It was as if the world was crumbling around me. All of my dreams, ambitions and hopes shattered with one decision. It was disheartening to accept that all of our hard work and sacrifices had been for naught. How were we ever to get back? More so, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make a comeback. It had been a long and trying journey and my wife, who’d become more involved than committed, was definitely and understandably done with the mission. 

It was 2020, the year that I was mentally and spiritually tested beyond anything I can recall, and I’d been through many difficult times in the past. For several years, my wife and I had been working extremely hard on a concept to help small businesses. We’d finally gotten to a point where the organization was experiencing regular growth and the positive word was spreading.

Suddenly, everything came to a halt when a virus brought about mandates that all businesses not considered essential be shut down. At the time, our growth was predicated upon our ability to connect people. One of the ways we connected people was through in-person meetings and events. It was an effective formula. 

With the mandates of the day being, No Contact, our business suffered greatly. Even more disappointing than the mandate, was how everyone seemed to disperse. I thought we’d built a tightly knit community, a tribe of sorts. Everyone seemed to care about each other’s success. Turns out that the glue of those relationships were the events. The events created a sense of connection. Now that connection were severed, most of the relationships were no more.

We attempted to do online events, but they unfortunately never amounted to much. Most of our members were accustomed to meeting in-person. When trying to convert to an online format, something seemed to be lost in translation. To add to the issue, many didn’t know if they would even have a business in the future, due to the shutdown. 

I continued to do what I could for a few months, but after a while, I could no longer see my way through. I was disillusioned and discouraged. I could no longer receive an encouraging word. Even the motivational speeches that once got me going, were now lost on me. I eventually lost the vision and could no longer see a path forward. 

Someone asked me a few years prior, “How do you know when it’s time to quit?” I replied, “When I no longer have a vision.” I’d reached that point and I was ready to throw in the towel. There were a few people who tried to talk me out of it, but it was too late. My mind and heart were already gone. I began to focus my attention on other interests.

I didn’t remove the platform, but refunded all membership dues and made the platform free to any business that wanted to use it. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it long term, but knew I didn’t want to toss it completely. There had been too much work put into it to simply throw it away. There were no more meetings or events, but the platform lived on to see another day.

Six months had passed and I still had no desire to restart. It was in that ninth month that the vision began to tug at me again. It was as if the dream still wanted to be realized and I was the one chosen to bring it to fruition. Roughly three months later, I began to entertain the thought of rebuilding. I knew that if I was going to start over, I wouldn’t have my wife as a business partner, so I’d be rolling out on my own.

As if that wasn’t challenging enough, I wasn’t certain what starting over would look like. I knew I didn’t want to do the same thing. The ultimate objective was to create an environment where dreamers, visionaries and entrepreneurs could thrive. That was the primary thought with which I went back to the drawing board.

I began talking to business professionals and owners to see what their pain points were. If I wanted to build solutions to help, I knew I had to begin with an in-depth understanding of what the businesses needed and/or wanted. We were now in a new world that required a new approach. Building the platform into what I believed it needed to be was a two year process. It was both time consuming, and financially draining.

However, when one has a vision, the things that lie between them and the vision become mere stepping stones. As King Solomon put it, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” With renewed vision I pressed through adversity. Enduring every rejection and discouraging word, I decided to just focus on doing the work. My mission was to build a success driven platform that dreamers, visionaries and entrepreneurs would want to plug into and thrive.

I couldn’t expect anyone else to see my vision. It wasn’t given to them. It was given to me. It’s much like painting a picture. Until the work is done, most will only see what appears before them. Unfinished work is unusually lackluster. Staying true to the vision and continuing to do the work is key.

Today, VENTRE offers many features that a business can plug into to achieve success. Our app and Power Partner feature are just a couple tools we provide to help our members thrive. You can learn more by visiting VENTRE.xyz.  

Reigniting the flame is about getting back to your vision, remembering why you started. Your vision is your why! What do you want to manifest in the world? What is the thing that drives you? Connect to it. Let it move you through obstacles and towards your destination. Reignite the flame!

Written by: 

Eric L. Lipsey | Founder | Owner 

VENTRE Capital, Inc.

www.VentreCapital.com