The Reinvention Center is a new concept for a
new economic climate: a novel combination of existing ideas under a
single umbrella. The overall vision is of an entrepreneurial community
providing each of its members with the social and emotional support
necessary to enable risk-taking in the pursuit of fulfilling,
meaningful, independent work. On November 20, 2008, the San Francisco
Jazz Heritage Center hosted the first public announcement of The
Reinvention Center. While the location was largely a matter of
fortunate circumstance, it is nevertheless symbolic. Like jazz, the
concept of "reinvention" draws upon numerous strands of philosophy,
psychology, economics, technology, finance, management, and
law--ranging from those taught in our finest traditional universities
and professional schools to those experienced in non-traditional
personal development workshops--to generate a uniquely American
approach to freedom, mobility, prosperity, and "doing well by doing
good." Every component of The Reinvention Center relates to the
highest of all social goals: enabling individuals to maximize the value
that they confer upon society. In more prosaic terms, we will help our
members create fulfilling work that enhances both their own lives and
the lives of their customers or clients.
In practical terms, The Reinvention Center will include:
- A physical presence, initially in
San Francisco, where a few reinventors live, several entrepreneurs
work, and a community of networkers enjoy lectures, workshops, parties,
and the freedom to choose their own levels of participation as members
of our professional/social community.
- A web presence to help us grow the community beyond those who spend their time in San Francisco.
- Reinvention
Counselors who tailor personalized programs of legal guidance,
strategic direction, business coaching, and entrepreneurial inspiration
for our members.
- Incubation services to help a selected number of entrepreneurs turn their ideas into lucrative businesses.
- A
co-working program to invite solo entrepreneurs who miss the social
element of office life into our space, in ways that increase their
productivity, their happiness, and our environment.
- A network of providers available to our members at discounted prices and/or service exchanges.
- A series of networking parties, lectures, and workshops on topics of interest to our members.
- An
opportunity to participate in an emerging body of philosophical
discussions and practical lessons about the role that meaningful work
can play in both sustainable economic growth and personal development.
The Reinvention Center will be more than simply a consulting firm or a
co-working facility. It will address an anomaly of the industrial age
as we continue our growth into the global information age: In
traditional societies, clans, tribes, villages, or churches provided
their members with social, emotional, and spiritual support.
Individual sustenance and material welfare rested primarily with the
individual, though many of the more advanced collectives imposed
obligations on the rich to care for the poor. Industrial urbanization
inverted the equation. All of a sudden, large paternalistic entities
like employers and governments assumed primary responsibility for
sustenance. Basic material welfare became a right of the poor rather
than an obligation of the rich. And social, emotional, and spiritual
support became free choices left to the discretion of the individual.
In the modern world--and in particular in the world of educated
urbanites who opt out of membership in traditional religious,
fraternal, or political organizations--communal social, emotional, and
spiritual support is rare. To many, it seems divorced from, if not
antithetical to, professional and financial success. In economic
downturns, when many who have tied their self-worths to financial
success feel themselves deflating in numerous senses, that lack of
support can become glaring. That deflation, in turn, feeds upon
itself, as potential employers and clients shun underconfident
professionals. The Reinvention Center is out to break that cycle by
recognizing that social confidence, professional fulfillment, and
financial success are inherently intertwined. They are all parts of you.
At The Reinvention Center, we believe in you. We believe that wherever you may be in life, you can do better. And we can help.
