Bloom Where You’re Planted
Dear Silicon Valley: Want to really change the world? Be brave and start your next company in the Midwest. There are millions of reasons.
In Silicon Valley, there exists a “you must move here to succeed” mentality that has consequences for the nation. When economic prosperity is only concentrated in cities on the coasts, at the expense of the interior of the country, we shouldn’t be surprised by Tuesday’s election results.
In Tuesday’s presidential election, a majority of people in traditionally Democratic-leaning “blue” states — notably Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — voted for Donald Trump. One reason (of many, I’m sure) that these states went “red” is the continued demographic shift of workers out-of-state. For careers in technology, this often means moving to the coasts, specifically Silicon Valley, California, for jobs.
I grew up in California and have lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area since graduating college in the late ’90s, most recently for my previous startup, Sauce Labs, in San Francisco and for Google in Mountain View.
But I chose to make the Midwest my home. And I encourage entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley (or those thinking of moving there) to consider the Midwest, too. In the Midwest, your business and personal cost of living can be lower. You can spend more of your financial runway on product and customer development, and less on expensive real estate.
The primary reason I did not stay in California was the cost of housing there. A dollar not spent on an expensive mortgage in Mountain View is invested in motors, computer chips, and 3D printers needed to run my business.
When I started my new company, Tapster Robotics in 2015, I also took a small capital investment from Indie.vc, a new fund with the belief that entrepreneurs can “bloom where they’re planted”, rejecting the notion that a move to Silicon Valley is required for startup success.
But there are other civic-minded reasons to start in the Midwest — it helps the local economy thrive, too. When I outgrew my basement workshop and needed to find a proper office, why did I lease an office in my neighborhood in Oak Park? I was tired of the empty storefronts in my neighborhood. Instead of complaining about “Why doesn’t someone do something about that?”, I realized that if everyone thinks that way, the problems will persist and nothing will get better.
But you don’t have to move to Oak Park. There are many places to set up shop in the Midwest. You could move to Wisconsin! Have you seen Door County? It’s so beautiful. And have you seen what’s happening in Detroit? (Word on the street is that it’s the new Brooklyn, by the way.)
And what if you can’t move to the Midwest? At least consider hiring workers in the Midwest and using the tools available to make remote work possible. Chicago entrepreneur, Jason Fried, with David Heinemeier Hansson wrote the book Remote that outlines strategies for making remote working setups work.
Silicon Valley is known for an ethos of striving to “making the world a better place”. I encourage would-be entrepreneurs that making the Midwest a better place is a great place to start.
***Chicago Inno asked Jason to add a little color to his series of tweets on the role that Silicon Valley startup culture’s relationship with geography may be reshaping America. Our aim with Indie.vc today, as it has been from the begining, is to create a space and resources for founders looking to build their company on their terms. Jason and Tapster are blooming outside of Chicago. Candace and Myavana are blooming in the heart of Atlanta. If this sounds like you too, get in touch.
