Some years ago, while on a long, stressful Transatlantic flight — “you need to come back to the States, now!” — Sean Knierim pulled out a journal and, rather than writing down his thoughts, he began to draw. In no way an artist, Sean felt inspired to sketch the one place where he felt connected: the side porch of a cabin in the mountains of western North Carolina that he’d visited while in graduate school.
It was a unique space, this side porch. A front porch is for welcoming guests. A back porch is for entertaining and family. But a side porch is an in-between space where important conversations are held and business is conducted without distraction or formality.
A side porch was what Sean needed and so he created one. Not a physical space as he lived in Los Angeles where rural Southern hospitality clashes with the cold reality of congestion and suburban sprawl, but rather a virtual side porch. His consultancy, SidePorch, is dedicated to helping good people doing hard things in service to communities around the world and he and his partners continuously have conversations with executives, educators, environmentalists, and entrepreneurs.
But something was missing, and, during the pandemic, Sean surfaced a memory from his childhood in suburban Chicago. For years, his father would host a regular breakfast of local business owners and Sean would occasionally tag along. The attendees would come together to connect and converse, not to drum up sales but to get to know each other and offer advice. They all lived and worked in the same suburbs, shared the same basic concerns, and were there for each other. For a time, Sean had hosted a similar breakfast in Los Angeles, but had let it slide and it was now time to bring it back.
So, on a Monday morning, he sent this message to about 25 friends:
All - I used to organize a breakfast once a month way back when we just moved to LA.
I’d invite a group of people I wanted to be friends with…sometimes a bunch would show up, and other times I got to read the paper solo and have a good cup of coffee.
We haven’t managed to build an actual side porch yet… so we’re gonna meet 7:30a on Friday, June 21, at the Groundwork Coffee on Rose & 7th in Venice. The folks running Groundwork have built an ethos that aligns really well with those on this invite list. And they have an outdoor space that will accommodate between 1-25 ppl!
NO asks or agenda here - you don’t even have to RSVP. Rather, this is an opportunity to pull together a group of good humans that happen to be available on short notice.
Let me know if you’d want to be removed from the list for subsequent invites…Andy is planning to host something like this farther east later in the month.
Hope to see you on Friday.
Sean
Responses ranged from “yes!” to “put me on the list for the next one!” and after the event, Sean sent another email.
Happy Friday to everyone.
So today started at 7:20 with me hanging out solo at Groundwork: Beautiful morning, really good coffee.
By 7:35 we had a table of really, really good humans telling stories: No agenda, just sharing a bit of time w friends.
I received 17 thoughtful emails this week from friends who were unable to join, but wanted to in the future.
I reflect a bunch on how blessed we are to be surrounded by so many good people that are spending their lives trying to make a difference. And most of these folks have crazy interesting life journeys, are good parents, laugh a bunch, etc. Listening to Tereza, Jacqui and Elliot talk about their time living around the world while speaking in 9 different languages was the highlight of the week!
We’ll do this again…on July 19th, same time and place. I’ll send out a reminder in a few weeks…but protect the time if you want to join! (and sorry to those of you who have standing Friday morning meetings) We may even bring more SidePorch hats for those that want them :-)
Hope each of you is heading into a wonderful weekend.
Abrazos,
Sean
But what was truly remarkable was the reaction to his LinkedIn post about the side porch get together.
As of July 24, 2024, his post had received 176 likes, 65 comments, and 1 repost. As Sean said in one of his comments, “Wow, what a response to Friday’s post! I’ve never received this kind of reaction to any post, ever, on LinkedIn.”
Clearly, Sean had tapped into something deep: on a fundamental level, people crave connection. On a sunny morning in Venice, California, multiple executives, investors, and entrepreneurs got together to meet, enjoy each other’s company, and drink coffee. As promised, there was no agenda, no pitches, not even free food.
A few weeks later, Sean repeated his get together and twice as many people showed up, with overflow conversations extending to tables on either side of the main table. New people met each other for the first time, connected via LinkedIn to ensure they had each other’s contact information, and learned about new families, new companies, and new initiatives.
On the same morning, Sean’s business partner, Andy Riemer, hosted a similar gathering at different coffee shop across town. Unlike Sean’s, Andy’s included a dog who likely contributed to discussions of cats but probably skipped the parts about democracy, books, and extraterrestrial life.
So, what is the ROI of these Sideporch get-togethers? That’s actually the wrong question as they’re not business investments at all. Andy and Sean were going to spend that time drinking coffee anyway so the cost in terms of both money and time was zero.
And for the senior executives, entrepreneurs, and investors, who likely pass on invitations to most events because the organizers are trying to monetize them, gathering together with friends, acquaintances, and strangers is exceptionally rewarding. They’re able to meet peers, learn new things, exchange advice informally and enjoy the company of new people, without the distractions and ulterior motives of traditional business functions.
All in all, a profoundly successful creative engagement that lives up to the drawing Sean had sketched years before on his long flight.
If you’re interested in attending one of SidePorch’s get-togethers, please connect with Sean Knierim or Andy Reimer for an invite. They’re mostly held in Los Angeles with plans to expand to other cities based on their travel schedules. Or you’re welcome to host your own and invite them.
