Why I Started Ibility
Just the other day, my precocious 9-year-old daughter, Lillian, told me that she wanted to take over Ibility when she grew up. After a good chuckle, I asked her why she would want to do that. She told me that she wanted to build new things that helped people and made their lives easier. I guess I am always shocked with how things make an impression (for better or worse!) on the minds of our children and this moment was no exception. She understood my vision for Ibility and was touched enough to want to become part of it. It was in that special moment that I knew why I had left my secure 20-year career in public service at arguably the most pivotal transition point in world history to pursue entrepreneurship.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world. Each and every citizen was impacted in one way or another and I was no exception. At my core, I knew life was no longer guaranteed and as a nation, as a world, we needed to band together. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2019 and after the danger of COVID-19 was made apparent, I was acutely afraid for her life. She was already medically frail and the risk of contracting COVID-19 would be too much for her. I knew I had to find a way to help!
Throughout 2020, I led the COVID-19 Maker Challenge Series for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and saw how competitive prototyping helped to accelerate the development of products and services to keep frontline essential workers safe during the pandemic. I instantly felt the societal impact at my core - my day job became less interesting and passion rose to the surface. Bringing people together around a shared vision of good and creating the environment where they could be inspired and make a difference is truly gratifying. I quickly decided that this feeling was something I wanted to experience every day, which ultimately became the foundation for Ibility.
Ibility is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) / Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) focused on helping clients dramatically reduce the time and cost to develop scalable solutions that bring lasting business value.
As of May 3, 2021 I am enthusiastically able to say that I inspire people, create cool stuff and make a lasting impact on the world! Even though there are years before Lillian will be able to take over Ibility - I hope I can build this business into the vision she has helped me to create. For those reading this, I hope that you will continue to follow me on my crazy entrepreneurship journey and ultimately find your own inspiration - because we are truly #bettertogether.
