Howdy Reader!

Last week, I was super excited about an event I’m doing in Manchester, Great Britain, called The Entrepreneur’s Traveling Circus—Brit and the Beard Edition.​

But do you know what the difference between a circus and a carnival is?

The wild ride of the circus kicks off in 1768 with Philip Astley and his wife, Patty, opening Astley’s Riding School in London. It started by the couple showing off some seriously impressive horseback stunts in a circular ring. Now, trick riding wasn’t new, but Astley had the genius idea to spice things up by throwing in clowns (scary!) and acrobats (as my British friend Ian would say, “Nutters!”) And wallah! That combo earned him the title “father of the modern circus.”

But Astley didn’t stop there. He discovered that a 42-foot diameter ring was perfect for creating just the right amount of centrifugal force, helping riders keep their balance while the horses galloped around. That ring size? Still the standard today.

Funny enough, Astley never actually used the word “circus.” That credit goes to his rival, Charles Dibdin, who opened The Royal Circus nearby later that same year, kicking off a circus rivalry for the ages.

Sounds a little like Apple doesn’t it? Waiting to see what the pioneers do, then rebranding it as their own.

A.I. = Apple Intelligence instead of Artificial Intelligence…really Apple?

So what’s a carnival?

These days, the line between carnivals and circuses isn’t set in stone, but there are two big differences that usually stand out. First up, carnivals are all about spreading the fun around—think lots of booths offering entertainment all over the place, happening all at once, while circuses typically go for one big show under the famous "Big Top" or arena.

Carnivals love to get people involved with rides and games, while circuses? They’re more of a “grab a seat and watch the ”Nutters” pull off amazing stunts” kind of deal.

You know those rickety deathtrap rides run by questionable operators who aren't old enough to get their driver's license, let alone operate the Screaming Wheel O' Death, that set up shop in your local mall’s parking lot? Those are more than likely carnivals.

That, my friends, is why I chose the title Entrepreneur’s Traveling CIRCUS rather than Carnival.

The goal is to have one main stage (Center Ring) where experts share actionable takeaways to the group. There will be some fun carnival-like breakout sessions and workshops, but I wanted most of the time together really digging into moving the needle forward for attendees.

At many big conferences, you feel like you’re pulled in so many different directions, and if you pick a certain session, you may miss out on others. I didn’t want that to happen. I’ve been there myself.

The Entrepreneurs Traveling Circus = Forward Thinking, Focused, and Fun.

​So, if you’re in the Manchester, G.B. area, I’d love to see you there on Oct. 30 with my good friend and super-smart entrepreneur Ian Anderson Gray.

If you can’t make it to this one, no worries! We’ve got some more planned in the upcoming year.

AND if you’d like to work with me to get one close to YOUR area, reply to this email, and let’s chat!

See ya around the interwebs,

-Jeff

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