Latoya Peterson is a rising star in the online community. Her company was built from scratch, on her back and those of staff volunteers. Everyone on the team is sweating bullets and putting in countless hours because they believe they have found the thing that isn't being done, and doing it. It's been a long journey as anyone who has started a company knows.
Currently, Latoya is wrapping up a fellowship with the Public Media Corps. It's an entity founded and run by Jacqui Jones, a colleague of mine who, like Latoya, has a passion for doing things that aren't being done.
Last May, Latoya and I and a dozen other folks from around the U.S. were fellows at Poynter Institute's "Sensemaking" event in St. Petersburg, Florida. I'd never met anyone there and my business partner and I were invited to represent "The New U" Entrepreneurship project. Late in that week my business partner forwards me an e-mail she had received from Jacqui Jones which announced the deadline for application to the Public Media Corps Fellowship. I read it, looked up, saw Latoya and thought she'd make a great applicant even though I'd known her for just three days.
I forward Jacqui's e-mail to Latoya. She writes back saying, "It wants a college degree. I don't have one. I'm not in the club." I write asking Jacqui if she'd make an exception. Jacqui responds, "If you are supporting her, we will." I tell Latoya and follow through on the letter of support. Latoya gets in the program.
Lesson: If you want something and someone has constructed a barrier to entry ask yourself two questions. (1) How important is this program to you? (2) If it's that important, find a member of your tribe who will take a sledge hammer (or some eloquent prose) to that barrier.
Your path can be made that much shorter as long as you're not afraid to challenge conventional thinking and the barriers they create. Besides, once thinking becomes conventional, it needs challenging anyway.
*Chantal de la Rionda edits this blog
