Wow, has it really been two years already? Time flies when you’re busy building something from the ground up, one client at a time, with more spreadsheets than you ever thought possible. But here we are—Overwrite is officially a toddler! And like any good toddler, we're learning to run, occasionally stumbling, but always getting back up with a smile. Here's what we've been up to these last two years.
March 2022: An accidental opportunity
Let’s rewind to March 2022. There I was, minding my own business (literally) when a former employer came knocking. They had a lot of loans to underwrite and apparently not enough people to make it happen. I was offered some contract underwriting work and like I do with most opportunities- I said yes. I tend to say yes a lot (especially in the early days). Saying yes was the go-to hack in my twenties. Say yes to every spark and double down on things that ignite. This is how I built my network, developed credibility, and acquired a ton of skills that I still use today.
August 2022: The "Aha!" Moment
Fast forward to August 2022, and after contracting for a few months, it hit me—why not turn this into a full-blown business? Surely if one organization needed help with underwriting, maybe others do. After several late nights and a few calls to industry contacts, things started to take shape. The initial idea was simple, create a consulting company that provided outsourced loan underwriting services to non-bank lenders. I was listening to a lot of podcasts at the time and Nick Huber kept evangelizing about business process outsourcing with a company called Support Shepherd (now Somewhere). Perhaps I could replicate this in the Economic Development Sector. I gathered some friends, bribed them with promises of glory (and adventure), and thus, the idea for Overwrite was born. We started with four partners, all equally optimistic and blissfully unaware of how much work it would take to build a consulting company. But hey, we were ready to take on the world. One important thing I learned during this time was not to bring in too many captains aboard a new ship (especially when the waters were shallow and the voyage hadn't been mapped out).
December 2022: The Year of Firsts
By the end of 2022, we had underwritten 25 loans. That’s 25 times I got to say, “Yes, we can make this happen!” We had three clients, which, if you ask me, was three more than we thought we’d have. But as with all things, life happened, and two of our original partners decided to move on (outsourced loan underwriting wasn't sexy). So, there we were—down two partners but up in spirit. During this period, I learned the importance of tracking. Since it is common knowledge that 'what is not measured is not improved', I made up my mind to build a company that tracked as many things as possible - drawing lessons from data patterns and communicating our progress to stakeholders when necessary. I also started to develop the habit of writing/blogging. In consulting, you sometimes have downtime, and I would use these 'breaks' to write about the company (through blogs, newsletters, or on social media).
January 2023: Enter the Reinforcements
The start of 2023 brought us our first batch of contractors. We would also go on to hire our first interns that summer. Training them was like hosting a mini bootcamp- complete with motivational speeches, classroom-style lectures, and ongoing mentorship. It was particularly difficult doing this with an almost 12-hour time difference between us. Managing people at this level was also very new to me and I had to leverage all the mentors and books at my disposal to do a 'good enough' job. Eventually, we got into the swing of things and started to build systems to make remote collaboration more efficient.
August 2023: One Year Down
Our one-year anniversary rolled around in August 2023, and boy, did we celebrate! We were still standing, still growing, and most importantly, still learning. But the best was yet to come. During this period, we also started to (more deliberately) explore other services. Beyond our traditional loan underwriting, we formalized and marketed our technical assistance and consulting services to existing and future clients. We also expanded our client definition to include Economic Development Organizations.
December 2023: Milestones Galore
December 2023 was a month of milestones. We underwrote our 100th loan, hired our first full-time employee, and celebrated having seven clients who were just as invested in our success as we were. My business partner agreed to transition to an advisory role, leaving me to steer the ship. And to top it all off, we wrapped up our first full year of operations with—drum roll, please—profitability! Around this time, I started to make a deliberate effort to work 'on the business' rather than 'in the business'. Since we now had a team and I was less involved with operations, I focused my time on client acquisition, building relationships with partners, attending industry conferences, collaborating with other consultants, and mentoring talented individuals within and outside the company.
February 2024: Small Biz of the Year!
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, we were awarded the Small Business of the Year by the African Chamber of Commerce in February 2024. It was our very first recognition and what made it even more special was that it came from my community.
June 2024: A Vision Comes to Life
By June 2024, we had finally put our vision and mission into words. It only took us two years! But hey, good things take time, right? We spent time learning from our early beginnings and figuring out where we wanted to focus our efforts in the next decade.
Looking Ahead
As I sit here, reflecting on the past two years, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude. I always joke that Overwrite as a company started by accident, but it is evident that we have come a long way. None of this would’ve been possible without our incredible team, clients, and, of course, cheerleaders. We have a big-hairy-audacious-goal we are working towards in 2027. We haven't said anything about this goal publicly but we are slowly stacking the building blocks. While there's a ton of work ahead of us, I also recognize how far we've come (in a relatively short time). I am super grateful so, join me in raising a glass to Overwrite—cheers to the journey ahead! Now, back to work.
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