About this episode

Jon Verlee is the founder of Breeze Church Management Software. I was given Jon’s name from a friend who was emphatic about Jon’s story being told. Part of her enthusiasm for Jon’s story is that it is one that so many people can look to as a potential template for their journey.

We discussed Jon’s very intentional pathway to entrepreneurship. We talked about how important it is to have a passion and motivation beyond money when you start your business. You will discover that anyone, at any age, under any family dynamics can pursue their entrepreneurial dreams in a way that places family first. In talking with him, it was apparent that he was never seeking to launch a business that would make a fast buck or establish overnight fortunes. No, he was playing the long game with a strong desire to build a great product. This is Jon Verlee’s startup story.

In this episode, you will hear

• The importance of satisfying the need of restless creativity and exploring what you feel called to do
• What it means to not trade great for good
• The importance of recognizing a spark that ignites you even though you may have to wait to act on it - you can see the growth of the passion but wait for the right time to go for it
• Entering into a dialogue with a spouse when deciding to follow an entrepreneurial journey and the trust that comes with it
• The stages of going from MVP - minimum viable product - to meeting with potential customers offering free trials of the product and looking at the broader picture when paying customers are actually onboard
• The importance of not underestimating what customer support levels will be needed and looking into advertising to grow the business
• About the challenges of holding a full-time job and traversing the ups and downs of a startup
• The slow path of Jon’s startup while hanging on to his stability
• The balance that Jon focused on so that he would not sacrifice his family for his business

“Our culture idolizes the story of the entrepreneur that cuts ties of stability and throws all caution to the wind to pursue their dreams. That narrative suffers from a selection bias because you only hear the stories of the survivors.” – Jon Verlee, Breeze

“Start something. Start it small, no need to risk everything for it. Just simply start something.” – Jon Verlee, Breeze

Resources from this episode

Connect with Jon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-verlee-a42106b4
Jon on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonverlee
Breeze: https://www.breezechms.com/
Breeze on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breezechms/

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Full Episode Transcript

Special Guest: Jon VerLee.