Grit / Gretchen Riemenschneider
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen (the term is to be loosely applied),
Welcome to those new to Serendipity. As always, the premises of these musings can be found in the provenance email. (In short, it's a monthly essay that most people could largely do without; however, so many keep opening it for some reason. It’s not unlike an accident on the highway - everyone slows down to see what is going on, only to be supremely underwhelmed that it's a stranded driver with a flat tire.)
Winter is finally upon us. Once again, up and down the UK, gentle snowfall cripples motorists and, much like their new tax policies, shuts the economy down. The East Coast in the US enjoys its mixed bag of spring, summer, fall, and winter in the span of hours on any given day. Here in Tucson, we finally turned off the air conditioning and left the windows open whilst the gentle breeze cooled the house to 72 degrees Fahrenheit or 22 degrees Celsius. Middle age reminds me I was born to be mild.
December usually fills me with a sense of melancholy, reflection, and pity for Amazon delivery drivers. However, the world feels too busy this year to slow down and pontificate. Around the world, incumbent governments have been overhauled as the world hastily moves to a multipolar order. Meanwhile, AI is supercharging productivity simultaneously, unnerving philosophers, and advances in diabetes treatments have led to the world's leading weight loss drug.
What a time to be alive. We will all be super skinny to witness robot wars.
Moving on.
Humor aside, I recognize that this year has been a bear for most. I have not encountered too many who have held the opinion that this was a banner year for business, society, or even humanity. Therefore, whether you are currently overflowing with despair or over-abundant with optimism, I hope next year brings you progress that lights you up.
And I mean, it really lights you up.
Through Serendipity, I have tried to help people make new connections with unexpected and oversized outcomes. When you meet new people, you never know where the conversation will take you; many great stories start with an unexpected encounter or connection. Therefore, my efforts will be 10x next year to help even more people make the progress that lights them up.
This month’s ‘Serendipitous moment’:
July’s feature, Rachel Grunbaum, the LinkedIn whisperer, landed new partners and clients stateside following support from the Serendipity network. For those of you still looking to make an impression in the most prominent cocktail party on the planet, I heard she is now running some new free clinics!
Moving on, on.
Rounding out the year, I would like to introduce you to a woman of considerable force. Gretchen Riemechneider’s consulting expertise is something every entrepreneur should put at the top of their Christmas list.
Gretchen Riemechneider
As the founder of Grit and Gather, a consulting firm specializing in bringing order to chaos in the fast-paced world of startup and scaleup growth, Gretchen embodies the type of person who makes everyone better, no matter the team. Do you remember when, as kids, two captains picked teams in the playground from the various players assembled for whatever the day's game was? Well, Gretchen was the person that everyone picked first.
Gretchen has the perfect mix of intellect, organization, and drive to keep even the most ambitious and disjointed organizations on track. She can ruthlessly prioritize and compassionately lead teams to heights where the air is thin. Her specialties are strategic planning, GTM, positioning, and operational efficiency. If you are a founder or leader looking for a true partner to come alongside you and your team to take that next step in scale, I suggest you connect with Gretchen here.
Or check out Grit and Gather here.
Once again, thank you so much for reading this email. Your time and attention are precious; we both know that. So, in your end-of-year audit, we hope this makes the cut next year. I would strongly advise learning a second language, day trading, or something useful, but if you are putting this up against doom-scrolling, this may be five fewer minutes wasted.
Happy Holidays.