Who Ordered a Medium?

,

Recently, it dawned on me that the size medium was created for people that can’t make a decision. What size drink would you like with that? Hmmm… I don’t want a small because that is not going to be enough and I will never finish a large, so I will take a medium. This conversation goes on in our heads at places like Starbucks but I’m becoming increasingly aware that these non-committal decisions surface in much bigger areas of our lives.  

Forget fast food and shirt sizes. I’m talking about not seeing things clear enough to ask for and work for what we really want. Ordering a medium in life is the equivalent of chartering a boat, setting sail with the hopes of just landing somewhere different. Nothing precise, nowhere particular, just somewhere that is different from the longitude and latitude you currently inhabit.

This line of thinking excuses you from understanding that geography is not your issue. You are the issue. You have not yet set clear parameters on where you are, where you want to go and how you are going to get there.  For the last 6 months, I have written about how the journey takes you places you never intended. That still holds true. However, if you set sail to escape rather than to conquer than you have a whole different type of voyage ahead. One that typically involves more geography change and no real progression.

As your Chief Encouragement Officer, I implore you to let the winds of change fill your sails. Run to the bow of the ship and proudly proclaim… I’ll take a large!

Anchors Away,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

/by

A GOOD CRISIS

,

Rahm Emanuel used this expression during a time we now call the great recession of 2008. Long before Emanuel said it, Sir Winston Churchill stated, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Churchill uttered these words in the mid-1940s as we were approaching the end of World War ll.

I want to highlight both men because they said these words before the crisis had passed. The quote does an amazing job of creating a juxtaposition on the effects of crisis. In simple terms, never wasting a good crisis means that we are given a choice to allow the events of today to bully us or we choose to engage so that we become a warrior for the promise of tomorrow.

Believe it or not, the crisis that is 2020 will be over before we know it. You still have the opportunity to not let it go to waste. Will you be a victim, or will you allow this year to act as a springboard for the rest of your life? Ironic how 2020 vision is considered perfect. We are all sitting in a chair called September and we are being asked is this better or is this better. Like a good optometrist, the year 2020 has clarified our lives in so many different ways.

Family, friends, health and unity have been moved to the top of the chart and life is coming back into focus. Don’t let a good crisis go to waste. There, I said it, now you can add my name alongside Rahm Emmanuel and Sir Winston Churchill.

Thank you,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

/by

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

,

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.

/by