We're Putting Up A Business and It's Like Having Another Baby!

Oliver, showing Narra the construction site.

There's a lot of excitement  among the Carsi Cruz siblings nowadays as they anticipate the coming to life of their brainchild. My husband Oliver, together with 5 others: 3 sisters, 1 sis-in-law, and 1 cousin (who is like a brother) are starting a family business. Without getting into details about the what's, where's, and why's - I want to write about how it feels like we're pregnant all over again - all of us who are eagerly anticipating the start of our new enterprise! 

It began with the triumphant, celebratory moment of discovery. Like when a couple first finds out they are pregnant.  When my sis-in-law Rina first announced the business opportunity, it felt much like the moment I found those two lines on my pregnancy test. When Rina confirmed that we got the contract for this business, it felt so much like my first trip to the OB and seeing my baby's heartbeat going strong after I was told the week prior that I had a sub-chorionic hemorrhage and the viability of the pregnancy remained uncertain (the clinical term used was "threatened abortion" and I was put on strict bed rest).  When we heard that the contract was awarded to us, it was just a "Thank you Lord!" moment. We're pregnant indeed, for sure, for real - we're having a baby...woohoo!!!  The bun's in the oven and we have to start baking.

Father and daughter inspecting the latest development.

                                        

Then came the part when we started to feel the heat, and the discomforts set in. When I was pregnant, I felt heightened sensitivity, mood swings, and nausea as my body adjusted to the situation.  A woman's body goes on overdrive, re-appropriating resources like blood, nutrients, and hormones, to provide the growing fetus the nourishment it requires.  So too are the family's resources allocated for the business - money, time, energy, passion, prayers, hopes, dreams - it becomes the object of affection - even obsession, as every conversation is a brainstorming session. I understand this process, when singular focus is bestowed on a project.  I know I've hyper focused on my children and family, and at times, they are my "bukang bibig", or the only topic I ever talk about.  Now, our family gatherings have this exciting new business as the usual topic of conversation.

They're the fun kinds of discussions really, even if people don't seem to be smiling a lot and going "yippeee!", and even if a lot of debating takes place. It's the good kind of conflict at play, the constructive, creative kind. Thinking of a name for the company, for instance, is a fun kind of problem to deal with.  Naming a company is much like naming a child. It is of utmost importance and must not be taken lightly.  The power to name is an awesome responsibility.  It is the deciding factor between cool and corny; winner and loser; pride and embarrassment.  It's a chance for everyone to give their inner marketer a chance to speak.

Debating about design elements is another delicious battle worth savoring.  What will things look like? What equipment should we buy? It's a productive distraction, anticipating things we'll need and imagining the flow of activities. It reminds me of preparing for the arrival of a baby, and buying all sorts of baby stuff; coming up with a birth plan;  fixing the home and moving things around to create baby's special space. Oh my, organizing the kid's room was a fun project to be busy with. Just as buying stuff to fill up our new building is also enjoyable.  Especially for the Carsi Cruz siblings who are indefatigable, expert shoppers. 

Construction going on round the clock.

Then there are the labor pains, the contractions! Nobody likes being pushed. And that's how it feels sometimes as a due date draws near.  Construction now goes well into the night. Hiring for staff has started, training will follow, then operations will have to begin at some point. Paperwork needs to be accomplished, stuff need to be paid.  Right now we're doing practice contractions, Braxton Hicks contractions they are called, or false labor. They are short bursts of pain that become more frequent. They are not pleasant, but they prepare us well for the tougher phase ahead.  Soon, things will get really busy, when real labor begins. I will have to write about that in coming weeks when we get to that point.  If they go the natural way, I imagine that phase will be bloody painful, and will probably involve some screaming,  that's only to be expected with the birthing process...unless a relaxing epidural can be injected into the situation, in which case it can all be painless.

For now, it feels like we are on our third trimester and on the verge of giving birth, with all the pains and joys involved in anticipating something so close to becoming real.  We're really close, but not quite there yet!  I am hoping we can have an uncomplicated birthday, fast-smooth-easy...just like the super fast and painless birthing days I've enjoyed with both my children.  We have fears, sure. But we are overpowered by our hopes. I can feel the collective steely determination to raise this business like flesh and blood, like offspring, for whom we shall willingly give everything we've got, for as long as we can, to nurture this baby to its full potential.  

This reminds me of my own parents and how my complicated premature birth and 2 months' stay in an incubator wiped out their savings...and how they started their business soon after I was released from the hospital.  I read my father's journal, which contained the daily income - the boundary from the taxis he and my mom operated - and I saw the expenses, for my medicines - and my high chair - etc.  I read that accounting journal like a novel, page by page. It is a touching story of hard work, sacrifice, struggle, and perseverance. It is also a story of growth, as the business clearly flourished, and the couple of cars soon became a fleet of taxis. They worked hard until they met their financial goals. Then they let the business go, stopped working at breakneck speed, put the money away to grow on its own with the glorious gifts of compound interest, and they enjoyed quality time with us as we grew up.  It was that business that gave us financial freedom and a comfortable life decades later. It was the funds earned from that business that now supports my parents' comfortable retirement.  I am brought to tears each time I leaf through that journal, nearly as old as I am, a priceless family artifact kept behind a glass encased bookshelf.  I am so proud of my parents, of how smart they were with their choices. I am amazed at the risks they took, the gambles they waged, and the rewards they reaped from the games they played. They make an excellent team.

I can only dream that Oliver and I will have that too. And this business offers us the opportunity to work as a team. So I am excited. Like the rest of the family.  I can't wait to welcome this child when THE day comes. Keep tuned for our latest baby's birthday!!!