A Note From the Front Lines of Entrepreneurship
Marvelous is a technology startup, but one that seeks to operate and serve a community of healers and visionary wellness practitioners doing very important, very human work.
We believe in being accessible, getting to know our clients, and operating this business by our values and from our hearts.
Still, we are a business. And we have a huge vision for what we’re building with this company.
In November, after countless conversations with mentors and with members of our team, I made the decision to take Hey Marvelous through a tech startup accelerator. For the past four months, while our COO, Sandy, has been handling the day-to-day operations of the business, I’ve been intensively learning from seasoned tech founders, meeting with investors, and refining our business model. It has been incredibly challenging to balance this intensive experience with my desire to stay involved in the daily needs of Hey Marvelous and the strong pull to spend time with my family.
I’ve learned a lot—much more than I can clearly convey now, while I’m still in the thick of this experience. But I want to share a few things before this time is over and before I forget what it truly feels like to be in this vulnerable place….
I’ve learned that I know more about business than I realized.
I’ve learned that we need more women to start and run technology companies. Actually, we need more women to start and run businesses, period. Seriously, I’m often the only female in the room. It’s bizarre and f*cked up.
I’ve learned that it isn’t actually possible to have it all—at least not at the same time. Have you ever had to explain to a 3-year-old little girl that you can’t read her a bedtime story because you have to work?
I’ve learned that some investors are generous and amazing, while others behave in totally unacceptable, unthinkable ways. I’ve learned that it is possible to lead without bravado and that I probably don’t want to work with someone who tells me that I need to manufacture swagger to be taken seriously.
But mostly, I’ve learned that we’re onto something. Most people don’t want to develop tools for small businesses because it’s hard. “Small businesses operate on tight budgets.” “Small business owners are difficult to track down.” “Small businesses are cheap.” Well, I say GAME ON. Small and micro-businesses are the backbone of our economy and they deserve access the very best tools and technologies. I love serving this community. Lots of things worth doing are hard.
This Thursday is demo day—where I will get up on stage in front of hundreds of people—investors, friends, members of the press—to share our vision for Hey Marvelous. I’m exhausted, excited, scared, overwhelmed, and relieved. Thank you for being part of this wild ride.
