Life After, Part 2 - Big News!

A lot has happened since my last blog post, which was just over a year ago.  We closed the doors to Launch Longmont on February 29th this year.  The coworking space was a success in that we brought in some great members and had a positive impact on the community, but construction that was supposed to be started and done in three or four months never got past the demolition point.  Because of the delay we decided to shut it down.

 

And now for Part 2 . . .

 

(Jeffrey Smart Building, University of South Australia - photo courtesy UniSA)

 

So you know how everyone tells you “when one door closes, another one opens?”  I am living proof.  Last week I received an offer to spend a year as the Growth Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of South Australia, in Adelaide.  UniSA is in the top 3% of QS World University Rankings, and the UniSA Business School ranks in the top 1% globally.  Wow!  There are over 36,000 students and yet the University was just founded 25 years ago.

 

 

After a quick trip over to observe and look for a place to live, Cindy and I will be moving there sometime at the end of May, and I’ll be starting in my new position June 1st.

 

I will miss Longmont, and I will have to resign as President of Startup Longmont.  I’m very proud of all the people who have made this organization what it is.  When I arrived in town about a year and a half ago, the Startup Longmont Meetup had just over 30 members.  Yesterday we added our 800th member, and earlier in the month we became a real 501(c)(3) non-profit.  It has been my pleasure to work with all the people of Longmont, and though I will be half a world away soon, I will always be a Startup Longmont member!

 

 

I also won’t be the “Resident Entrepreneur” at the Temple Grandin School for at least the next year, but perhaps my new title can be Entrepreneur At Large or some such thing, as I do plan to stay involved.  The great staff and students have been a highlight of my past year and I am proud to remain a supporter of their work.  Although I will be 17 1/2 time zones away, I plan to occasionally occasionally call into Entrepreneur Thursday Morning Meeting.  If you are in Boulder on April 4th, check out the Meeting of The Minds, it's going to be a great event, or let me know if you would like an introduction to the great people at the Temple Grandin School.

 

My plan is to spend as much time with friends and family over the next two months while getting rid of stuff and then packing up what's left for storage.  We’re going over with two suit cases each and a big smile on our faces!  (And my mandolin of course - I'm sure I can find a bluegrass jam in Adelaide!)

 

Update March 23, 2016

 

So far I think everyone I've told about this has either said they would visit me in Australia, or they asked me to take them with me when I go.  I'm not surprised, everyone I know is fascinated by Australia and would love to visit.  The long plane ride scares most off, but it's really not that bad.  (Ask me again after I've done it twice more)

 

Some people don't grasp the size of Australia, so I found this graphic to help from the Australian Government's Geoscience webpage.

 

 

It is both the "smallest continental land mass, (and) it is the world's largest island."

 

This very cool map created by someone (wish I could find their name!) at The Guardian shows the population distribution of the country.  It looks like there are a lot of people on the coasts until you look at the map key.  Most of the people do live on the coasts, but even so it is not a crowded place unless you are in one of the city centers.  Check out the article and other maps here at The Guardian.

 

 

 Since so many of you have said you'd like to follow me down to Australia, here is a website I've found that has been helpful as I start to get my bearings.

 



http://www.bobinoz.com

And here is one of Bob in Oz's maps of the Australian States, and a link to information about each one to help you decide where you want to live!

 

Australian States and a little about each one from BobInOz.com