How Moving From NYC to Miami Made Me a Better Leader and Entrepreneur

• Darshan Somashekar is a serial entrepreneur who operates gaming system Solitaired.
• He moved his family from New York to Florida temporarily this calendar year for a transform of surroundings.
• He explained carrying out so assisted him network in a new tech scene and obtain insights into his person foundation.

When my relatives and I briefly moved from NYC to Miami for five months earlier this 12 months, I envisioned it to be a welcome split from another dreary winter season in New York. Wandering together the seashore after get the job done sounded like a substantially much better way to wind down than debating if we should courageous the chilly to go to a restaurant (and wanting to know if it was even secure to do so). 

What I did not expect was for it to make me a better entrepreneur. Right here are a number of of the astonishing ways this improve of speed helped increase my firm functions, management, and private productivity — and why I’m now recommending every person I meet make a related trip ASAP.

I tapped into a new tech scene and grew my network

Even while New York Town is a mecca for operating in tech, I was starting up to truly feel like I was not attaining as substantially from the scene as I made use of to. Regardless of whether due to the fact of the lingering effects of the pandemic or just the fact that I might lived in the similar town for 17 several years, networking was not sensation as remarkable.

Heading to an up-and-coming tech metropolis felt like an infusion of new vitality and served me get out of my networking rut. 

I was extra psyched to go to the weekly tech joyful hour because I realized it would be entire of clean faces and discussions about slicing-edge concepts, like whether getting into Net3 or NFTs made perception for my digital-gaming firm. I also discovered myself obtaining much more in-depth conferences with worthwhile connections.

While in Miami, I fulfilled with an ad-tech CEO who gave me some critical insights into how we could most likely partner on gaming initiatives, and we went in depth into the mechanics of how it could get the job done. I’m not guaranteed we would have gotten to the similar put if we experienced that dialogue in a Starbucks in midtown, in which no one desires to remain a minute extended than they will need to. 

The modify even revived my connections with contacts from my current community for the reason that they ended up also curious about Miami and enthusiastic to have anyone to stop by when they arrived by way of. In the span of the few months I was there, I met up with more of my New York network than I did in the earlier 12 months of getting in the town.

It was uncomplicated to uncover my tribe in other methods, too. I searched for “Miami tech” on Twitter and came throughout Refresh Miami, an firm that posts an up-to-date timetable of activities. From there, it was just about demonstrating up.

I obtained new insights into our solution and consumers

I understood theoretically that New York was a little bit of a bubble, but I didn’t see just how significantly that was real right up until I left.

For occasion, becoming in New York surrounded by folks sporting the newest and best equipment (all of them Apple, in a natural way), it was straightforward to think that’s what our merchandise group need to be creating for. But I noticed so several PCs and entry-level gadgets when I was functioning in the course of Miami, ensuing in a new strategy to our item so the practical experience stays easy no make any difference where buyers are actively playing it.

This excursion was also eye-opening in helping me see the distinctive types of people we needed to provide. We’ve accomplished a ton of get the job done to enhance our shopper pleasure rating lately, but soon after observing Miami locals and vacationers alike, I recognized we were being genuinely only fixing for one particular kind of shopper. While New Yorkers are workaholics who will need longer game titles to play on their commute, other folks might be looking for tiny methods to chill out throughout the working day — which led us to transform our solution class to produce far more bite-sized online games.

I revisited my perfect routine and modeled superior function-lifestyle equilibrium for my team

Like a lot of individuals, I’ve experienced a rough time functioning from dwelling. For a single, it tends to get monotonous. Also, even even though I understood that far more versatile schedules experienced improved our team’s productivity and engagement, I observed it tricky to cease myself from performing all-around the clock when at home.

This change of rate aided me break those practices and build a much better work plan. There are so lots of great coworking choices around the metropolis — from lodge lobbies to beachfront coffee retailers — that I could simply find new environments to inspire me or help me get in the zone.

With so substantially gorgeous out of doors area, I discovered myself using extra breaks in the course of the day to walk alongside the beach, go for a swim, or just take a look at the metropolis. In addition, not obtaining the common social obligations gave me a great deal additional control of my agenda: It was a reduction to click “no” on invitations because I was not close to and to as an alternative consider about what I actually benefit accomplishing with my time.

Not only did all of this tremendously improve my function-everyday living equilibrium and psychological wellness, it modeled for my crew that we’re definitely severe when we discuss about flexible perform. If the founders aren’t on the net all day, plainly our workforce would not need to be, either. We see our crew members next similar patterns, irrespective of whether that is taking an extended weekend getaway or a individual working day when the nanny can’t make it. Our most recent team member makes use of his mornings to go on extensive bike rides. We enjoy the truth that all people can deal with their own lives in a guilt-absolutely free way.

While a temporary go like this may possibly seem to be like a veiled excuse for a holiday, locating a location where by I was happier and more energized for the winter designed me vastly additional successful. In just a handful of months, my cofounder and I brainstormed and released a new recreation, improved our monetization method by relying less on typical exhibit ads and far more on first-party data, acquired a modest gaming organization, and extra. 

I am going to surely be performing this once more following winter and, regardless of whether it truly is Miami or any just one of the increasing-star tech towns, I recommend any entrepreneur take into consideration a identical alter of tempo to see their get the job done in a new mild. 

Darshan Somashekar is a serial tech entrepreneur. He cofounded drop.io, a media-sharing startup that was acquired by Fb in 2010.  He also cofounded Imagine Easy Alternatives, a exploration and citation platform, which was acquired by Chegg in 2016. Nowadays he is a enterprise partner at TMV and operates on his casual gaming platform Solitaired. Darshan graduated from Brown College with a degree in community policy and American institutions. He worked as an associate marketing consultant at Bain & Company in New York after graduation.