I always knew that I wanted to start my own business in an area that allowed me to really make an impact on the community. And, providing capital for entrepreneurs so that they could truly grow their businesses and unleash their potential was a natural fit for me. After working several years as a leader in the banking industry, I knew that starting my own company was just something that I had to do. I wanted to be able to create as many entrepreneurial success stories as humanely possible and make an impact in my own way.
So, I called my Co-Founder, Don Stricklin, and in 2007, we launched Far West Capital, a custom-financing company. As passionate and determined as I was to go out on my own and give back through the act of custom financing itself, I never could have dreamt how powerful the role of being a business owner would be in allowing me to make an impact in the community.And, it has been such an incredible journey discovering the variety of ways that I can do that through this entrepreneurial platform that I am so grateful to stand on.
As the company grew, I began to focus even more on providing mentorship, guidance and even hard dollar donations through board memberships, blog posts, various philanthropic initiatives and participating in conferences across the country. Now, seven years later, making a social impact has become ingrained in everything that we do as a business.
Not only do I work diligently to unleash the potential of my employees by empowering them to take on their own initiatives in the community, as well as together as a team, we also have worked our passion for giving back into our branding, messaging and in our dedication with our clients. We hire only those who are truly fired up about helping entrepreneurs remain the heroes in our community, and we never leave an entrepreneur without a solution – whether it means working with us or not.
This year, we have taken the idea of social impact to an entirely new level, starting with our Far Reaching campaign. We’ve successfully partnered with Grameen America as our first initiative and focus for 2014, with the help of Whole Foods and a small number of other businesses in the area. In the same way that we give back through our work day-in and day-out as custom financing providers, with our support, Grameen will be able to offer microloans, training and support to help transform our city and fight poverty throughout the country.
We have effectively woven this virtuous cycle of giving into the fabric of our company – it has become our heart and soul. And at the end of the day, that’s all I could ask for. Well, I’m an entrepreneur, so maybe not all I could ask for.
I believe, wholeheartedly, that together we can do more than we can apart, and as entrepreneurs, it’s easy to forget that. At the end of the day, if our work at Far West Capital can inspire other business owners to do the same, then we are doing our job. Together, we’re unleashing potential.