This website is both its own milestone, more than 3 years in the making, and the marker of a new beginning.
The 10k mission is now a real organization, with a real leader in @OpeolaBukola@twitter.com, and a real plan.
Opéola & I have been talking about the 10k vision since 2019.
Earlier this year I said to her:
“If this is going to go from being an idea that a lot of people seem to like and a handful of Alex Hillman side projects, to a real thing, it needs a leader.
I want that to be you.”
This project shares tons of DNA with Indy Hall, but it’s also distinctly different by design.
Left to my own devices, I know what I’d build. And it’s not what this project needs.
Opéola already does the work that 10k stands for in her own consulting work.
She is a member of multiple communities that we aim to serve.
And she’s a Black woman in her 30s, more accurately representing the average Philadelphian than yours truly.
Feels lucky she said yes!
While our approach to economic development might be different, we still operate in the traditional political and economic systems.
And let me be clear: those systems are NOT my happy place.
So I knew we needed help. And I knew exactly who could help us.
Enter @AnneGemmellPA@twitter.com.
As Opéola and I have worked to turn big ideas into concrete next steps, Anne’s perspective and guidance has already made an impact.
We’ve got a lot of work to do on this front, but I’m proud to launch with an advocacy plan under her direction on day one: https://10k.city/advocacy/
This team configuration is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever been a part of.
I’ve been using a rally car race analogy:
- Opéola is in the driver seat
- I’m in the passenger seat with a map of the racetrack
- Anne is writing major parts of the map
Let’s go, team. 🏁
Obvs this plan is big and we're still working on how to share it.
But the part that seems to resonate most is our plan to build a *member-owned* business association that advovates for Philly's independent workforce.
Transparency and distribution of power built into the model.
Best of all, this plan doesn't need to be perfectly executed to get anywhere near our goals.
Our models are conservative. There aren't really "lose" scenarios, only "win less."
Which feels like a clue that we are on the right path.
So that's the founding team and the vision we share.
This is the next 10 years for me.
It's the north star for everything I'm working on & the people I want to work with.
If that’s you, say hey.
Contact in the footer of http://10k.city
And if you know my deal and want to learn more about @OpeolaBukola@twitter.com’s take on the 10k vision, start here to see how much she rules: https://10k.city/hello/
Two more notes for this thread:
- in addition to the rally car analogy, we've been playing with codenames from pop culture. one of our favs is Tony Stark/Iron Man and RiRi Williams/Iron Heart, though I'm committed to being less awful than Tony.
And since a bunch of folks have asked “who designed your site, it’s amazing!” that credit goes to the one and only @melodystargaze@twitter.com, who also designed my personal site http://dangerouslyawesome.com
@alexhillman this sounds very cool! Congrats & good luck to all of you!
The other core member is just as exciting in a different way.
I knew that this project would bump into advocacy and policy work, by its very nature.
But during the pandemic I realized that this whole project was rooted in advocacy work.