One of my good friends loves to argue that every story idea has already been created and humanity will never know another original plot line. To say that this argument is wrong isn’t correct: rather, I’d call it misguided.
That’s because, in the context of a fictional story, I can completely understand why somebody might think this. You see, most stories are built on similar foundations – each that you read, see, or listen to has archetypal elements in common with every other story written, filmed, or told.
We’re familiar with these commonalities already, but we call them plot, scenes, and driving philosophy. However, chief among these common threads are the archetypal characters: you simply can’t have a story without characters.
Characters build the journey of the story and drive it forward to completion. They’re the people who meet the protagonist and support, challenge, or push them further down the road they’ve embarked upon.
When you really think about it, this is a concept that’s woven deeply into the fabric of an entrepreneurial lifestyle as well. In that regard, characters you meet along your entrepreneurial journey are just as important as the characters a protagonist encounters in a fictional story.
We’ve built our annual Celebrate Conference as an entrepreneurial journey in its own right, and, as I said, no journey is complete without characters. People the world over will come to Downtown Las Vegas in October to participate in our three day conference: these are the characters that will help you in your own journey.
Here are some of the archetypal characters you might encounter at Celebrate 2015:
- Founders: These are the people who walk the entrepreneurial pathway like you. They’ve worked to accomplish goals at all levels of starting up and are always looking to get to new heights of success…Story Counterpart – Batman
http://bit.ly/1MECH5w
- Educators: This group exists to teach new skills to wayfarers, whether that’s growth hacking, new programming languages, or how to pitch better. Any way you spin it these are crucial skills you might need to get past obstacles that impede your road to glory…Story Counterpart – Professor McGonagall
http://bit.ly/1JdAWgJ
- Investors: Often referred to as literal angels, these are the people who hold proverbial keys to realms of legend. If you can get in with investors your success won’t necessarily be guaranteed, but you’ll stand a major leg up on the competition…Story Counterpart – Gandalf
http://bit.ly/1JtzTFo
- Technophiles: Any new technology that makes the world a safer, better, more fun, or more efficient place is going to be surrounded by technophiles. They’re the ones who go absolutely nuts over anything that’s new and cool. Not only that, they usually have massive amounts of energy that can be the perfect boost for your confidence along your own entrepreneurial journey…Story Counterpart – Judy and Peter from Jumanji
http://bit.ly/1MECzCZ
- Mentors: These are the people who take you completely under their wing to guide your journey. It’s an incredibly active role between a mentor and an entrepreneur, but the bond is usually strong because of it. They’ve been on a similar journey in one regard or another and have tasted bitter defeat or glorious success. Regardless, they learned a thing or two along the way and want to help you…Story Counterpart – Obi Wan Kenobi
http://bit.ly/1KhSZ46
Just remember, there’s no set look for any one of these people: they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It’s important to keep your best foot forward because you never know who you’ll run into next.
Half the fun of journeying out into the world is getting to meet new people. Make sure to come by Celebrate 2015 and start living your life. Which characters would you like to meet?
Image Credit: LOTR Wiki