We are living in unusual times. First and foremost, I hope that you are safe, healthy, and prepared with resources.
I hope that you’re able to stay thoughtful and calm. One thing is for certain – panic never leads to any good. I remain optimistic, but I am keenly aware of the severity of the situation. I have struggled with keeping 100% calm myself as I try to be an effective leader, husband, and father.
Let’s, together, remain calm, thoughtful, innovative, and prepared. This is who we are.
When Superstorm Sandy came through NJ, the tech community rallied. At the time, we at the NJ Tech Meetup – along with LOTS of community support – set up resources to help people connect. Even without power, we launched a crowdfunding campaign that helped raise over $30,000 for Sandy relief.
The NJ Tech Council is prepared for our community to rally again. Here are some first steps:
- Early next week we’ll be rolling out NJTC Digital – our slack community to help us stay connected both for this short term need and especially to help one another build our businesses for the long term.
- On Wednesday, we surveyed our Board on how businesses are reacting. See the fascinating results here.
- We will also be surveying you weekly starting next week to get a snapshot into how the broader tech community is reacting. We will share those results with all.
- We interviewed Chris Clark, Partner at Edison Partners, on best practices for leaders to manage their business, burn rate, and more. Check out the article – it will help you prepare.
- We had experts, Phillip Spencer, EY and Matt Wolf, RSM, share insights during our Board meeting this week and recorded it to share with you all. I’d highly recommend you watch the conversation. Watch for the impact on our supply chain.
- We held a webinar today on best-practices for remote-communication. We shared some great practical tips on how to be an effective remote communicator. Watch it here.
In addition, there are some fantastic resources available. Check out what our friends at BioNJ put together and also keep an eye on the CDC and NJ Gov websites.
We’re prepared to do whatever it takes to keep our community strong, connected, and moving forward.
What else can the NJTC do to help? Email ideas to: hello@njtc.org
Since I’ve been at the Council we’ve been intensively evaluating how we connect our members digitally and bring more of our value and experiences online. While I would never wish the coronavirus to be our catalyst, it’s simply forcing us in the direction we were already headed. While it’s a monkey wrench for all us, it’s also a catalyst to the future of work that many of us already live in.
Talk soon and wash hands.
Thanks,
Aaron
CEO, NJ Tech Council
Founder, Propelify