Entrepreneurship #11 - Show Up

Listen to the Governor

At the 2023 State Finals of the Innovate WithIN student pitch competition, Indiana’s Governor Eric Holcomb was there - as he has been for years. I was particularly struck by one sentence from his message this year.

“The world is run by those who show up.”

While this stunning competition, which rightfully bills itself as “The most elite high school pitch competition in the country” is open to thousands of Indiana high school students, only a small percentage enter their respective regional competitions.

They show up.

Ten student teams in each of 5 regions are selected to compete in those regionals. They showed up and put in the work that enabled them to stand out and be selected. Students who didn’t even apply for the regionals, obviously couldn’t be selected as one of the ten regional competitors. Students who applied, but didn’t put in the work, weren’t selected to compete.

Two teams from each of the five regions move on to compete in the state finals (and participate in all of its great mentorship and networking). They get to meet Governor Holcomb, mix with great entrepreneur mentors throughout the entire country, network with an alumni network of awesome young entrepreneurs, and generally hone their skills as entrepreneurial leaders.

All because they showed up - and also, of course, because they put in the work. Let’s stipulate that “showing up” implies putting in the work, not just physically occupying space.

My takeaway is simple. The Governor practices what he preaches.

He showed up.

He put in the work.

I remember seeing him at the finals two years ago visiting the students’ booths with the rest of us, getting to know what our rising young entrepreneurs were doing - personally, one by one. I saw him doing the same thing this year - putting in the work by hanging out with the others who, like him, had also shown up.

Want to take your place in the world? Listen to and then emulate the Governor!

Show up!