Don’t call it a Comeback
Hola. A quick recap. During the pandemic, my team at that time and I pivoted to Bana, an online guide on sustainable living. As much as the idea and concept were needed, the business model and scalability were not there. Like a lot of my projects, sometimes it takes a couple of years for the industry to join in and understand the importance of creating systematic change.
It seems like it’s been forever since I have taken the time to write in Bana. A lot has happened since our extended sabbatical, if one could call it that, but yes, after the pandemic, things have changed. I personally was looking for financial stability with a purpose and started a new role as the Executive Director of an NGO working for the conservation of one of our natural treasures in Puerto Rico. After too many years in fight-or-flight mode, it was time to give my nervous system a break to stabilize. Lots have changed, but some things haven’t, like my passion for supporting community, the environment, and entrepreneurship.
“Let’s try this again without the pressure of success and the metrics of scaling. Let’s try this with curiosity.”
My not-so-new role (it’s been two years now) has given me new skills in conservation, federal funding, fundraising, and administration. It is very interesting to continue to morph and pivot as a professional. It requires flexibility and lots and lots of treating yourself with kindness through processes of learning and sort of switching your brain from the entrepreneur mindset to non-profit leadership. But in true entrepreneurial fashion, I also started to work on the intersection of music, sustainability, and tourism. For years, I was ashamed of wanting to pursue more than one project, deeming myself a disorganized and childish human. Until maybe a year ago, I embraced this fact that all journeys, even when professional, are my own and only my own to decide what feels good and rewarding, and that I can change my mind, pivot, and shift routes as many times as I want until I find the right combination of pieces to complete my life puzzle.
So in this new “comeback,” don’t expect a tidy business model and a perfectly planned scalable model. This time around, I’m writing because I feel like it. Because I missed it and if anything good comes from publishing my thoughts or expert opinions on topics that create positive change, then awesome, but if this just ends up being an amazing blog where friends contribute and share their journey and knowledge, even better. So this is an invitation to anyone that wants to contribute to Bana. Let’s try this again without the pressure of success and the metrics of scaling. Let’s try this with curiosity.
Gracias por leerme,
Carmen
