The hustle of hummingbirds: differentiate or die

Hummingbirds share more traits with startups, entrepreneurs, and business leaders than you might imagine. Despite being perceived as elegant and peaceful creatures, hummingbirds are relentless forces of nature that have evolved quickly to thrive in a constantly shifting environment.

These tiny but powerful birds move at astonishing speeds (in all directions) while also remaining the agility required to fiercely defend their territories. In other words, hummingbirds might just be the best icon for startups looking to stay relevant in a world of cutthroat competition.

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In today’s episode, we discuss:

What hummingbirds and startups (and Natalie?) have in common
How decision-making fatigue can lead to death in hummingbirds and businesses
Why long-term differentiation is critical for survival
When to compete, and when to collaborate
How hummingbirds develop productive relationships with their broad ecosystem

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Referenced:

Douglas Altshuler and Robert Dudley on the amazing hovering ability of hummingbirds, and how their flight patterns co-evolve with their foraging strategies: https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/1573/Altshuler_and_Dudley.pdf?sequence=1
If you want to be in absolute awe of hummingbird nest-building, here’s 4 minutes of beauty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKNfsIwUPnA
The New York Times on co-evolution, and the competitive nature of hummingbirds (and their impressively serrated beaks!) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/science/hummingbirds-science-take.html
On the co-evolution of beaks and flowers: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/hummingbird-evolution#:~:text=Different species of hummingbirds have,other animals from stealing it[.](https://askabiologist.asu.edu/hummingbird-evolution#:~:text=Different species of hummingbirds have,other animals from stealing it.)
How hummingbirds use spider silk to reinforce their nests, while still allowing them to stretch and grow: https://abcbirds.org/blog21/hummingbird-nests/
Hummingbird researcher Alejandro Rico-Guevara talks about the feeding, flying, and fighting tendencies of these tiny birds (and why we can’t put trackers on them!)
Stuff You Should Know on hummingbirds as the only vertebrate who can hover and flying backward and forward

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Where to find Kari Sulenes:

Kari's company: https://joinpilea.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karisulenes

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Where to find Natalie Rothfels:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nrothfels
Website: https://natalierothfels.com/

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Production and distribution by: ⁠https://www.supermix.io