This weekly podcast is inspired by stories brewed from within. To celebrate the launch, Ben McDougal articulates a caffeinated manifesto (below) for this podcast. He then introduces our friendly co-host (BEN BOT) and invites you to enjoy what's next. Enjoy!
Welcome to a place where we talk about next. Were together, we share stories brewed to keep you building.
The idea of “let’s have coffee together” first started brewing in my early web development days. After a computer science degree gave me tools to consider the video game industry, it turned out that designing websites for different clients in endless industries, delivered the reality of building a business and all that is an entrepreneurial lifestyle.
To support my web development sales role, I built my first small business in the form of a 3v3 soccer tournament. With early momentum and a head start in technology, we were able to grow that event, and I actually sold it to a local soccer club. This was perfect timing, because my new venture, called Jet Set Studio had just launched a social network back when MySpace was cool!
We began hosting live video game events all around North America, so it was a perfect time for a weekly program like 1 Million Cups to start pouring coffee every Wednesday morning. Truthfully, before 1MC, I didn’t drink much coffee. That’s kinda funny, considering how caffeinated my vocabulary has become. I suppose when you have coffee every Wednesday for over 10 years, your language is bound to evolve.
Anyways, Des Moines was the first remote location of 1 Million Cups after it launched within the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City. 1MC became the place I’d see my friends, but also an environment where all the attendees shared an interest in building and supporting each other. The format of 1 Million Cups was simple, we had coffee together and listened to a short presentation from a fellow founder. Attendees then had fun asking thoughtful questions in an environment that was energizing, safe, and educational.
A turning point for me, was when I went to Kansas City for a nationwide organizers summit. I saw how 1 Million Cups was impacting over 50 different types of entrepreneurial ecosystems, and we returned motivated to really build our own weekly experience in Des Moines. Along with leaning into our program here in Des Moines, 1 Million Cups opened conduits of connectivity throughout the entire state of Iowa. 1MC is now a program amongst so many that unite this state. It’s built more bridges between great communities around Iowa like Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Cedar Valley, Ames, and more are always being discussed.
When you’re already having coffee every week, and then become part of the volunteer organizing team, the amount of interactions that occurred create a vast awareness. When caffeinated conversations continued to flow for over four years, my willingness to keep building was supported by a community that cared.
Now, fast forward to today. I’m living proof that our connected era allows us all to do more with less. After spending 8 years in web development, I retired and went in-house to build a brand and tell stories at a custom home builder for 8 more years. Alongside that traditional marketing path, I kept building my own ventures. We launched an electronic serving system with FliteBrite in the food and beverage industry, an open house scheduler called OpenOpen, and launched a publishing company to support my first book in 2021, titled You Don’t Need This Book: Entrepreneurship in the Connected Era. I’ve been writing every week now for over two years, minting NFTs to commemorate remarkable people, and after we built BEN BOT to increase access within my engaged network, we’re now exploring how conversational AI may unlock new interactions for fellow content creators.
Building business ideas into reality is challenging and the entrepreneurial lifestyle can be lonely, which makes me so thankful for our evolving startup community, the Iowa entrepreneurial ecosystem, and so many leaders to collaborate with nationwide. Whether it’s looking back at all the networking groups, the countless happy hours, the hackathons, Techstars, so many milestone moments, or as the Midwest Regional Rep who supports over 50 different 1 Million Cups communities in 13 different states, it’s my pleasure to help brew these stories from within.
My hope for this podcast is that it helps listeners stay wild. That it inspired curiosity and activates action. That it reminds you that no permission is required and that we need you to make a ruckus.
Together, we’ll focus on Iowa artists who are using technology to building the future. I find joy in translating nerd to normal, so I’ll help us explore different formats on different frontiers, but always lean on special guests to deliver timeless value for you, our listeners.
If we can stay ahead of the innovation curve, Iowa knows how to build at the speed of trust. This creative experiment will collide good people together and hopefully serve up all sorts of innovative energy. Whether you’re in Iowa, from Iowa, or tuning in from over 130 caffeinated communities throughout the United States, I think it’ll be neat to listen to this podcast on your way to 1 Million Cups every Wednesday morning.
As your host, I’ll keep things energized, new, inclusive, and interesting. I can talk less and listen more, knowing my weekly writings are called Roasted Reflections. You can always read and listen to my book, I’m easy to find online, and we can always connect to extend the conversations on BenMcDougal.com.
Together, let’s make this experience consistent, valuable, and timeless for indispensable students, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and fellow community builders who subscribe and tune in as we talk technology and discover all that makes tomorrow…today.
May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows.
Keep building!
