5x1: How Ant Colonies Can Transform Your Business Operations | Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025

by Monti Pace

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

Dear 5x1 Community,

As someone who believes that systems achieve goals, I'm thrilled to share some exciting news that embodies this principle in my own entrepreneurial journey!

Effective June 1st, I'm expanding my business portfolio by taking ownership of Hera Hub DC, a women-focused business accelerator and coworking community serving entrepreneurs in the DMV region.

For those who've followed my work with Two Point Oh, you know I'm passionate about helping clients build systems that scale their impact. Now, I'll be applying those same principles to Hera Hub DC.

Over the past decade, the current owner has built an amazing community with a proven framework for business acceleration that aligns perfectly with my systems-focused approach. I'm honored to continue this legacy while implementing strategic growth plans to expand our impact throughout the region.

Don't worry – Two Point Oh isn't going anywhere. In fact, this expansion allows me to demonstrate the very systems I help my clients build, creating a powerful case study in business growth.

Interested in learning more about Hera Hub DC or exploring potential collaborations? I'd love to connect! Reach out directly to me or schedule a brief chat here!

​[Check out our announcement on LinkedIn]​

As always, focused on helping you build systems that achieve your most ambitious goals,

Monti

The​ 5x1 newsletter​ is a concise and insightful resource around a simple concept: systems achieve goals.

sys·tem [ˈsistəm]
a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network.
a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized framework or method.

1 x Principle of Systemization

Stigmergy: Have you ever wondered how ants build complex colonies without a manager or termites create elaborate structures without blueprints?

They're using stigmergy – where coordination emerges without central planning or direct communication. Coined by French biologist Pierre-Paul Grassé in the 1950s, stigmergy describes how independent agents coordinate by responding to environmental changes rather than communicating directly. The term combines "stigma" (mark) and "ergon" (work) – essentially "mark-making that stimulates work."

In stigmergic systems, individuals leave traces in the environment that trigger specific behaviors in others. Complex patterns emerge without anyone seeing the whole picture or a central coordinator. Humans use stigmergy constantly without realizing it. Wikipedia contributors build on others' work without direct collaboration. Those worn paths across college campuses? Nobody planned them—they emerged as people followed others' footsteps. Software developers collaborate through code repositories where each contribution triggers new work.

These systems work efficiently because information gets embedded in the environment itself. The environment becomes both the storage medium and the mechanism triggering new actions. For system designers, stigmergy offers a powerful alternative to hierarchical control.

By creating environments where one action naturally prompts appropriate next steps, we can build self-organizing systems requiring minimal management. The key is designing clear environmental cues that guide behavior without dictating it—allowing complex patterns to emerge from simple interactions with a thoughtfully structured environment.

1 x Systemization Quote

“In stigmergic systems, communication is achieved via the environment. One agent’s actions change the world in a way that guides the next.” — Eric Bonabeau, Swarm Intelligence

1 x Reflection Question

What if your team never had another meeting—how could you design shared tools, spaces, or artifacts so that everyone still moved forward together?

1 x Personal System Idea

Medication Tracking Trail: We’ve all had that moment where we stare at our pills and think “Did I already take this today?” It’s one of those little life frustrations that can actually have serious consequences.

Uss your physical environment as the reminder instead of relying on your brain:

• Put your 7-day pill organizer somewhere you can’t miss it - like right next to your coffee maker or toothbrush.
• After you take your meds, flip the compartment lid open. That’s it. Closed = still needs to be taken. Open = done. Your environment now holds the information instead of your overtaxed brain.
• For morning/evening medications, the AM/PM containers make this even easier.
• The physical state of your pill container becomes this unmistakable signal to your brain - no more of that “wait, did I take it?” anxiety.
• At the end of the week, there’s something weirdly satisfying about closing all those little compartments for the reset.

This system works because it offloads the remembering part from your brain to your environment. The open compartments are these little traces you leave for yourself - physical evidence that past-you already handled this task. It’s perfect for those of us who can barely remember what day it is, let alone whether we took our evening meds.

1 x Business System Idea

Environmental Triggers System: Create a self-organizing workflow using environmental cues that automatically prompt the next action without direct management:

• Visual Status Indicators: Design your workspace so task status is immediately visible to everyone. Use color-coding or position to signal what needs attention, eliminating the need to ask for updates.
• Automatic Handoffs: When tasks are completed, set up triggers that automatically notify the next person in the workflow and provide all necessary context. For example, when a proposal is approved, the system automatically creates implementation tasks for the relevant team members.
• Contextual Templates: Create standardized templates that capture essential information during handoffs. When someone completes their part, the template guides them to provide exactly what the next person needs to continue effectively.
• Priority Positioning: Arrange your digital workspace so high-priority items naturally stand out. The environment itself communicates what needs immediate attention without requiring management intervention.
• Completion Catalysts: Place visual markers in shared spaces showing project progress. These markers serve as motivation and create momentum as team members naturally respond to the visible progress.

This system works because it transforms your work environment into a communication medium. Just as ants follow environmental signals without direct instruction, your team responds to workspace cues that naturally guide what happens next.