What type of space are you trying to create? Who will be inside that space? Make sure the team you’re putting together to create that project are the same type of people.
About a month ago the design team of our dreams came to visit our ‘ghost town’, Cerro Gordo. These guys don’t take on new projects. They’re too busy and in demand. Getting them to fly to California and join us on a mountain top was a feat itself.
How’d it go?
We forgot to bring dinner. And sheets for the beds. And enough water. And to tell them it was going to be below 20 degrees below and they should bring extra clothes. And basically everything any decent human would want when stranded on a mountain hours from civilization.
We ended up sleeping side by side in the living room on a jiu jitsu mat that definitely hadn’t been washed this decade. I didn’t have a pillow. If someone hadn’t woke up every so often to put another log on the fire we all would have lost a few toes to frostbite.
The experience could have been terrible. There was every reason in the world for anyone to complain. To lose the hours up there lost in thought of what should have been.
Instead, it was the opposite. We all had the time of our lives. We went running through the cold, howling at the moon. We sat awestruck admiring the stars for an hour straight. We had some of the deepest conversations I’ve been a part of for years. We brainstormed how to turn a falling down cabin into a hidden spa. Maybe we should create a water tower? Axe throwing. How would people feel about luxury outhouses? Let’s go try making a mini bar in the mine shaft.
We enjoyed life. We spun out ideas on how to make Cerro Gordo a space to enjoy life. Because that is what we do. It’s what we’re setting out to do. If we can’t figure out a way to do that, how could anyone else?
It was through those nights on the hill we all decided to work together. That we were cut from the same cloth. It was confirmation on both ends that we could successfully carry out the task at hand.
People that can’t enjoy life can’t create places for people to enjoy life.
What type of space are you trying to create? What type of people would be there? Make sure those are the same type of people you’re attaching to your project from Day 1.
Did you enjoy this post? Sign up below to get one email per week on hospitality and marketing.