Hello friends and family!
I write this note to you from Idaho where we've been visiting family and embracing some creature comforts for nearly 2 weeks. After almost 5 months living in a van, then an airstream, then dry camping in our mostly finished tiny home, we are relishing the amenities and simple things like sitting on an actual couch in the heated indoors! It's good to be supported by family and friends during this time. We’re enjoying the extra love, wholesome meals and seeing our kids bond with their north-west grandparents.
But there is a restlessness in our souls this trip. A creeping anxiety that only a founder can understand. The pressure and worry to drive revenue, make payroll, and pour all our time and brain power into a business we believe in without any pay for ourselves. The worry and pressure is enough some days to make me want to quit, go back to advertising, and offload my children to someone else. But the vision is too strong, God-ordained, and I am a stubborn, committed woman!
We held our Behere launch dinner a few weeks ago. It was a magical night under the oak trees and stars, sharing our vision with 65 beautiful people seeking a new way to educate and enrich their children. We dined on an amazing-nutritious meal catered by our partner, School of Lunch, enjoyed live music, and I told the story of our family’s journey to exit a a mainstream narrative and pursue a new, independent path of working and learning, together.
At the end, we announced the launch of our Wefunder, a "for equity" fundraise to give the community a chance to invest in our growth. You see, so many people are at the precipice of making great change on how they educate their children. They want to pull them from public school but need support. They need what Behere has to offer, but in order to pursue this alternative path with confidence they need us to scale up and offer more drop-off programs, more academic coverage, and even some specialized programs for kids on IEP's. We can do this, we will grow, it just takes time. Money just makes things go faster. Alas, it's a tough season to fundraise, and we're still far from the goal, We have $4k commitments so far, but cannot receive the funds until we get at least $50k. So we're left with question marks on how we move forward, build this vision and cover our personal needs. We are prepared to make more sacrifices, build slow and steady with customer revenue. But we're out of financial runway as a family and must make hard decisions, quickly.
On this recent trip to Idaho it became very clear, that the path forward isn't always clear, but if we're truly answering God's calling, we don't have to worry. This was the message we received from Matt's Aunt who recently became an Idaho State Senator. She runs a very successful family business and certainly didn't have time to run for Idaho State Senate, but she did so out of obedience to a calling from God, and the rest fell into place.
She told us to pray for guidance, and that God would show us how to supplement our income. She then prayed for us. After that prayer, it became clear to me that I remain obedient to my calling to fulfill the dream to birth Behere, and stay on the mission. It was always my dream to work alongside my husband, but it's time to share his talents with someone else. We're doing this business to build a legacy, to have more time with our family, and to give our children an enriching childhood. But if it comes at the cost of a healthy marriage or our children always remembering how tense mom and dad were, then it's not worth it.
So here is the offer...
If you need any amazing branding work, or marketing design services, I know a guy. I just so happen to be married to him for 14 years and have never met a more talented artist (and I've worked with many!) Matthew Lawler is your guy for design, website, SEO writing, NFT art, video editing... you name it, he can probably do it. He's a swiss-army knife and modern renaissance man in the visual communication space. But he's not just an artist, he is a futurist. If I had a $100 dollars for every idea or app he has thought of that came to fruition 5 years later, Behere would be well-funded.
These past few years have been hard on us and him. At his core, he's a community man, but this divisive climate we live in has driven him into isolation (not out of fear, but out of loneliness and feeling misunderstood), thus impacting his ability to network. I am so thankful to have his brain and talents as the founding father of Behere. We would have had to pay thousands to outsource all the work he can do as a one-man show.
So this is how we supplement the income, I reluctantly give him away to use his gifts for someone else, so that he may become our #1 investor for our family and therefore, Behere.
So that's the hard decision. Ripping off the bandaid and realizing we just don't get to be well paid business founders and partners just yet. We have to endure the pain a little longer. Matt has to divert his attention from Behere for a bit to go do something else to fund our family.
We may be uncomfortable right now, but I am comforted by the fact that my family is getting SO good at living uncomfortably. There is liberation that comes with having little and still being ok and that is our superpower.
I guess I feel rich in purpose and rich in our ability to release control of things. We are talented, we are smart, we are responsible for creating something the world greatly needs... a new way to work and learn, and be together as a family.
Love you, mean it!
-Brooke
Founding Mother of Behere & Matt’s #1 Hype Girl
PS: Pray for us & send any job leads our way for Matthew! We've added a few creative service 'products' to the site for easy transactions but can go the traditional route of interviewing or quoting on custom jobs. Reach out to Matthew@behere.re, subject line “work.” He’s also an awesome soccer coach and “fun dad” - we will be adding a “U8” kids group soccer class soon!