Nets work better than a hook

I expect to learn in the next few days from the Dept. of Energy if our EARTH-NT team is a finalist for a $125+ million grant. EARTH-NT stands for energy and resources technology hub of North Texas. Our team includes the Univ. of Texas at Arlington, TMAC, TECH Fort Worth, and the Small Business Development Center for Enterprise Excellence plus a long list of great partners.

Our mission is to develop and demonstrate significant energy reduction capabilities in large buildings during the next three years. Our vision includes a 1,000 acre EARTH-NT multi-use land development that will include factories, retail, schools, agriculture, and wellness centers that either are energy neutral or actually putting energy on the electrical grid.

I owe Luke 5:1-10 for my inspiration and three useful business principles:

1. I can catch more "fish" with a net than a hook. One-on-one activities are great but forget to connect them. I've spent the last year building a network of people (e.g. Linkedin, Facebook) who are very good at what they do, think big and take risks. When the DOE grant opportunity arose, having a proficient network allowed us to work together to accomplish more than any one of us could have done alone.
2. Cast the net in deep, not shallow, "water". Think small, be small. Think big, grow big. When I attempt something simple or small, I always have lots of competition. When I tackle something big, there is still competition, but far less, making my chances for success higher. Will our team win the DOE grant? Don't know yet. But I do know we don't have many competitors.
3. Catch & Keep, not Catch & Release. One of the best books I've read in recent years is Same Kind of Different as Me, the true story of a wealthy Fort Worth art dealer and homeless man. Dealer Ron Hall asked Denver Moore to become his friend. Before he'd answer, Denver asked "What do you do when you catch a fish?" Ron wondered what that had to do with his friendship question. "Why do you ask?" Denver said, "White folk catch and release. Us black folk catch and keep. Are you planning on catching me and then releasing later?" Ron quickly responded, "No, I plan for us to be friends for life." And they are that today. I seek to catch people in my network who I plan to keep. And I hope they plan the same.

I will let you know the outcome of the grant, whether we win the money or not. Either way, I've won by creating a network of super people and organizations that have committed to work together on our vision whether we win the money or not. We threw the net in the deep water and caught a vision for North Texas.