From the fourth floor of the Mississippi State Capitol to my drawing board, it’s four blocks. Today at noon, I carried on a continuous conversation with nine different people for the entire four blocks.
People ask me what makes Mississippi unique. I tell them its the relationships.
On any given weekday, you might only see two people in downtown Jackson. But chances are you’ll know at least one of them. It might be from school. From the soccer or baseball fields. Or church. You might have helped them at a fundraiser. You might be neighbors. Or you might know their sister, who was the roommate of your first girlfriend out of college.
I’ve never lived in a place where relationships are as important as they are here. We don’t have six degrees of separation here. We have two. And if you know someone’s mama, it’s one. Mississippi is truly a big small town. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes that’s bad. But one thing is for sure:
It’s who you know.
I tell people it’s the most important marketing information people need to know to do business here: If people don’t know you, they’ll ignore you. I’ve seen business people and politicians both fail miserably because they ignored this simple rule. (of course, sometimes they know you and think you’re a complete jerk — but I digress)
For nearly 20 years, I’ve enjoyed watching this state. I find the people colorful, unique and for the most part, good. I’ve enjoyed living here, too. And today, while walking down Capitol Street talking to friends, I was reminded why.