We’ve been running Opensant for a few months now, and we’ve made every mistake in the book. Here are five of the biggest.
1. We over-structured the first sessions. We had icebreakers, timed segments, assigned seating. People hated it. The best sessions are the ones where we just open the door and let people figure it out.
2. We underestimated the power of coffee. Seriously. Good coffee is social lubricant. When we switched from instant to proper brewed coffee, the quality of conversations went up noticeably. Worth every złoty.
3. We tried to grow too fast. We posted on every platform, ran ads, begged people to come. What actually worked? One person telling one friend. Word of mouth is slow but it brings the right people.
4. We forgot about introverts. Not everyone wants to present or talk in groups. We started creating quieter corners with sketchpads and books. Some of our best feedback comes from the quiet people.
5. We took ourselves too seriously. This isn’t a startup. It’s a room with a projector and coffee. The moment we relaxed about it, everyone else did too.