Stop Competing. Start Collaborating.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard Sharon Myers, the new CEO of Visit Hershey & Harrisburg, speak about the power of collaboration. After the meeting, we had some down time and a few moments to chat. I mentioned a few things I liked about her comments and she said, “Collaboration is what gets me up in the morning,” I laughed out loud.

Because, same.

That’s exactly what Yokl is about. It’s not just a website or a food tour—it’s a collaboration and  a local movement. We’re not trying to out-hustle or outshine each other. We’re trying to raise the tide for everyone’s boat.

You’ve probably heard that old quote, “A rising tide lifts all ships.” But I love what Ayn Rand said: “A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.”

I believe we are all here on earth to do something great, to create and build a beautiful, wonderful 100,000 piece puzzle. Nature expects and wants this from us. But I’ve changed perspective; I used to think life was about building the Eileen puzzle—my corner, my progress, my timeline. But it turns out we’re all working on one giant masterpiece together. It’s the human puzzle. When you snap a piece into place, the picture becomes clearer for everyone and you make our puzzle better. That’s why your growth matters to me—because we’re working on the same thing. Together.

In Who Not How, authors Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy say that when you find the right “who,” your vision expands. Your goals accelerate. You stop procrastinating. You stop pretending you have to do it all yourself. Collaboration becomes the secret sauce that makes everything not only possible, but joyful.

That’s what we’re doing with Yokl. We’re not just lifting up small businesses. We’re creating a community where your win is my win. Where we ask “Who can I help today?” instead of “How can I get ahead?”

It’s time to stop measuring ourselves by what we can do alone. Let's start building something together that none of us imagined on our own.