By LIZ MARCHI
This weekend was Big Sky Dev Con in Bozeman. This was year 5 of the event which is a Developers Conference and is another of those little known but extraordinary things going on in Montana. Self organized as a Meet Up group, the Big Sky Developers have over 500 members. The conference is world class, self organized, and a rich lode of learning the technical, business and life.
Pretty sure I was the only grandmother there. I love these people. They represent the skills sets and talent that are creating huge value for our local companies, treasure our natural environment but most of all, I love their take on life.
Ben Warner, founder of a new startup Ignite Feedback, gave a wonderful talk on the analogy of mountaineering and being an entrepreneur. I have heard thousands of talks on this and his was one of the best. This young man, half my age, made a compelling case for deep thinking and focus, “digital detox.” We love our fast moving, hyper connected, information bombarding us world where we can sell globally and live in a magical place like Montana. As I continue to struggle with a change in tempo in my life, digital detox is a must.
I played 18 holes of golf yesterday and left my I-phone at home. This, for me, is like going through rehab. It was awesome. I enjoyed my friends, the game and being outside much more.
Stay healthy, live well and enjoy the summer and do the digitial detox.
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Liz Marchi lives on a ranch in Polson, Montana with her husband Jon. She is the Fund Coordinator for the Frontier Angel Fund and spends a lot of time thinking and learning about entrepreneurs, the economy and Montana’s unique place in the world. She has three daughters and a stepson and daughter and a grandchild. She graduated from Hollins College and is entering the final quarter of life…unless we go into overtime.