A Letter From An Entrepreneur: Lisa Slook

If you are, or are aspiring to be, an entrepreneur I know you feel me here when I say, “Entrepreneurship is like riding a roller coaster.”  Sometimes you’re up.  Sometimes you’re down.  You may scream, get butterflies, throw your hands up and may even want to throw up (maybe sometimes do!).  All along the way is the thrill of the coaster.  The feeling of breaking free and doing something that isn’t for everyone.  But – You…Are...Doing..It. You are there, hanging in from the first climb, dip, and launch around a corner, into the first loop through the twists and turns to the end of the ride.  Some maybe can’t handle the launch and retreat to the deck, some only hang on for one ride, while others ride this roller coaster until the end of days.

Hi! I’m Lisa and I freaking LOVE rollercoasters!

I took my first leap of faith as an entrepreneur a few years ago.  I ventured out on my own with an idea after experiencing so much stress, frustration, and resentment in my day job.  After a big breath and a solid support system, I went for it, had faith, and jumped right in.  I fell forward.  HARD.  In my mind, I didn’t succeed and get to where I wanted to go. 

It takes more than just an idea to propel you forward.

So I dusted myself off, learned a lot along the way, and went back to a “real” job.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love the people I worked with but there was always an underlying pull of – this is really not what I should be doing.  Do you know why things didn’t work that first time around?  It wasn’t my purpose.  It was something I was good at — as I have a knack for explaining really complex things to others — but it wasn’t my purpose.

            My other half, Allan, and I decided 4 years ago that we wanted to find a space to help other entrepreneurs grow while we grew the Real Estate Brokerage. YES!  Now, this was my language! How many lives could we impact and change?  Spent three years finding the space to have a beautiful office that we could not only run the Brokerage through but could also expand opportunities for other entrepreneurs in our community. 

In 2020, we opened a coworking space, The Ant Space, powered by Atlas Red Realty in Sparks, Nevada.

Our purpose is to elevate others helping them achieve their goals and purpose.  We are on a mission to help those in our community with a product, idea, or service expand their opportunities and businesses. 

We provide the space, support, and tools necessary to launch and grow. From providing a business address to maintain the privacy of using your home address, to fully utilizing the space and connecting with others, networking, and maybe even birthing a new venture through those connections. 

Our space is community-driven, open to those with a passion that is ready to be unleashed. 

Future events are planned to draw the rest of the community in to explore the businesses of our members and discover artists by showcasing their work on our walls. 

We created the space for people to connect. This is the space we dreamed of.  We have a passion for service and are fulfilled when serving others.  We are the support structure under the coaster car.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it.  It took a huge leap of faith to take out a mortgage for an acre of land and 15,000 square feet of space to make this into a reality.  Who am I kidding – it still IS faith we are relying on to get us to the next step.  We have had setbacks, gains, celebrated, and shed some tears.  You see, we went on one of those roller coaster loops over the last year hanging tight to our harnesses. COVID shut us down just weeks after we opened. We have never had an opening day celebration for The Ant Space, or an open house for the Brokerage. Soon friends, soon. 

Not only do I still rely on faith and the knowing that we will be ok, but we know that what we have created IS needed as we come out of this pandemic – I am learning to “lean in” to myself too.  Sometimes, it’s really tough to hold strong, to hold onto that faith, and then I teeter.  Then, I grow. 

I think that truly has been the lesson of the COVID year.  It has been a year I used to “grow”. 

Grow strength, grow my mindset, grow my faith, grow my trust in myself.  We grew our faith in our strength as a couple too.  I needed to grow and become more open before I could truly help others succeed.  To be real here, to those still reading – thank you – you are part of the growth process.  I have stepped out of my comfort zone (seriously) and grown through this writing.    

We are still growing as a business and have a lot left that we want to implement in our space.  We thought we had tackled every twist, turn, and loop in our business plan.  HA!  Were we wrong!  And, you know what?  Being wrong helps you grow.

            So, if you think you aren’t “made” for the entrepreneurship roller coaster, maybe you’re wrong and just need to “lean in” to what makes you tick and what your passion is.  You need to grow.  Take that leap of faith, move off the deck and hop in a seat.  Come along for the ride and enjoy yourself because there isn’t anything else like it.  We will see you in the front of the coaster!