Wizard.ai

In May 2019, I was a new mom and I was flat out broke. I had taken time off to give birth to my newborn baby two months before and stay home with him but my bills were piling up. My startup Wyzerr could barely cover it’s own expenses so I didn’t feel right paying myself PTO even though by that time I was the only person working full time. When the City of Cincinnati called with a project at the end of the month, I couldn’t turn it down. It was a 5-figure contract that would cover several months of expenses for Wyzerr for a few days of work. I booked my flight with points I had saved up from travels over the previous 2 years. A close friend, Christi Mitchell, allowed me to stay in her home for free. I had serious doubt whether this trip was a good decision. I only had $50 in my bank account to last me several days, and most importantly, my son was only 2 months old. However, for some reason, I just felt like God was calling me to Cincinnati that weekend so I went.

The weekend started off uneventful. I had to work and posted about it on my Instagram stories. A distant friend reached out in my DM’s and asked if I had time to meet up for dinner. I agreed and we ended up meeting later that day after my shift ended. I was exhausted and don’t really remember what I was talking about at dinner but it was more than likely about a new artificial intelligence idea I had that I was slowly becoming more obsessed with. I recognized that I was at the end of my rope with Wyzerr, not because the company wasn’t doing well, but because I was frustrated with the people associated with the company (mainly, investors). I felt like an indentured servant with no positive outlook. My investors didn’t want to make a new investment in the company but they didn’t want me to raise money from other investors either. I had pretty much lost all of my passion in Wyzerr by then and was ready to move on. My friend patiently listened to me vent and talk about my startup woes and new ideas. I went home that night a little more relaxed after being able to be honest for the first time that I didn’t want to work on Wyzerr anymore. I said a prayer that night that God would send me a sign if I should work on something else. I think at some point I began to cry and ask God why was my life so hard. He had given me such an amazing idea in Wyzerr. He had provided this miraculous journey to Cincinnati that resulted in funding, a great team, and so much opportunity. Why was He taking it all away from me? To make matters worst, I now had a newborn baby to provide for. The week before I couldn’t even afford diapers and formula for him. In the middle of my tears and crying, I was overcome with so much peace and calmness. I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me “it’s okay. Even in the storms, I am here with you. You are going through this to make you stronger and better as a mother, as a businessperson. You won’t make these mistakes again.” I fell asleep grateful that I was living in purpose.

The next day I get a text message from my friend from dinner the night before. He asks me if I have time to meet up for lunch. I thought it was a little weird to want to meet up again so soon, but he seemed super eager to tell me something right away. I couldn’t get time off of work so I had him come visit me at the event we were covering for Cincinnati. He came with a folder and a pen. As we sat down, he told me that the night before, he just felt like he needed to write me a check. He needed to help me with my vision for the future. He handed over a check for $10,000 and told me that whenever I launch my new company, he wanted to be an investor and part owner because he believed that I was bound to build something amazing. I was speechless. I began crying because God is so good, guys. It was the sign that I needed from God to move on from Wyzerr. God would take care of me in whatever I decided to do. His $10,000 was helpful in that season of my life but the monetary value pales in comparison to the faith and hope that his investment ignited in me. I was so down and broken. This gesture was validation that I was meant to continue buulding and innovating. Wyzerr didn’t become the unicorn I thought it would be, but that doesn’t mean my next one won’t. God was proving that He was with me, in the stormy seasons and in the bright seasons to come.