EforAll Perspectives: Jessica

In trying to speak about my experience with EforAll Longmont’s 12-week Summer Accelerator it is impossible not to mention how the 12-week program overlapped with the final 12 weeks of my pregnancy.  Either experience alone would make for a memorable year, but combined they ensure that 2022 will always be at the top of my “best years” list.

After connecting with Jackie in January and having the validating and confidence boosting experience of winning EforAll Longmont’s Spring Pitch Contest in April, I was excited to apply for the Summer Accelerator.  The curriculum of the program seemed written for our stage of business development.  Even though the schedule overlapped with my third trimester, the idea of delaying our participation didn’t make sense. Vulture Collective is as much my baby as the human life that was growing inside of me, and to deny myself (and the business) the opportunity would have been a great regret. To me, that these events are forever linked makes them both more special, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that the last baby name standing at the end of an arduous labor started with a V.

My experience with EforAll was remarkable. Not only because it gave me the tools, skills, and knowledge needed to feel confident finally pursuing a business I have been conceptualizing for the past decade. But also because it introduced me and Jackie to an amazing group of entrepreneurs and our fabulous mentors. A baker’s dozen of new connections who share our passion, but for their own dreams.  Each and every one provided valuable feedback and new perspectives that allowed me to see Vulture Collective from different angles and enabled an ongoing evolution as the summer steamed forward.

I am so proud of what Vulture Collective has been able to accomplish this year, even if it didn’t meet up to my overly ambitious expectations of changing the world overnight. I am excited for what 2023 will bring to us, and carry (slightly) more realistic expectations about how and when Vulture Collective will change the world–I’m okay with continuing to be overly ambitious.