IT TAKES A VILLAGE

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It seems like yesterday, but it wasn’t. 12 years ago, Monarch was born from an experience that I wasn’t really pursuing. After college graduation, I worked at a landscape maintenance company for 9 years. It began with filing papers, later moving into sales, and eventually acting as the general manager for the company.  Truth is, I really wanted to buy that company and develop it into a regional leader. As it turns out, the company was not for sale and it led to my departure in July of 2008.

Starting a landscape consulting company in August of that same year would be the equivalent of opening up a gym in August of 2020. Times were tough, on top of that we had a 3-year-old, a 3-month-old, and a sizeable mortgage without the money to pay for it. Early on in the adventure, my wife and I shared a car because we couldn’t afford 2. We cut tv and any and all of the luxuries that had become so commonplace. The problem was that we couldn’t cut back any further and we needed things like new tires for the minivan. In this instance, both her parents and mine chipped in for a new set. That was one of the many blessings we so undeservingly received during this tenuous time.  

Like Apple, Monarch was started in a garage. I propped up a voting booth around my desk to hold back the kid’s toys on the other side. Often times, I would be in a full sweat typing emails all while hearing our guinea pigs make odd noises from the other side of the cardboard. To put it mildly, working out of the garage for the first 4 years was a character-building opportunity. Looking back, I realize that challenging times are fertile ground for the miraculous. It seems to me that only in desperation do we see things clearly. Trust me, my eyes were clear because I was highly aware of my personal and financial shortcomings. There were times that I was often unsure of how we were going to pay our bills and then out of nowhere new work would come in. It felt like farming, I was solely reliant on hard work, faith, and family.  

The road has not been easy. In fact, the things in our life that have been the most difficult tend to be the most rewarding. Fast-forward to today, we have 5 kids, Monarch has 11 team members and a beautiful office in Dana Point. As your Chief Encouragement Officer, I want to encourage you that my plan was not the right plan. It took a very painful and personal process to push me in a direction that has become a true place of purpose and enjoyment. Even though Apple continues to outperform Monarch, I’m extremely grateful for all of those that have helped me along the way. It takes a village to produce anything worthwhile and lasting.

Thank you,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

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Look Up

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Almost 2 years ago, we planted several Coast Live Oak trees in our yard. We live out in a rural area that has enough space to support these native giants. These Oaks are iconic in Southern California because of the shear mass they can achieve over the course of hundreds of years. It’s awe-inspiring to stand under a 100-year oak tree and dream about what it has been witness to.

The climate in SoCal has been extremely hot and humid the past several weeks. The other day, I was on our back patio and found myself staring at these newly planted Oaks as if my glaring would will them to grow faster. I want the shade and privacy now! The irony is that the reason Coast Live Oaks can live so long is in part because they grow at a slower pace to allow for deep roots and even harder wood. If you have ever thrown a piece of oak in a fire you understand how much longer it will burn as compared to that bundle of Pine you bought at the grocery store. Hardwood is developed during hard times.

Right then and there it dawned on me that you can’t rush the type of growth that will last generations. The type of growth we need is slow, deliberate, and often leads us wondering if we are growing at all. Are we prepared to plant for the next generation? Planting for the future means that we don’t get to enjoy the shade during our time. What we do get to enjoy is the process of feeding, watering, and looking after these young trees to ensure that they grow in an environment that is suitable for 100 years, not the next 100 days.

As your Chief Encouragement Officer, I want to encourage you that we are in a season of planting and pruning. The digging, the watering, and the cutting is not terribly enjoyable, but it is all the while a great privilege. Remember to look up and admire the canopy you sit under because a previous generation did the same for you!

Grab a shovel,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

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GOOD JUICE

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Our 15th-month-old daughter recently walked over with a mask in hand grunting as to alarm me that I needed to have it on. It dawned on me that she sees the mask as an important part of my outfit. Like sunglasses, masks have become part of the uniform we carefully pick up before we leave the house.

Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Wearing a mask makes it hard to read people face to face. We are forced to work overtime observing nuances in the eyes or body language in our everyday interactions. To Newton’s point, maybe these masks will make us better listeners. Maybe just maybe we will come out of this with superpowers that are able to detect even the slightest bit of pain in one another allowing us to become more supportive and sympathetic.

I believe we as a society are being pruned for the betterment of the next generation. Tree pruning is messy, dangerous, and sometimes expensive yet it is necessary to ensure the safety, beauty, and longevity of the tree being cut. As a nation, we have been fruitful for a long time but much of the fruit being produced today is sour and inedible. The only way to generate good-tasting produce for future generations is to cut back and cut out branches that were once deemed beneficial.

As your Chief Encouragement Officer, I’m asking all of us to consider the type and taste of the fruit you are bearing. Today’s note is not a political one it is a personal one. In order for us to mentally move beyond the troubles of today, we need to consider the opportunities of tomorrow. As the Greek proverb states, “Society grows great when old man plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

Onward and Upward,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

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MISPLACED

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I don’t describe myself as being overly handy. Don’t get me wrong, over the years I have hung pictures, shelves, put cribs and toys together but the experience is not a pleasant one for anyone in my vicinity. I become notably cranky and short-fused.  Most recently, my wife and I were hanging a picture in the house and I felt my patience diminish almost immediately. I started off with, “Who moved my stud finder?” 

The common denominator in my frustration always leads to blaming other people for things that are clearly my problem. Why is that? After some reflection, I’ve landed on the fact that I don’t put things away. It’s kind of like picking up a bag of salt and vinegar chips on one end of the grocery store and realizing you better not on the other side. Full disclosure, I look for a shelf within 5 feet of me and place those chips amongst the produce.

My point in all of this is that I think many of us have simply been misplaced. We have been picked and used by bosses, politicians, and relationships and never been put back where we belong. This disruption has not been all bad, in fact, looking back it was quite good for us. However, we are left with a sense that we don’t provide value or usefulness any longer.

Today, we have an opportunity to stand up and move in a direction that has long been pursuing us. We spend the majority of our lives taking bad advice from people that have an agenda. This agenda includes encouraging you to continue cramming yourself into a round hole when those who love and appreciate you see you as much more than a square peg. Right now, you have an opportunity to stop blaming others for your misplacement and realize you have enabled those lazy shoppers over the years.  

Here’s how:

1- Stop blaming others 

2- Listen to those that don’t benefit from your decisions

3- Ask the question, if I could have one prayer answered what would it be?

Over the years, this thought process has been quite helpful. When we own our station, clear the noise, and identify what is important, our windy road becomes purposeful, enjoyable, and straight.

Go for it!

Matt Davenport

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In the Eye of the Hurricane

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In the Eye of the Hurricane

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have watched or listened to Lin- Manuel Miranda’s brilliant smash hit Hamilton. In the musical, Alexander Hamilton is in the midst of a personal crisis when he belts out the tune Hurricane. 

In the eye of the hurricane

  There is quiet

For just a moment

A yellow sky

The eye of the hurricane is described as the center of the storm. The zone of calm behaves differently over land and water. However, one fact remains, this respite from raging winds and rain can only be found in the center of the surrounding devastation and chaos. Like Hamilton, we are in the eye of the hurricane. We desperately want to free ourselves from this position because no movement feels like death. The opposite is true. We are all in the cleft of a rock being protected and looked after in the midst of the planet pivoting towards an unknown future. 

The challenge we all face today can be wrapped up in one simple word, control. 2020 is stripping away the façade and showing us who is behind the curtain. It’s like someone asked us to get on the treadmill with these simple instructions; I’ll tell you when to stop. We would prefer someone to tell us you are going to run 10 miles, 100 miles, 1000 miles… anything. We need to know because we only trust our own ability to paddle ourselves out of the storm. I’m here to say that you are in the eye of the hurricane. The safest place for you and your family is exactly where you are. The winds are raging outside this eye and we must look around and trust that this tempest has purpose. I don’t pretend to know why all the events of today are going on. But I do know that we will one day look back and realize that it was all for something greater than our selves. 

Keep Running,

Matt Davenport

In the eye of the hurricane
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