On taking risks

May 24th has been a special date since I can remember. It is my mom’s birthday. It is the day I got married. And now it is the date when my loan request to Kiva was fully funded.

I have been in business since 2002. It has been a wild ride constantly aiming to find a balance between providing high quality services while maintaining a constant revenue stream. One of the core competencies of my work is to provide highly customized services which makes the delivery of high quality services a moving target.

This is why my entrepreneurial approach has been to take calculated risks and be conservative. Any entrepreneur out there will tell you the opposite.

For many years being conservative worked very well with my business model. I took clients and projects I liked. My plate was full. And when there was more demand that I could handle, I would partner with colleagues.

Signing up for a Kiva loan was my way to increase my tolerance for risk. I did a lot of self-coaching to help process the feelings associated with asking for a loan. Some of the questions that helped me reflect and decide:

• What was at stake?
• What could be the worse thing that could happen?
• Could I live with it? How will my decision affect my business? My family? My clients and colleagues?

I realized what was making me hesitate was my fear of failure. What if I no one was willing to fund my loan? In other words, what if it no one believed in me? That thought stopped me on my tracks. I believe in me and the value of my work. I have seen how people can change and improve their lives through coaching and professional development. I know I have the knowledge, ability, and determination to facilitate transformational learning. That is when I decided to apply for a Kiva loan.

On May 24, 2017 (my mom’s 80th birthday), my Kiva loan was 100% funded by 143 lenders from around the world.