It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote.
I had this intention to write every Friday, but life had other plans (see a theme here?).
The Lawler household has been surviving lately. We got hit by some weird plague (not the big C) in the midst of preparing for our nomadic summer all while trying to launch a business and finish our tiny home when funds are beyond tight. Stress much? Let’s just say I have been watching old school shows like Leave it to Beaver and Pippi Longstocking fantasizing over simpler times.
I left for a conference 2 weeks ago, leaving my husband behind with 3 sick littles who got even sicker. We’re on day 14 of this trial and I keep trying to see the gift in it. But my silver lining eyes are tired and worn down. Positivity can be a lot of upkeep. But I press on. We’re in the middle of a move and we think our current place may have mold or something environmental irritating our 4-year old’s cough, so me and the kids are staying at my parent’s house while my husband does the final purge work before we hop in the van. The excitement of this move and the unknown invigorated me initially, but if I am being honest, it’s stressing me out a little bit right now. I am only human.
I share all this because there is no separation between my personal life and that of my entrepreneurial endeavors, they’re intricately connected, as we are currently hard-core living “the problem we aim to solve” in real time.
For us, there’s no daycare, no nannies coming to the rescue, no way to escape to an office to work and take a break from the home realities. After this intense bout of sickness, one thing became very clear, our solution cannot just be about co-working spaces and outdoor enrichment for kids, we MUST really prioritize wellness as our third pillar. We’re starting with onsite nutrition and movement. As they say, we’re nothing without our health. All the other resources and support won’t matter if we’re not thriving and vital in our health.
Even with all of this chaos, we’ve managed to make great strides on our business with a rename and rebrand for what was formerly known as “Freestory Village.”
Ready?
Here it is.
introducing, here. Cocreative spaces to rethink everything. (website sneak peeks)
When I first told Matthew, my husband and cofounder, that I thought we needed a new name, a fresh start… he agreed. Freestory Village was a mouthful, and while I love its meaning to start a new story, and free yourself from old stories and systems that don’t serve you…it just didn’t feel right anymore. The name had some baggage and as you know, we’re on the purge right now.
Matt went on a solo hike to get some clarity and inspiration for a new name. He spent some time in silence and came back with the idea for “here. When he told me, it wasn’t love at first text. But then it struck me, “here” represents presence of mind AND togetherness in a physical location. I was sold.
Side note: My husband is one of the most talented branding, digital artists communicators and future-thinkers I know. He can design, write, edit videos, make NFTs, create logos and fonts (from custom from hand-sketches)… he is an extremely rare talent. Too rare! Most recruiters have never known where to place him for a job because his skillset is so wide. He doesn’t fit the corporate box well, he fits entrepreneurial-startup culture the best because he can step into so many roles and get shit done when the team is lean. He’s a “words of affirmation guy,” so this brag was long overdue, hahah. Back to the scheduled programming..
Once Matt told me the name, three words came to mind…BE HERE, TOGETHER.
HERE.
Such a simple word that invokes action and commands us to bring a state of awareness and being-ness to our lives.
Less words, more value. As an ever-evolving minimalist, I love that.
Our business pitch deck is done (for now) and we’ve started to circulate it a bit, gathering feedback and strengthening our team of advisors in the process, building our confidence with every conversation and critique that we have what it takes to bring in capital to make this vision a reality.
We get to improve the plan as we go, as. the deck is never really done.
We get to grow as leaders along the way as our ego takes hits and past character faults rear their heads and attempt to derail us, but we are more committed than ever to self-correct, take counsel from the right people and make “here” an inevitable and actualized place in this world.
So I ask you to be here with us, in this process of cocreating this solution for independent workers and alternative educators.
Will you review the website and then send me a note with your feedback?
Review here… with a curious mind, and a gracious heart to the imperfections that we’re aware are there. These things are never done, just one big iteration after the next. Such is life.
What is working for you? What isn’t clear? What else would you like to know?
I appreciate all of you who have already taken the time to reach out, give feedback, cheer us on, provide us land to live on, and those who will be our future members, our early investors and new found friends.
We can’t wait to meet you!
We can wait to be here with you.
-Brooke
email: Brooke@behere.re
Phone: 805-914-7537