WOW! We can't believe it! Goodera won $10,000 to help further our mission of helping more businesses do more good!
From Founder & Creative Director Kim Merritt:
In February I submitted a pitch to the Break Up With Corporate contest hosted by Wethos (check them out if you're a freelancer who needs tools to help with scoping, pricing, getting paid, and finding other freelancers).
And, well, we just found out that WE WON!!!
The heartfelt pitch I sent off detailed my vision for Goodera, as well as my biggest hurdles, my greatest aspirations, my professional experience, and my plan for the $10k.
On March 8 (International Women's Day!) five of us were announced as finalists from over 500 applicants. On March 16, three of us each took home $10k. I'm still in shock!
I'm also SO incredibly grateful for this award. Even as an online service provider, startup costs definitely add up when you're bootstrapping it all yourself. For the past two years I've been putting my own cash into hardware, software, trademarks, legal contracts, domain and hosting fees, cloud storage, and so much more. To have some extra financial cushion in place is all the reinforcement and motivation I need to leave my 9-5 to go all in on Goodera.
I'm a firm believer that the universe will push you in the direction you need to go in once you start putting yourself out there. Just days after I started Goodera in 2020, Wethos first popped up on my radar. And now? Well if this doesn't feel like validation for taking a step in this next direction, I don't know what does! I can't wait to see what else lies ahead the more I put myself, and Goodera, out into the world!
When accepting the award, I met with Wethos CEO & CoFounder Rachel Renock, who told me the big reason I was selected as a winner.
Her answer? My resilience.
When she mentioned this and explained that it takes a certain level of resilience to succeed in starting a business, I felt that deeply. I felt seen and understood by someone I'd just met. Yes, I've come a long way and have done a lot of amazing things in my career. But I also could have done a lot of things better. I've faced a number of challenges and setbacks, and have gotten stuck in places where a lot of people would have given up. But I kept going. And going. And I'm still going. Sure, there have been stops, detours, and full-blown reroutes along the way. But to be recognized for my resilience gives me such deep hope and encouragement. Hope that, even on those days where the road ahead feels too difficult and treacherous, someone was willing to bet $10,000 that I do in fact have what it takes to keep going.
So thank you, Wethos, I couldn't be more stoked to receive this $10k, and I can't wait to put it to work within Goodera to help further my mission. But first, in true Goodera fashion, we'll be donating 10% of this award right back to the community. I'm thinking of going back to my own roots, paying it forward to where I got my start as a student who was eager to make my mark on the world—Owens Community College.
Stay tuned!
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