The pinnacle of almost every field includes references to stars.
The entertainers who draw us to the silver screen are movie stars or TV stars. Their inclusion in a project is referred to as star power.
The athletes whose feats we admire most are all-stars, who sometimes transcend into superstars.
The musicians who top the charts are rock stars or pop stars. Most performances have a star attraction.
The hottest restaurants are powered by a star chef. The subjective best of these restaurants are awarded Michelin stars.
And stars are not just used as references for a pinnacle. Society has developed an informal 5-star system to allow us to signal to each other the relative quality of a good or service. Hotels are likewise ‘ranked’ on a 5-star system.
In the workplace, you have star performers. The phrase ‘rock star’ is once again often used in this context. An up-and-comer is said to be a rising star, or a shooting star.
In a legal setting, you can have a star witness.
Even when things didn’t work out the way you wanted, it’s described as star-crossed.
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Here’s our theory.
Stars are beautiful, and you don’t need a telescope to see them. The human eye can observe a star twinkle, sparkle, and burn with a range of colors.
Stars are wondrous. Before we understood them, they inspired mythology and a sense of meaning and purpose. They still do that, but also serve as a reminder for how precious life is and how small we are in the unimaginably grand scale of the universe.
Stars are at once inspirational and aspirational. They occupy what is arguably the most inspirational real estate possible - the sky above us. We look up to be inspired, and we dream about humanity advancing to the point of interstellar travel.
Stars are - both literally and figuratively - massively important. Planetary systems revolve around stars, which serve as the center of gravity for these systems and in the case of our solar system, provide the energy to sustain life. Many black holes are former stars.
Stars are great reference points. Anyone can observe a star. This was true at the dawn of humanity, and is still true today. Stars were used as navigational aids because of their observability, and ability to serve as a common reference point.
It’s for many of these same reasons that we like stars as references for companies.
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Stars are formed in a nebula.
A concentrated cloud of gas and dust, nebulae are known as star nurseries for giving birth to many stars. Concentrations of gas and dust within a nebula will densify as more mass is attracted, which in turn results in a greater gravitational pull, which in turn attracts more gas and dust.
Eventually, the gravity in this mass becomes so strong that it starts to collapse on itself, and the resulting friction causes the mass, now known as a protostar, to begin to heat itself.
This process of increasing pressure and heat continues for millions of years, until the protostar reaches 10 million Kelvin in temperature.
At this temperature, the nuclei of hydrogen atoms fuse together to form helium and release energy. This process halts the gravitational collapse, and the protostar can sustain the nuclear fusion and release energy for millions or billions of years. A star is born.
The most successful companies - star companies - follow a similar path. They start with the right raw materials: great ideas, talent, capital and fuse them together over time to create great products and solutions, which further attract talent and capital.
At some point, the most successful of these companies will reach their own version of 10mK. They are able to sustain their own existence, and they radiate their own beautiful energy out into the world and build a following.
This is the process fundamental to the formation of both stars and star companies. There is a design. The necessary materials align to this design. This alignment attracts fuel. The fuel leads to ignition. At 10 million Kelvin, or 10mK, a star is born.
Design. Align. Fuel. Ignite.
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These companies are driven by their mission to maximize both societal and economic value creation. They want to be a North Star in their field.
Just as a star accretes raw materials to fuel its growth, star companies attract talent and capital through the gravity of their mission and the purposeful nature of their strategy.
This strategy includes both a practical focus on execution and a willingness to push beyond their comfort zone to seek growth. It’s not being happy with the status quo and eking out points of margin, and it’s not blitzscaling and growth at all costs.
It takes time and constant alignment for a star to reach 10 million Kelvin. Star companies take the time to design and build a high-performing organization, and then constantly drive alignment within it and with stakeholders in their orbit.
Star companies care about building a brand, and amplify this brand and their achievements to further their impact.
The companies best suited to work with 10mK want to be stars. They are protostars. We are driven to bring our own energy to help them ignite into stars.
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A well-known use of a star as a symbol is the North Star. The namesake for the actual North Star, Polaris, is among the brightest stars in the night sky and an important navigational aid.
Would you get into a car and start driving without a destination in mind? You’d clearly be making forward progress, so it might feel productive. But if you pulled over and asked someone for directions, the first thing they would ask you is, “Where are you going?”
If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you expect anyone to help you get there?
We believe that everyone - every individual and every organization - should have a North Star. Everyone needs an aspirational goal to strive for, to drive alignment towards and to look up and be inspired by after periods of grinding away in the trenches.
No one is beyond the point of looking for guidance. Even if you are well into your journey as a business or in your career, the highest performers are constantly looking for feedback and direction.
The 10mK Methodology starts with defining your North Star. From there, we curate the framework to meet your needs, and we begin the journey through the four phases: Design, Align, Fuel and Ignite.
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We have built and led companies, private and public.
We have served as founders, operators, investors and board directors. We have been C-suite executives, recognized and awarded for our successes.
We have real operating experience across many industries, markets and countries. We learn your business, understand your goals and aspirations, and then tailor our strategic advisory services to help you unleash your potential.
We’ve hired and worked with some of the best talent in the world. We’ve built teams that have performed and have been recognized at the highest levels. We have a deep network of talented individuals that we can bring in as advisors or employees for your company, depending on the situation.
We have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in capital. We can help you with your own fundraising needs, and in certain situations have capital of our own to deploy.
We have built brands, produced films and authored books. We have a passion for creativity that we use to help bring to life the vision that you have for your business.
We have created billions of dollars of value.
Are you ready to begin the journey to give rise to your own star?
