The 3 Year Win ~ On losing my business & starting over on my own.

I distinctly remember hitting the 3-year threshold with my first company, which I co-founded with a business partner in 2011.

It was a humid night in Cambodia. I was chatting with one of my managers, ready to kick off our next Leadership Volunteer Program. The streets of Siem Reap offered a chaotic background of honking tuk-tuks and zipping motos. We were preparing for a busy few weeks ahead of us, but we paused from our planning to clang our cold Angkor Beers together and relish the moment.

Three years into a start-up signified we had crossed a bridge of success that only 10% of new businesses are able to achieve. We were DOING it. Our leadership volunteer programs, tailored for university students and operating in 8 different countries, was standing on its own two feet (wobbly, yes, but standing nonetheless.) I was making a living from doing what I love — teaching leadership through travel, and had built a growing business around it.

The hours were chaotic and exhausting, but the impact left my heart full. My whole being was stoked from having created leadership experiences that left our participants changed for the better, our in-country communities positively improved, and our staff contributing their efforts in meaningful ways.