You've Got This

In 2014 I was five years into taking a business nationwide. We opened 50 markets in a 12 month period of time, developed a predictive valuation tool to value inventory and were powering the backend for some of the countries most notable vehicle search engines. I had another business going at the time and I was pregnant with my second child. Did I mention I was exhausted? Within this time (about a month before Christmas) I was at a technology conference listening to Sheryl Sandberg discuss her Lean In initiative. I was a million months pregnant, hoofing it around San Francisco to meet with our with our partners and was ready to kick back and take in Sheryl’s keynote. As I settled in to the session, I noticed a call coming in from my parent organization, the company that was funding me. I stepped out to take the call. Due to the time change, it would have been unusually late - something was urgent. It turns out the call was to inform me that the board wanted a change in direction. I was to wind down the business. Just.Like.That.

While sitting in a session with one of the worlds most influential business leaders, discussing the initiative to “Lean In”, I received a call to Get Out.

Offers followed to buy our business. I was tempted but it wasn’t the right move. Accepting a deal would have been taking the option out of fear of becoming irrelevant, not having more work after baby vs. a true opportunity to charge toward. I paused.

I went on to partner with experienced tech founders. We developed an industry changing business and three year

s after being told to get out while listening to Sheryl, we sold the company to the very group that called me and told me to hang it up! I led the discussions.

My story illustrates that scary things happen but it doesn’t have to be where the story ends. Also, relationships are everything. If I had blown up on those involved in my initial funding, I may not have preserved the relationships that helped me secure our exit down the road. You absolutely never know what future role you’re currently being evaluated for. So, keep going, protect your reputation and preserve your relationships. You’ve got this. 💪

Unknowns are a given, are you ready?

This time last year I was walking on sunshine. Literally. I was in the US Virgin Islands enjoying a post-holiday reprieve, fresh off my run at a fast paced startup that had been acquired. I was ready to catch my breath and turn my focus on new opportunities the year could bring. What transpired in the coming months were events I never saw coming, yet had unknowingly been readying for. The thing about the unknown, the future or what tomorrow holds, is that it is chalked full of uncertainty.

Developing a business often carries loads of uncertainty and inevitably results in change for both the company and one’s personal growth. I used a time of relative calm in my own journey to strengthen myself for what the future could hold. Struggle is a given in life, there will be surprises along the way and I wanted to prepare the best I could for unknowns. Whatever I could sure-up emotionally, spiritually, professionally, within my marriage - I did. Even the biggest storms struggle to rock a solid foundation and this is exactly what I wanted, a solid foundation for whatever could come my way.

Entering the new year, I was thrilled to immerse myself in new creative ventures. I was working with founders and execs on their business ideas. Meeting with investors and newly exited CEO's that were looking to give back. I had renewed focus and energy to pour into others. All of this meant that coming into the new year was, well, a ton of fun.

All of this fun also meant that I was coming across new opportunities to plug in - as an investor of my own human and financial capital. All of this while being fresh out of the job I left.

Some playful ribbing from my husband suggested the timing of my wanting to invest while having just shut off my income was well, risky. My husband being the pragmatic one. We're competitive (we met on a college swim team after all) so it took a second for me to come back with the suggestion that we knock down expensive line items from our budget and a pricey life insurance policy for my husband was right up there. To obtain a new policy, an MRI was necessary to expunge a decades ago "pre-existing" concern that never amounted to anything. With this concern wiped clean, the policy's premium would be reduced. Plan in place.

It turns out, the job I walked away from would initiate a string of events that would change our lives forever.

The MRI was scheduled. Results came back. There was a brain tumor. What?? This would require surgery. Stunned. Playful ribbing around an investment that led to a financial discussion which led to an MRI would now lead to brain surgery. I'll jump ahead, this story ends happily. We can breathe.

In what would become the first of many miracles over the next few months, my husband works for a neurosurgery group. The best in the nation. His colleagues would be providing care. We were in great hands with access to enormous resources. Also, new to our hospital was an intraoperative MRI machine. This technology is transforming outcomes of tumor surgery resulting in more accurate and less invasive treatment. The machine, which Mike was involved in acquiring years and months before any of this was on our radar would go in and be fully operational one week before Mike's procedure. He would be the first patient.

Testing began to map my husband's brain to ensure that a procedure could be done safely and with limited to no impairment. My bright, ambitious, strong, father of two, friend to many, COO of a neuro group, loving husband was having to go through this. Neuropsych testing, functional MRI's, you name it, it was done. How many of us have the freedom of trying to park our issues or concerns while we go to work or leave them at work when we go home? Mike was dealing with brain concerns while working for a group that treats brains! Suddenly tumor talk was everywhere, all the time.

A child psychologist was consulted, our children were informed, we set a surgery date. Our daughter's birthday was going to be a week after surgery. How do we pull this off and not scar our children forever? Will Mike be ok?

The hospital arranged for me to have a private waiting room during surgery. Mike was brave, I agonized as he was wheeled off. After a few hours and what should be near the end of the surgery, I was awaiting a call that everything went well. I had spent the time that Mike was in surgery toggling in and out of prayerful meditation and tears. It was hard to breath, I felt like I was sitting under an elephant. This next part is difficult to put into words so I'll just tell you what happened - out of 'nowhere', I experienced an overwhelming calm. I suddenly heard, knew and felt that everything was going to be ok with Mike. The wave of peace was so surreal that I paused, wondering if I should tell Mike's parents (who were sitting right across from me) about it. They were in agony over what their son was enduring, wouldn't this sound ridiculous? But knowing what I had experienced was so certain, I shared it. To my relief, this experience brought comfort. Moments later, Mike's surgeon turned the corner and shared that the surgery was a success. Chills. Praise God.

Mike's recovery was swift. Seeing a towering man walk laps around the hospital floor, determined to bounce back brought the physicians and nurses to tears. There was such admiration. I remember seeing Mike walk, hoping his head would clear the low hanging exit signs. It was a sight to behold. His first morning back home I searched the bed for him in a panic, where was he? I looked down and found him doing planks. Planks! On the first day home from invasive brain surgery. He was going to be fine! More than fine. We were going to kick the $h*t out of recovery.

Throughout we received enormous love and support from family and friends. Mike was back at work in record time. We came out on the other side of uncertainty, better for the wear.

Needless to say, "didn't see this coming" could be an anthem. Not every blind corner has something scary in store, but unknowns are a given. Are you ready?

The events that resulted in my being able to walk away from a company I helped build were ultimately leading me to create healthy space in my life. Space I used to support my family during a time of uncertainty. I couldn't have known that only a few short months in to a fresh new year, the year would take a turn. But isn't this life? Full of winding paths with twists, turns and the occasional dip? If you aren't ready, get ready. Time is precious, your gifts too valuable to not use them at their fullest. A positive mindset, faith and putting in the work in before it was even necessary to draw upon got us through. We are better not bitter for it.

Now, as I kick-off another new year, picking up with renewed entrepreneurial ambition, I'm walking on sunshine again. It's actually raining as I write this but the world is bright around me and I'm / we're ready to go! Let's do this.

7 Leadership Truths For Founders

In the years during my early start-ups, I was in search mode. I was searching for the brightest people that I could bring in, the best technology that could help me scale and the most ideal marketing avenues. It was all about leveraging limited capital as I bootstrapped and fishtailed my way through founding a company. Sometimes I got it right, but many times I got it wrong — and though it was often costly, it was when I got it wrong that I learned the most valuable lessons.

Over the past five months I’ve taken pause to uncover the experiences of other Founders. I began by asking the following questions:

· “Have things changed?”

· “What are a Founders most common pain points?”

· “Where do Founders go for input?”

The latter may seem intuitive as many Founders have a board or an investor or two. But the real magic happens in the conversations with trusted confidants who have been there done that, who have struggled, but aren’t afraid to reveal how they went about crafting solutions.

What I’ve learned from combining my own entrepreneurial experience, the past months of observation and countless offline, confidential discussions with Founders, is that there is a visible pattern among startups that are on the rise. There are a few common denominators that help to provide foundational clarity and a framework that positions organizations for growth and success. Call them entrepreneurial rules, tenets or business truths, when you’re trying to survive in an increasingly competitive market, it is incumbent on leaders to establish — and model for others — a strong foundation of:

1. Transparency, where individual-level customer service and performance metrics are visible and updated daily. (It’s clear who is leading and who needs to catch up.)

2. Regular — and frequent — acknowledgment of wins, where people are recognized and celebrated.

3. Accountability, where nothing slips, concerns are addressed and coaching is provided.

4. Unsurpassed service, where the deliverable exceeds expectations — and when there is a slip up, it is made it right.

5. Acknowledgment that struggle and setbacks are part of the process, where mistakes and failures are chances to learn, grow and begin again.

6. Recognition that people are the most valuable asset to the organization.

7. Culture, where founders take individual level responsibility and teams are empowered to lead from the edges in.

It’s the last two truths that I want to focus on here. When leaders acknowledge and celebrate their people, you can see it and you can feel it. As I toured startup spaces and dropped in on field teams, the positive attitudes and undercurrent of people truly enjoying what they do was palpable. In these environments, I could tell that while people took their work seriously, they also liked to have fun and knew that they were celebrated for their energy, passion and dedication. You can’t manufacture smiles like that.

Culture should begin with leadership. When this occurs, individual growth is celebrated — and individual success is team success. Founders who are true leaders don’t go at it alone. They walk the walk with their teams, knowing that everyone’s well-being is intertwined.

Throughout the past several months, I’ve been given the incredible opportunity to act as an advisor and confidant to various entrepreneurs and startup organizations. I’ve been with founders as they wrestle with the timing of a capital raise, debate their approach to scaling and consider how to build their executive teams. I have been inspired and energized by the experience, recalling and putting to work my own years of numerous ups and downs. At the end of the day, we have to remember that it’s about empowering others. It’s seeing the value in hardship and making good use of what we learn for the betterment of others. The organizations that work to incorporate the common denominators I mentioned above, don’t lose sight of “where it all began” and remember (always!) to pay it forward, will be the individuals, and the companies, that we won’t be able to stop talking about in years to come.