Dog food or Champagne

Putting Knowledge to the Test in the Real World

Jan 21, 2025

There’s a saying in Silicon Valley: “Eat your own dog food.” It’s a call to action—an invitation for builders, innovators, and strategists to apply their own tools, principles, and expertise in the real world. Elsewhere, they call it “sipping your own champagne,” a slightly more celebratory version of the same concept.

Today, I’m embracing both. My journey as a narratologist and solopreneur has always been about crafting stories and strategic frameworks for others to succeed. But now, I’m taking the leap to test what I’ve learned in a real-world setting.

As of today, I’m launching a stealth company with a partner. An opportunity to put everything I know about Strategic Narrative design, innovation, and business acumen into practice.

This isn’t just about theory; it’s about seeing if what I’ve spent years refining can hold up under the weight of real-world application.

Here’s the question: When was the last time you truly tested your knowledge by putting it into action?

NOW: Realization and Reflection for Today

Building a stealth company has forced me to reflect on how much of what I know is still untested. Over the years, I’ve guided others in creating their narratives, shaping strategies, and helping to design businesses.

But stepping into an operational role is a different game—it requires me to be the practitioner, not just the advisor. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

Confidence Comes from Testing
It’s one thing to design strategies; it’s another to see them executed. Testing your knowledge in the real world builds confidence that can’t come from theory alone.

Tension Drives Growth
Balancing my Strategic Narrative practice with the demands of launching a new business isn’t easy, but that tension fuels creativity and innovation.

Authenticity Matters
To “sip my own champagne,” I have to operate with the same authenticity I encourage in others. That means aligning this new venture with my values and vision.

Reflection:

• What knowledge or skills are you holding back from testing in the real world?
• Where in your life can you “eat your own dog food” or “sip your own champagne” to strengthen your confidence and credibility?

NEW: Learning and Experimentation for Tomorrow

Testing knowledge doesn’t require a grand leap. It starts with small, deliberate experiments that move you from theory to action.

Here’s how I’m approaching experimentation with this new venture and how you can, too:

Pilot and Iterate

We’re starting small, testing ideas with a narrow audience before scaling. This approach mirrors how I’ve always worked with narratives—craft, test, refine, and expand.

Lean on Your Frameworks

The same principles I’ve used in narrative design are guiding this business: clarity of vision, alignment of values, and the discipline to focus on what matters most.

Embrace the Unknown

Stealth mode means working in ambiguity. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s also where the most exciting discoveries happen. I’m learning to see uncertainty as fertile ground for innovation.

Ask yourself:

• What’s one small step you can take to test your knowledge or ideas in the real world?
• How can you use your own tools, frameworks, or expertise to guide this process?

NEXT: Vision for Future Possibilities

Launching this company isn’t just about building something new; it’s about creating a bridge between theory and practice as well as incorporating a passion. I envision a future where what I learn from this venture feeds back into my narrative work, deepening my insights, sharpening my strategies, and reinforcing my belief in the power of narrative equity.

Imagine a world where more of us take the leap to apply our knowledge, refine our expertise, and test our assumptions. Where “dog food” isn’t just a concept, but a practice of authenticity, and “champagne” is the celebration of lessons learned along the way.

Ask yourself:

• How would your perspective change if you committed to testing your knowledge in the real world?
• What future could you create by bridging the gap between theory and practice?

Payoff: Bridging the Gap Between Knowing and Doing

“Dog food or champagne” isn’t just a catchy phrase. It’s a call to action. For me, launching this stealth company is about proving that the strategies I’ve spent years refining don’t just work in theory; they work in practice.

In the Now, I’m reflecting on what it means to step into the role of the practitioner.

In the New, I’m experimenting with applying my knowledge in ways that will challenge and grow me to another level.

In the Next, I envision a future where this leap fuels new insights, deeper credibility, and greater impact. And, if we do it right, perhaps a meaningful business will emerge.

What about you? Are you ready to test your ideas, frameworks, and strategies in the real world?

"Ideas are a commodity. Execution of them is not." —Michael Dell, Dell chairman and CEO

Follow me on LinkedIn. Or DM at tobin@spatialshift.com for more information.

Make 2025 the year you optimize your story. If you want to learn how to build your narrative equity, book a free consultation with me, and let's consider the possibilities.

I am a Narratologist and my craft is to help others find and design their unique form of self-expression. For companies, it is about alignment around a Narrative Northstar and the mission to achieve it. For executives over 45, it is about owning your narrative equity and actively sharing or spending it. For movements, it is about generating visible narrative equity that inspires a call to action.