Why the @affinitylab is the best thing that has happened to us.
And why weâre thrilled about our six month prize membership from the William James Foundationâs 2013 Sustainable Business Plan competition.
It wasnât long ago that Clovest was simply an idea. Or as my friends would have you believe, just that sort-of-kickstarter-like-thing-but-really-an-excuse-for-me-to-quit-my-job âprojectâ. I had faith in it from day one, that was never in question. Itâs just that, in many ways (as with most companies before they launch), it hadnât become a real entity that people could see, understand, trust and value.
Tonight was an incredible step for us in our journey to becoming that real company that I, as itâs founder, always knew we were but needed to convince the rest of the world that we were as well. Tonight, we presented as a finalist for the William James Foundationâs Sustainable Business Plan Competition for the Washington, DC/Affinity Lab Prize category. It was an exhilarating, educational, and humbling experience all at the same time.
As this was our first ever presentation (and, indeed, our first ever business plan that we wrote), we were a bit of n00bs in the endeavor and much of our preparation focused on convincing our audience and gracious judges that 1) yes, we offer a real product that fits a market need and, 2) we can make money and scale this venture. While there were a few missteps here and there that, frankly speaking, were bound to happen with any first time pitch, I came away thinking I had done fairly well with it. And to a large extent, I still feel strongly about our performance and am forever grateful for the opportunity to have presented.
But, in our preparation, I had thought long and hard about why I had wanted to win. Why the Affinity Lab as a prize mattered to our company. And why we still valued keeping it as our home. I thought about this not just because it compelled me to compete, but because I was sure that question would have to be asked during the Q&A. But then, before the adrenaline stopped rushing from the fumbled answer to âgive me the numbersâ, and before I could get out any more, there were no more questions and it was all over.
So with part regret, part gratitude, and part humility, I thought it fitting that I take the time, at whichever hour it may be, to make sure that our customers know, the lab knows, and the world knows why it is that we think the Affinity Lab is the best thing that has happened to our company.
To put it simply? It made Clovest what it is today. When we entered the William James Foundation Business Plan Competition back in December of 2012, we were still new lab members and very much determining the kind of company we wanted to become. We always knew that we were going to create a platform that connected small businesses with their local communities through zero-interest loans, but the how + why of that process were still unclear. To a large extent, the feedback received through the competition provided us with key advice in figuring that out and has been immensely helpful in leading us to our success thus far.
But to have gone from starting our business with this competition to presenting as a finalist just six short months later? That wasnât just us, that wasnât just luck, and that wasnât just the feedback.
That was, without a shred of doubt in our minds, overwhelmingly the result of basing our company out of the Affinity Lab.
The lab isnât just a âworkâ space. It isnât just a âcommunityâ. At itâs core, the lab instills, in its members, the perfect amount of motivation, incentive, hustle, humility, play, hustle, work, education, hustle, compassion, creativity, and did I mention #hustle? But really, when I look back and think about the hard path required to move Clovest from idea to reality, I think of all the people that helped along the way.
It was Sam, offering us help with those damn Facebook share buttons. It was Sean, constantly getting us to rethink our user experience (and threshold for buying farm fresh milk). It was Alina, showing us about The Noun Project that gave us the tools to make our first not-quite-video-but-free-alternative, Prezi.  It was Chris, offering his perspective in working with kids to get them to do what they ought to be doing (similar to having people sign up for Dwolla). It was Andy, always keeping us focused on thinking how to scale. It was Dan, giving us a crash course in Google Analytics. It was other Dan, keeping us calm in the face of angry customer (not pluralâ there was only one). It was Kevin, helping with side project (again, not pluralâ there is only one) to keep us sane. It was Jesse, showing us how much one can literally bounce around the office (and get things done at the same time). It was Ben, with his âdaily banterâ of comic relief to keep us laughing while working. It was Philippe, with wisdom + advice about start-up growth (and pointing out that Benâs âhumorâ is largely helped by his British accent). It was Ian, always at the Lab, and always having time for a quick chat (well not quick, but worthwhile them anyways). It was Kerri, who always had time for the right length of a chat (and got me to really dig in and build Clovest). It was David, who makes you appreciate how good it is to have someone that studies history around (and not have to study it yourself). It was Jeff, who hooked us up with our intern extraordinaire. And it was Laurin, the ever steadfast holder of the fort and fearless leader that we all needed to get us through the no-water-internet-heat-paper-towels-and-other-disaster days with a smile and a laugh.
There were countless more. And there will be countless more for others. But, for us, that is what made our journey possible. Itâs the advisory board that you could not put together if you tried. And it all came with the cost of your âworkspaceâ. So though weâre in a new workspace now (more on that to come in a later post), we just wanted to take this time to reflect on our time at the lab thus far and offer our gratitude for all that its done for us. Weâll always be lab members (and official ones for the next six months), but I wanted to make sure everyone from the lab knows that we felt the love tonight. Not just from becoming a finalist, not just from getting 2nd place, but for getting Clovest to where it is today. We could not have done it without you. Period.
And maybe, just maybe, this post and our #afflablove is just what the lab (and itâs members) need after the week its had. So from one very grateful soul, a sincere thanks and best of luck. Weâll see you soon.