I have been in this planning state for a while now. What does waiting on God mean as compared to doing what He has envisioned you to do?
I saw a great sermon preached by Chris Gore last night. It was all around co-laboring with God. I am seeking Him for next steps.
So, I wrote Eric Nurmi on the matter. He continues to seek me out, and I think that God is on this. But, I dont know what to do yet.
Wisdom, LORD.
John,
The main reason we were thinking of coming out to CO was to make a practical next step to see if partnering with you with Nehemiah Ventures is an option. Doubling up on the slopes was a definite bonus.
With your thoughts about whether you were waiting on God or He was waiting on you, I’m encouraged as this was something I had been thinking about over the last week or so. There have been definite times where I was waiting for an answer from God, and it wasn’t until I started to act did I get that answer. I do feel there are times where we can mess things up in not waiting (Abraham with Hagar), but I know, for me, I have a tendency to wait too long, rather than act.
As to my potential role in Nehemiah Ventures as a co-founder, I have had a desire to start up an incubator/ accelerator for a couple years now. I had recently looked at a couple of niche options targeting Christian University students and also the non-profit space, but decided that I needed to obtain a partner or join an existing organization to effectively move forward. That is when I came across your website (actually my wife found it).
With your sharing of the broader vision of NV, I started to see many areas that my skills and background will help in the organization.
1) Fund Raising: There is a movement in the Christian community where people and organizations are looking to invest in kingdom building businesses. I have made connections with several of these fund managers this past fall at a conference out east.
2) Real Estate: One of the most enjoyable parts of my business is commercial and development deals. Although the bread and butter of my business is residential, I am versed in commercial and development and do several commercial transactions annually. In Hawaii, I had taken the necessary steps to start my own brokerage, but then moved to Illinois to join my uncle’s firm.
3) Insurance: I held a health and casualty insurance license for a short time, and have a friend who runs a large private health insurance company that serves IL, IA, WA, and NE. I’m sure we could get some good insight from him on running this side of the business.
4) Business Development: Like you, my professional background is in business development and sales. I have used mostly networking and relationships to get results in my businesses. So, I think with your focus on digital marketing we can complement each other well.
I thrive in making things better and achieving results. When you have ownership stake in making that happen, you think differently about your company, it’s strategy, and opportunities. Working for someone is a fear of mine, and although I have recently opened myself up to the notion that I may need to come in as an employee to get into this new field, coming in as a co-founder fits more of what I have been looking for.
You asked about how I see that coming together or rolling out with NV. I don’t think I have an answer yet. It would be helpful to know what you were looking for in a co-founder/business partner. What gaps were you seeing needing to be filled with the team as you move forward?
I’m not a fan of long emails, but hopefully this is helpful.
-Eric
ERIC NURMI
1-217-898-3803 | eric@ericnurmi.com | www.EricNurmi.com
My response:
Quick thoughts, I hope.
Even if there were a “cofounder”, s/he would still work for someone, even if just the CEO. We have a corporate structure, and the corporation has to be setup to make it past generation two. Part of this is having the right folks doing what they are created to do. If there is someone who is to lead an area, the cofounder could theoretically end up working for him, in the corp sense.
Being a cofounder doesn’t mean that you are entitled to not work for someone.
I have worked with enough startups where a cofounder was obviously in the wrong role, but no one would do anything because he founded the company. The company, and everyone else, suffers when that happens.
You definitely have expertise in areas that I dont. Very cool. All of this could change how I have things structured from the companies (yes, plural) perspective, which I am cool with. I need to process that a bit more.
Your expertise lies outside of NV proper, as it exists now. Interesting, indeed.
So, what now?