As Kennedy Family Ventures continues to grow we face a common question both internally and externally. That question reveals the depth of complexity in our considerations for investments in our existing business organizations and in new opportunities that we see emerging. So to help those trying to understand our mission and goals with Kennedy Family Ventures we have created this simple explanation.
It begins with synergy, and it ends to revealing invisible opportunities. I know, that sounds like the same byline you get from any business with a messy organizational structure and a difficulty focusing on building a product or service and getting it to market. I have heard it as well, more times than I can count, and more often than not I watch it end in disaster. It is a real problem, and honestly, that is one of the reasons that Kennedy Family Ventures came about.
One of our most important ventures was the SIMVISR organization. Originally this company was created to focus on creating artificial intelligence solutions. The dreams of building a simple AI company ended like many other startups do. We ran out of capital. It was quick and painful, mostly because it was preceded by running out of capital in a predecessor organization and a schism between executives, investors, and staff that saw the previous organization ultimately decline, and resulted in the founding of SIMVISR itself. Imagine that, same founders, same problem, different day.
Having to wade through the potential of financial disparity again was not an attractive prospect. So we made the decision that many founders make. We “diversified,” a secretly evil world in the business industry, unless you know what you are doing, or you have capital to waste. We did not. This problem is where things got interesting. Our first venture outside of the long-term plan for artificial intelligence was in the e-commerce industry. To be frank, and totally transparent, it was a Hail Mary. We saw some opportunity in a specific product category, and jumped on it. The visible synergy came later.
Imagine our surprise when our “side gig” started working. Suddenly we had cash flow that allowed us to focus on our prime objective. We could put money into improving our artificial intelligence venture, and not worry about paychecks, bills, and survival. Then the worst thing happened. Our artificial intelligence venture started to thrive as well. We suddenly had a new problem that many founders do not have. What do you do when you have two ventures that look like they both have a chance?
For us, it was to do nothing. We let them both thrive. We became the messy organization we knew would ultimately not work. We got there, fighting for resources and attention between organizations, and were quickly running out of reasons why it was good, or even just okay to run two businesses that were thriving. That’s when it happened. Our artificial intelligence venture hit a wall. A project we had invested heavily was not finding traction. Fear set in. We wondered if we were going to start the same death spiral our previous organization had seen, and we asked the hard question – is there something we can do to overcome the wall, or should we start planning for a soft landing?
The answer came because of a problem we were continuing to see in the e-commerce company. It seemed like we could never create an effective audience for marketing. When it finally occurred to our team that we had already solved this problem in our artificial intelligence firm, a new thought process was born. What if we created traction internally? What is we found or created organizations that needed a new approach, and that we had a solution for?
That journey was the answer to the question posed in the title. This is the REAL reason that farming, software, e-commerce, and retail are associated. The synergies are there. They have to be cultivated, they have to be tested, and our artificial intelligence company needed a way to use those synergies to grow multiple organizations at once, and create a unified approach across multiple industries, and a centralized team that could effectively grow and manage organizations that had wildly different goals.
From that single link grew many organizations with an amazing amount of need that was derived from each other. The farm had to sell its goods, it had to learn who the buyers were, it had to manage its processes better, it had to have a better platform to sell things. All of these things new organizations we invested in, and adding some solution to the needs of our organizations.
The moral of the story? If you find yourself in this situation – with a messy organization, unable to focus on a single product or service as you seek cash flow, ask yourself the hard question, but be open to unexpected answers. Is there something here deeper than what I see? Is this a lack of focus or a lack of connection between concepts? Thank you for listening, and best of luck! If you find yourself stuck, reach out. We have been there, and the best way to get past it is to reach out to those who have walked the trail before you.
Best Regards,
Brian M Kennedy, CEO
Kennedy Family Ventures Limited
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