I've found that possibility is a scary place to be.
Sure, it's a hopeful place to be. The optimist in us longs to be on the verge of possibility and wants to bottle the energy, excitement, and expectation there. But while we're busy trying to capture that feeling, fear sneaks in and we abandon our efforts because we realize that if we actually jump, we might fall flat on our face.
And tonight I write standing on that precipice, about to leap. Equal parts of hope and fear stand with me as Cool People Care, the company I've been running since co-founding it seven years ago, debuts our line of merchandise tomorrow at one of the largest trade shows in North America.
I'm excited for several reasons. After seven hard years of telling our story, grinding, failing, winning, dreaming, guessing, and trying, off we go, ready to jump. Seven years ago this month, we were busy building a brand and over-engineering a website. And tomorrow I'll stand in an exhibit booth and try to convince buyers our line of cause-related apparel will be a hit with their customers, all while helping support charities around the U.S.
I've also learned that you don't get to stand on this precipice as often as you think. When you launch a company, things are new and exciting. You can stir up interest and support among family and friends and you may even get a media mention or two. But soon that buzz subsides and you're left with the grind of the flatland where it's back to business as usual.
But then, maybe after a year of negotiation, you sign with a distributor who believes in your story as much as you do. And then you get the chance to climb again to the precipice. And when you're there you need to soak in the view. But don't take too long. You'll need to leap soon.
Tomorrow, we'll jump. And for two days in Atlanta, we'll either fly or fall. And that's the journey. You get to the precipice, but as soon as you do, you need to move on. You can't live on the precipice. You just get to visit and use it as a launching pad toward the next big thing.
But for now, for this moment, I'm standing up and standing tall and getting ready to leap.
And, fittingly, here's two minutes describing how we got here: