product of the work of Danish entrepreneur Nikolaj Astrup that sought to bring together like-minded entrepreneurs to explore the world, while attaining new insights through participating, knowledge and feedback that those entrepreneurs will be able to use in executing their plans.
What is it like at Workaway?
The first international event took place earlier this past month and included entrepreneurs from 10 different countries, and as Astrup told us, “Very different people, but all were passionate entrepreneurs. A great combination”. An average day is quite flexible and can be planned out to the campers best interests with, on average, one built-in activity per day that is either an activity or a feedback session, with time available for anyone looking to talk business by the pool.
There are topic-specific sessions, that can include anything from marketing hacks to pitch tips and much more. Aside from that, there is always a session for project feedback. In essence, you get an opportunity to pitch the idea to another 19 entrepreneurs that are all waiting to give feedback.
The Right Environment
It’s fact that negativity is contagious, and hence finding the right environment to work in should not be on the back-burner. The people around us have an effect on us, and that is one of the reasons you’ll see startups setting up base in the same location – even if the costs are higher (NY, Silicon Valley, Berlin).
One of the goals that makes Workaway successful is that participating should always be good business. It cost some money and time to participate and the goal is that the ROI on this investment will be well worth the time and money. From what we can see, participants have ample opportunity to go home with ideas, tips, hacks and contacts that will maximize the return on the investment in Workaway.
Walking away from camp, you’ll leave with great pics for all of your social media profiles (a huge must), and in addition some great business contacts (and maybe more than that) and an experience that is unparalleled to anything else you have ever done.
We have no doubt in our minds that we want to take part in Workaway. What about you, are you going to seize the opportunity, or let it slip by?
