Welcome to my fourth investor update.
We are moving to Chicago, no one can pronounce Anavah, and we signed our first major brand (backed by an A-List Celebrity).
Don’t worry, there’s a lot of photos in this one.
- Chris Crump
Help, we are moving to the Midwest.
After much deliberation, Lauren chose Kellogg at Northwestern for business school.
We could not be more excited for this next season of life in Chicago.
And, I’m going to be so cold.
We have many open Chrome tabs.
It was a busy spring—wedding planning, long hours at work, and spending time growing in faith and community.
I’m not sure whose idea it was to start a business, move to a new city, and get married all at the same time, but next time I’d space it out a bit more.
HAPPYS:
Lauren’s birthday in Key Biscayne, FL (booked on points of course)
Bachelor Party in Watercolor, FL
Couples Shower in LA and yearly trip to Oregon
Time in community (studying Hebrew Bible, homeless outreach, gym)
Moving to Chicago (it’s better than Philly lol)
CRAPPYS:
Moving to Chiraq (please send us winter clothes)
Staffing is a complex business (boy do I have some stories for you)
Getting called a ‘service provider’ at a VC event (no, YOU are the service provider!)
We held a fundraiser to purchase trauma kits for the Austin Police Department. 
Regretting my decision to help baptize Lauren after realizing the water is cold. 
Ok, it was worth it.
Help, I am now running a business.
Running a business is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
But, I’m learning so much.
We now have over 20 clients—mostly from referrals.
If you remember, this business started with three clients. Those three clients referred us to three more clients—now we are over 20!
Our business now has three pillars:
Permanent placement (We find and place someone at your business permanently)
Staff augmentation (We find and staff someone at your business on a monthly-basis)
Managed CX (We find, staff, and lightly manage your customer success team)
Help, I have to make decisions.
Man, it’s hard to run a business.
Clients always want to save money (or not pay entirely)
Candidates always want more money (and sometimes you have to fire them)
Everyone wants something from you (or everyone has an opinion for you)
Let me break it down further:
It’s hard to get random businesses to pay you money.
And, it’s hard to get random people to work for you.
And, even if you nail those two facets today, you have to continue doing it tomorrow.
But you know what?
I’m learning how to make better decisions.
How do you make better decisions?
In American society, the highest paid people are compensated for their unique ability to make decisions.
What do the top politicians, CEOs, investors, sports coaches have in common?
They are really good at making decisions.
And I’m not.
But, how do you get better?
By making decisions (and learning from your bad ones).
This season is about learning how to make decisions.
What are you optimizing for?
The older I get, the more I ask: “What are you optimizing for in this season?”
This question implies two things:
The existence of seasons (in life)
A desire to discern your season
So, what is a season of life?
In life, there are seasons.
Discerning your season is important so you can act in alignment with your season.
The Hebrew Bible discusses the specific seasons of life:
‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
And Jesus uses wine to help explain the seasons:
‘Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.’ - Matthew 9:17
Recap of my seasons:
In the Fall, I was firmly in a season of breaking down.
Removing income (did not have a job; three job offers fell through)
Removing status (failed at building a childcare startup)
Removing habits (replaced with resting, discerning, reading)
It was hard and confusing—but sometimes you must slow down to speed up.
Now, I’m firmly in a season of building up.
Building a new business (Anavah Talent)
Building a new foundation (new habits)
Building a new family (just Lauren to start lol)
The importance of names:
And, we’ve been studying names (thx Jaime).
Like seasons, they help direct our path. Names display character traits.
God has over 650 names in the Bible—two which have proven true in this season.
Jehovah Jireh, meaning "God will provide." → even when it feels unlikely.
Jehovah Rapha, meaning “The God that heals.” → even impossible relationships.
As you take a pause this summer, ask yourself: “What am I optimizing for in this season?
