local man is alive

Hello

The last time I sent an email was Oct 25th. I’ve been in the thick of it since then. I ran a marathon on the 27th which was the worst experience of my life but very rewarding to have done and I plan to run the same one next year 🙂 

Veii had been kicking my ass all of last year. I told myself that if things didn’t look promising by December 31st, I’d shut it down by January 31st. In reality, I knew I wouldn’t, but as a responsible adult human, I set that expectation.

I decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise some of the working capital I need to keep growing Veii. I had listened to a podcast with Kickstarter’s CEO, Everette Taylor, and on a whim, I cold-emailed him. He responded and encouraged me to use the platform.

From December 21st to January 20th, I made a hard push to raise $40,000 from friends, family, and everyone who supports Veii’s vision. Kickstarter is all or nothing—if you hit your goal, you keep the money; if you don’t, you get $0. Asking for help wasn’t easy, but I had a real talk with myself: What’s the point of building a brand if, when it matters most, nobody cares enough to support it? So I left no stone unturned and reached out to everyone that cares that I am a living breathing human on this Earth.

The day before the campaign ended, we had about $30,000 raised. Momentum was building, but with 23 hours left, we still needed 20% more. I made one last push on social media, basically saying, This is the moment that decides everything. Every single dollar matters.

I know people were thinking, No way Ike can raise $10K in a day. But I’m kinda crazy so I believed I could and I DID. With 11 hours left, we hit $40,000 while I was at the Buffalo Bills game, watching my best friend Ty make it to the AFC Championship. For the first time in a long time, I could breathe and let my shoulders relax. It was an amazing feeling.

Through this experience, I was reminded that I do have a community that cares about me and wants to see me win. I also got to hear firsthand what Veii means to so many people. I spend so much time in the trenches, I rarely come up for air to appreciate what I’ve built. This campaign was a moment of affirmation—I know I’m on the right path. My path.

p.s. the only way to predict the future is to write history yourself…keep going