Excavating the secrets, scandals, and untold stories hiding below the surface of life, and giving voice to the characters who make or made those hiStories happen.
Reason suggests that I should be regaling you in these weekly posts with only good news. I mean what am I doing here, if not building buzz and positive excitement about my efforts to develop Time Traveler Tours & Tales?
But some weeks just don’t roll that way. This is one of them.
I recently took a risk. And, sorry to say, it did not go my way. It's all I can really think about today. So to write about anything else would be disingenuous.
I applied to join a start-up accelerator. With its focus on changing the world through education, I was certain our digital-first, multi-platform publishing start-up dedicated to Turning Kids on to History would be a shoo-in.
I was anticipating being able to tell you, today, that we’d received a glorious cash injection of $25K and would be off and running in 2015 to build our publishing engine. For that sum, we'd be giving away 5% of our future business. A small price we'd happily pay to have access to teachers, students, educational tourism professionals, and additional capital.
The application my teammates and I prepared was nothing short of excellent: very thorough, very clear, and very exciting. But, alas, the selection committee did not award me a place in the next three-month mentoring round at a time when our burgeoning company could use both substantive advice and financial assistance like never before.
I was so bummed on receiving the news that I considered: Calling it quits. Giving up. Walking away. Going back to the classroom. Stopping all this foolishness once and for all. And acting my age again.
Fortunately, my team pulled me right back to planet earth with this extraordinary message:
“Sarah, It’s such a tough thing that you are doing - to try to create something from nothing; to use enthusiasm to address deep needs in our culture; to invest so much time/money/energy. You do it so well, with such passion, thoughtfulness and collaboration. Clearly, the accelerator represents a broader validation of your idea… and a moment when you feel you don’t have to push so hard to get the cart up the hill. It’s a good cart, though, and a worthy hill to traverse... Thank you for making it possible for us to help to push it up the hill together!”
How’s that for a dream Team!?!
I feel lucky, and blessed, to be working with each and every one of these wonderful people. I learn so much from them each and every day as we share our respective experience and expertise in the interest of a shared mission.
Despite this seeming setback, our collaboration is stronger than ever. We faced a huge learning curve and surmounted it together. We learned a ton through the process, achieving further clarity and a renewed sense of conviction. All in all, it was a risk worth taking.
And besides, I don't want to act my age!
So as we find ourselves propelled pell-mell into the holiday season, I wish to express my sincere gratitude for both Team TTT&T and YOU as part of our support network. Your engagement buoys us and sweeps us along, even when the cart feels like a Mac Truck, even when the hill takes on the proportions of a mountain.
While the Team and I end the year still bootstrapping (sigh), we are compelled to keep up the march. And with your continued support, I am more certain than ever that we will turn this cart into a turbo-charged Porsche.
May 2015 be OUR year!
Please send your words of wisdom, critical feedback, encouragement and/or advice, whatever it may be, to me and Team TTT&T in the comments section. It’s always a great pleasure to hear from our supporters!
