After a year of traveling, it’s good to be back with the energetic team at Grow in a new capacity as Lending Manager. I missed working with colleagues who care deeply about our small business owners, want to see them flourish and continue to offer their greatest value to our community. After previously working at Grow as a Business Development Officer where I coached entrepreneurs, I’m excited to be in this role guiding the loan process and helping to make it as accessible and relational of an experience it can be for our potential borrowers. This is an exciting time to be at Grow, we are pushing the boundaries of what it means to assess risk and redefine how we get to “yes,” especially for people who have been systematically excluded from the capital markets. While that’s the bigger impact we all look for, there’s nothing like seeing an entrepreneur walk out our doors with the resources they need to realize and sustain their business goals, knowing that we have their back every step of the way. That’s the moment we live for, understanding that it’s part of a much bigger picture of financial security for themselves and their families, and ultimately, our community.