Hi Reader,

Yesterday, I celebrated my 39th birthday!

In German culture, it's the birthday girl/boy who brings the cake and throws a party. While this has earned me some ridicule in the US, I actually really like it: Being hospitable and giving to other people makes me happier than receiving gifts🤷‍♀️

That is why, even though yesterday was MY birthday, I have three gifts 🎁 that I'm excited to hand to you today. Cue the trumpets and confetti (and look for the gift emoji to find all 3!):

1. I'm launching a new service for ecosystems and the people who make them happen. I'm giving away 2 Ecosystem Consults FOR FREE!
2. I'm starting a passion project that that is purely for fun! If you're into Indie bookshops, this just might make your day!
3. Ecosystem Builder Playbook: In my recent interview with Morgan Allen at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, she shared their ecosystem builder playbook with me. And today, I'm sharing that gift with you!

🎁Introducing the Ecosystem Consult

Having worked in ecosystem building for a little over a decade, I'm testing a 1:1 advisory format called Ecosystem Consult (I'm open to other suggestions!). It's my way of helping ecosystem builders who are facing a specific challenge in their community and want my advice to get unstuck. If this sounds like you, here's what to expect:

• Fill out the intake form (5 questions)
• I will review what's on your plate & do my own research.
• We will spend 45 minutes 1:1 to co-create a game plan on how to navigate the situation (you pick your own meeting date & time).
• I'll follow up with resources to help you move forward.

Throughout January 2025, I want to test this format and fine-tune my process: I'm offering 2 free Ecosystem Consults in exchange for your honest and productive feedback on the logistics, quality and overall problem-solving quality. I suspect that this will take about 2 hours of your time (total).

In turn, you get to pick my brain, get my undivided attention and hopefully gain new insights into how to help develop your ecosystem.

*In the event that more people sign up than I can handle, I will prioritize challenges I am most familiar with and go from there.

🎁 IEDC's Ecosystem Builder Playbook

During Global Entrepreneurship Week the Indiana Economic Development Corporation did not only launch their third (!) Entrepreneurship Indiana Yearbook and hosted a professional development summit for entrepreneurial support organizations (drool!), but they launched their own Ecosystem Builder Playbook and it. LOOKS. AWESOME. And I want you to have it! If you find it useful, tag them and let them know that Morgan Allen and her team are the bee's knees! Because they are.

Between my ears

Life, most recently: Things I'm excited about, pondering and trying out:

• In partnership with my friends at EcoMap I've been working on a blog series about the future of ecosystem building. That means I've had the great pleasure to talk to some REALLY smart people our field about where they see us headed, what role technology plays and what we need to get right over the coming years!
  • My first conversation was with Chris Heivly who some of you have met on Ecosystems for Change. Chris and I talked about moving the start line for entrepreneurs and building ecosystem teams for posterity. Read it here.
• I'm doing Pure Roots Nutrition's three-week sugar cleanse! Starting on January 8, 2025, we will cut out processed foods and refined sugar for 21 days. If you want to learn about sugar addiction and how it wreaks havoc on our bodies, get your hands on healthy recipes that actually taste good and reset your habits after a season of overindulgence, Pure Roots is offering 15% off for my newsletter subscribers. Sign up below using the code Anikabuddy15:

On my Bookshelf

I thoroughly enjoyed The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams. If you're looking for some historical fiction with a political side plot, this is a good one!

My birthday-almost-twin gave me a blind date with a book from our local bookshop The Book Dragon. It was THE PERFECT gift for a bookworm like me and even came with a sticker, pencil and bookmarks - the stuff that readers' dreams are made of! I can't wait to get lost in some Christmas-themed fiction leading up to the holidays!

My family has agreed on The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wide as our family book club between the years so I'm adding that one to my reading list this month!

I treated myself to the print version of Pattern Magazine. Issue #26 is all about Indiana's creative economy and it's SO GOOD y'all! The storytelling is top notch, the imagery is stunning and the breadth of the topic was impressive. This felt more like a work of art than a magazine! I had Polina Osherov - founder, executive director and editor in chief of Pattern - on the show to talk about her approach to storytelling. We had so much to discuss that we had the only-ever double-episode. Also, she's hiring right now if you know someone ;)

If you're as passionate as I am about supporting Independent bookshops, go visit yours for all your reading needs (they'll be thrilled to see you!) or shop online through Bookshop:

On my radar

Here are events to keep an eye on:

• February 12-15 : USASBE 2025 in Las Vegas, NV
• April 6-9: InBIA’s ICBI39 in Philadelphia, PA
• April 7-9: Main Street Now! in Philadelphia, PA
• May 2025: Startup Champions Spring Summit in Nevada (just announced!)
• June 2-4: Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC 2025) in Indianapolis, IN

Shen-ANIKA-ns

🎁 40 Bookshops Under 40

Drumroll please!

What started as a crazy idea over a glass of wine with my bookish friend Jen has turned into reality:

With only one year to go until I turn 40, I'm embarking on a bookish adventure to visit 40 Independent bookshops by the time I turn 40! I shall visit. I shall buy a book, or two or three. And I will hopefully chat with the owners! I plan on doing a write-up of each and let you in on my bookish observations!

If you have any ideas for cool Indie bookshops (US East Coast & Western Europe are most likely to get a visist), please let me know! If you know of similar projects or have ideas for partnerships and how to best promote these visits, I'm all ears! Or an open book, if you will ;)

It turns out that bookshops make most of their annual revenue in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. Which means two things:

1. December is a TERRIBLE time to start this project😂 Booksellers have better things to do than talk to some nosy Germany book lover about their business. It's a good thing I have a year to complete my mission!
2. Doing your Christmas book shopping at Indie bookshops has a BIG economic impact. This is what keeps them afloat during the quiet and cold months when no-one wants to spend money. Your purchase makes a difference! You can even shop at Indie bookshops online:

I kicked off this adventure last weekend by visiting 4 Indie bookshops in Washington, D.C.:

• Kramers: a busy mix of bookshop and diner
• Potter's: a nonprofit cafe-meets-bookshop with an outstanding children's book selection
• Bold Fork Books: A bookshop entirely devoted to cookbooks & food writing (be still, my culinary heart!), and
• Lost City Books: A three-story bookshop for new, used and rare books.

I'm excited to put together the first few blogposts and share the adventure!

I will be back in your inbox in the new year. I wish all of you a restful end of the year. May you put up your feet, uphold your boundaries, read a lot and eat some good food!

​

In camaraderie,

Anika