Category: About CRC

Wrangling Fear

12/5/2021

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
---Franklin D. Roosevelt (March 4, 1933)

I grew up in a blue-collar town and my dad was a vile and abusive man. He abused both my mother and me, and she turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Fear and uncertainty were staples during my formative years because life at home was a nightmare.

One of my greatest fears happened to be financial insecurity. I never knew where my next meal was coming from; and I imagined I might end up homeless. I’ll share about that in this article.

WRANGLING MY OWN FEARS
My dad’s job required him to travel three weeks out of every month for eight months of the year. Every time he took to the road my mom would pick up a liquor bottle as soon as he was out the door. Many a day, she would pass out drunk sometime during the afternoon, which left me to fend for myself. Consequently, I spent a lot of time on the streets as a youngster; and I devised schemes to keep my pockets full so I wouldn’t go hungry.

I was blessed with an above average intellect, and I viewed my education as a way out of my awful situation. As a result, I buckled down in school. I also competed athletically to improve my chances at earning a scholarship. Through the grace of God, scouts took notice and I made my way into Princeton. Once there, I thought I’d never look back.

After graduation, I made a decent living. I built a nest egg and planned for my retirement. That said, the feelings of fear and uncertainty relating to money followed me for years. They clouded my vision and impaired my judgment. So much so, that I was oblivious to very real dangers my business interests had surfaced.

I ran afoul of some very wealthy and powerful men, and they contracted killers to terminate my existence. In June of 2013, I was attacked by two men on an elevated bus platform at Denver International Airport while traveling on an assignment. They threw me off the four-story platform, and it nearly cost me my life.

The attack put me into a coma, and I spent over five months in the hospital. My insurance eventually ran out and the bills started to come due. Before the accident, I had begun a new business venture and my savings were already stretched. I was unable to work, and I had little money coming in.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I had a year and a half of physical rehabilitation ahead of me. At one point during that period, I thought my situation was hopeless. Things became so bad that I imagined I’d never be able to work again and might even wind up living on the streets. Many a night, I cried myself to sleep and called out to God in despair.

In that period of darkness, Jesus took the reins. My expenses were miraculously covered; and shortly afterward he opened the door to a couple of new consulting engagements.

Our firm was reborn, and my career headed in a completely new direction. In addition to branding, business analytics and strategic planning engagements, we started assisting entrepreneurs in their efforts to secure venture capital. This has become our core practice area in recent years, and we find these assignments to be our most fulfilling engagements.

As odd as this may seem, the attempt on my life happens to be the greatest blessing of my life. My reliance on Our lord and savior has grown by leaps and bounds since that day. I’ve been set free of the fears of becoming homeless and going hungry; and I have a much truer sense of purpose.

The adversity I’ve faced has now become somewhat of an asset much like Proverbs 17:17 describes. I now realize that all I am afforded has been conferred upon me through God’s grace, and I’ve earned a degree of humility. For Christ alone grants us pardon so we may carry out His will.

Meditation and prayer have become staples in my life in the years since the attack. I turn my care and will over to Our lord and savior Jesus Christ every morning and ask for his guidance and direction as I plan out the day ahead.

During these quiet times together, the Holy Spirit has revealed much to me about myself. I’ve channeled back to lessons in life that I had shelved in the back of my mind; and I have recalled the tutelage of mentors and instructors who honed my skills and helped forge my character.

One of the greatest lessons I have recalled is that you can train yourself to recognize fear. Both within yourself and within others. When you're under fear, your survival instincts begin to kick in, and your body gives off telltale signs when they do.

That said, there are two distinctly different types of fear. Some fears are sheep, and others happen to be wolves. The keys are first knowing which you’re dealing with, and then roping those fears into submission.

When I start to feel fear, my mind begins to race; and my pulse begins to quicken if I don’t nip the racing thoughts in the bud. Before I know it, I’m fidgeting in my seat and the world around me becomes cloudy. At that point, fear has the advantage. And like wagon train settlers on the American frontier, I become easy prey for outlaws, marauders and desperados whenever that happens.

When fear takes hold of me, I must remind myself that I've been afforded a sheriff's badge, and that’s it’s my duty to confront the perpetrator. That means tapping into the fear and shining light upon the source with the truth.

Wrangling fear entrepreneur sheriff sheep roping in venture capital

This isn’t as easy as it sounds because fear happens to be a shape shifter. It takes many forms, and most of them are slippery suckers.

Sometimes my fears appear as a strongman outlaw with the gift of gab. If I happen to be hungry, angry, lonely or tired when the strongman disturbs my peace, I’m in for a fight. If I manage to wrestle it down, it starts to plea bargain with me. It reminds me that it’s a long ride back to the jail and offers me a bribe to dismiss the criminal offense.

If I take that bribe, I’m in for a world of hurt. Because that strongman outlaw usually doesn’t travel alone. It’s generally tied in with a gang of marauding fears hiding all along the trail. The strongman has a horse that’s lot faster than mine, and it knows where its compadres are positioned. Before I know it, they’ve got me encircled; and they begin to pick me apart in short order.

They go after my scars. Wounds from the past that haven’t quite healed. They’re armed with sharp tongues and they’re deadly accurate with their aim. If my anger flairs, they smack me upside my head with resentments and leave me to rot on the trail. A tasty morsel for roving desperados that often follow in their wake.

When that strongman starts to offer the bribe, I’m learning to simply go about my business. I do my best to keep my mouth shut and not say a word. Instead, I hog-tie the strongman with my rope, blindfold it, stuff a bandana in its mouth, and drag it straight back to the jail behind my horse.

It isn’t my job to dispense justice. Rather, it’s my duty to keep the peace. I say a prayer for the outlaw and hand him over to Christ for redemption. I try not to look back once I have. Instead, I return the trail and go about my business. I know the verdict will be swift and that’s sufficient. The truth always prevails. Light always vanquishes the darkness.

CONFRONT YOUR FEARS EARLY ON
Confronting fear is an imperative, especially for entrepreneurs. Business is oftentimes warfare, and it’s necessary to keep a clear head in order to remain true to your mission. If you avoid your persistent fears, they tend to surface at the least opportune times. Our unholy enemy senses fear and uses it to his advantage.

You jeopardize everything you’ve worked for unless you rope your own fears and hand them over to God. For example, employees can sense doubt and uncertainty. It often breeds worry and concern. When patterns of the two begin to emerge, your top performers are likely to jump ship. Oftentimes, to your competitors.

Similarly, investors can sense desperation. Most won’t touch you when you smell of it. You’re simply a bad gamble and the risks to their portfolio are too great. And those who will entertain your ideas when you smell of desperation are oftentimes wolves. Some will listen to your pitch just to pick your brain. They’ll steal your ideas in order to sell them off, or even start a business of their own that mirrors yours.

Other wolves will intentionally wrangle you into a deal that becomes a no-win situation for you. They’ll deliberately structure the terms of the contract so that it’s nearly impossible to diversify or retool. Perhaps worse, they may plot to dilute your holdings over time; to a point where you have no say in the company.

Last but certainly not least: you’re likely to make unwise decisions if you’re not cognizant of your own fears. The Enemy is cunning, baffling and powerful. Before you know it, you’re responding to his minions rather than the voice of reason. If that happens, there's a good chance you'll wind up getting cocky, going bent, turning flaccid or becoming greedy. You may even compromise your company’s mission without even realizing it.

ENTREPRENEURS: FOR YOUR JOURNEY AHEAD

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
---Psalms 40:1-3

Wrangling fear entrepreneur kneeling at a cross on the American frontier

May God grant you clarity of vision and purity of thought as you move toward your purpose. Confront your fears, rope them down, and turn them over to Our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Like the mustard seed, your vision will take root.

Author: Erik Gagnon - Managing Partner, Chi Rho Consulting

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Counting Sheep

10/14/2021

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Why You Should Add Prayer and Meditation to Your Arsenal of Weapons

“The temptation to take the easy road is always there. It is as easy as staying in bed in the morning and sleeping in. But discipline is paramount to ultimate success and victory for any leader and any team.”
---Jocko Willink (Author & former U.S. Navy Seal)

Over the course of our careers, prayer and meditation have become our greatest assets. That’s how we’ve become thought leaders, innovators and rainmakers. The source of our inspiration is none other than our lord & savior Jesus Christ. We owe everything to Him… Truly.

In 2013, I was intentionally thrown off an elevated bus terminal at Denver International Airport. I broke numerous bones including my skull; and severely damaged my internal organs. Miraculously however, despite falling from over 40 feet, my spine and my neck received no damage.

That’s because angels sent from heaven guided my descent into darkness. In fact, they protected me from further harm before the paramedics arrived.

The emergency care team rushed me to Denver Health Medical Center in an ambulance in the dead of the night, where the trauma care team decided to induce a coma. I was in the coma for nearly two and a half weeks, and it was a hellish ordeal.

I do not recall going to the hospital in an ambulance in the dead of night. My body may have taken that journey, but my soul went elsewhere.

They flew me to a serene looking treatment facility by helicopter on a bright sunny day. They’d strapped me to a gurney much like a wounded Vietnam combat soldier being evacuated off the front lines. The door was open, and I looked out as we descended.

The facility itself was far from serene. The sins of my life had caught up with me, and they were taking me to what Italian author Dante described in The Divine Comedy as Purgatory. Quite literally, they were delivering me to the very Gates of Hell.

I was isolated and tortured for those two and a half weeks. The pain was excruciating, and the mental anguish almost unbearable. During my last hours there, the devil’s minions tormented me as they prepared to open the Gates and send me into the depths of Hell.

As I lay there cowering in fear, a human figure approached my bed. At first, I thought He was death personified: a sinewy muscular figure most awesomely terrifying. So much so, that I turned away from Him and curled up in a fetal position.

Some time passed without incident. So, I glanced back at Him not knowing what to expect. There and then, I found Him sitting on the floor near my bed, and my fears subsided.

After that, I woke up in Denver Health’s ICU unit. I spent the next five months at that hospital, and another year and a half in outpatient rehabilitation.

This tragedy turned out to be one of the greatest blessings of my life. Jesus Christ had delivered me from Satan himself; and my relationship with Our lord and savior has grown closer since.

In this time of healing, I have begun to realize how impactful our thoughts truly are. Every thought we spawn goes out into the universe to some effect. Meaning that every idea we have produces energy through the Holy Spirit.

Consequently, meditation and prayer have become invaluable tools in my daily regimen. Through meditation, I’ve begun to distinguish my wild thoughts and my crazy thoughts from my sane thoughts. And through prayer, I give thanks for the blessings in my life and ask God the Father for clarity of vision, purity of thought and a true sense of purpose.

When meditating, I begin with a prayer and then clear my mind of all thought for as long as possible. As my thoughts manifest, I start to picture a narrow mountain top pathway. To my left is a cliff, and to my right is a thicket. Upon that pathway, I imagine my thoughts as sheep.

My goal during these sessions is to guide every sheep gently down that narrow pathway into the loving arms of the Shepherd who awaits His flock. From there, He’ll tend to them and take them to market.

That said, it’s a difficult exercise to master. All sorts of temptations creep in, and I eventually wind up breaking my concentration. That’s when wild and crazy thoughts occur.

Every wild thought I have fattens my sheep. The longer I hold on to them, the fatter they become. Eventually, they waddle off the cliff, blurting out a hopeless last “Baaaa!” before falling into the vast unknown below.

As harrowing as that sounds, the fate of my crazy thoughts is often worse. Those thoughts send my sheep running into the thicket. If I become panicked and set off after that sheep without stopping to ask God for guidance, my lamb will become tangled up in the underbrush.

More and more, I am learning to rely upon Jesus to guide my sheep safely down the path toward their happy destiny. He alone ensures that my flock doesn’t wander off the cliff or end up prey for wolves in the thicket. And when my efforts are fruitful, he expands my resources to grow more sheep.

Whether you are an entrepreneur or an investor, the same should be true for you. Abandon your ambitions and channel your hopes, dreams and goals toward Our Father. Set your sights on Godly pursuits and follow the path Jesus walks. He’ll guide us well beyond what our limited imaginations ever thought possible.

“And He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”
---Matthew 17:20

Author: Erik Gagnon - Managing Partner, Chi Rho Consulting

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The Devil Has a Hand In Climate Change

10/8/2021

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If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
---Wayne Dyer (American Psychologist)

If the news media, certain elected officials and/or your schoolteachers have you in a panic over our changing weather patterns, you may want to study a concept known as Radiative Forcing. Specifically: the independent factors that contribute to this effect; as well as the relative impact each individual factor over time.

Here’s how the Massachusetts Institute of Technology describes Radiative Forcing in layman’s terms:

"The concept… is fairly straightforward. Energy is constantly flowing into the atmosphere in the form of sunlight that always shines on half of the Earth's surface. Some of this sunlight (about 30 percent) is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed by the planet. And like any warm object sitting in cold surroundings — and space is a very cold place — some energy is always radiating back out into space as invisible infrared light. Subtract the energy flowing out from the energy flowing in, and if the number is anything other than zero, there has to be some warming (or cooling, if the number is negative) going on."

We draw your attention to this because people who are fanatical about “Climate Change” are either ignorant alarmists, or they are lying to you with a malevolent purpose.

A number of credible studies comparing and contrasting anthropogenic factors (i.e. man-made carbon emissions) to natural effects (i.e. solar activity & geophysical phenomenon) are deliberately buried by wolves in sheep’s clothing. Specifically, opportunists who are hellbent on enslaving your mind.

Plenty of political and financial opportunists stand to profit personally from regulatory programs designed to restrict your liberties. Most notably, carbon taxes and plans to eliminate gasoline powered vehicles by the year 2050. These vultures present the public with lies and half-truths through corrosive media establishments that prostitute themselves for ratings. They also pocket immoral elected officials who sell their souls to the devil.

It's little surprise that reports like the one published in Science Direct’s March 2017 edition of the Quarternary Science Review are buried by the press and grossly ignored by bureaucrats in Washington D.C.. Simply put, they can’t scare you with the truth.

There’s strong evidence that solar radiation and geophysical phenomena have more of an affect on the weather than human factors ever could. Yet, some of the most well-educated among us have the gall and the hubris to presume that human beings control the fate of our planet.

Scientists who shine light on the truth like Dr. Roger Higgs are ostracized by pagans who’ve embraced an esoteric mantra known as “Climate Change” as their almighty deity. He writes:

“We urgently need to expose the ‘CO2 = pollutant’ fallacy being forced upon your children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces by schools, universities, governments and mainstream media worldwide, and to denounce it in scrupulously truthful terms easily understood by the public, including those youngsters themselves.”

Don’t be fooled: People with bad intentions have created a cult around Climate Change, and the lot of them seem intent on organizing a religion around this unholy deity.

None of this should surprise you. All throughout history, sycophants have capitalized on shifts in weather patterns to stoke fear and hysteria, simply to line their own pockets and ultimately seize power.

Students of history should take note of the eerie parallels between what’s happening today and the events that sparked the Dark Ages, also known as the Migration Period. The weather cooled over the European continent then, congruent with the fall of the Roman Empire. Panic and mass hysteria ensued which destabilized their economy and enabled barbarian marauders to seize power and tyrannize the populace.

Similar events also took place on the European continent when the weather warmed during what’s known as the Medieval Warming Period. Increased precipitation disrupted crop cycles, causing famine and death. Unscrupulous noblemen exploited the conditions to rob farmers of their property, and send the populace into serfdom and indentured servitude.

In other words, shifts in weather patterns are nothing new; and despotic opportunists often gain political leverage through the chaos of uncertainty when this happens. They fuel mass hysteria to feed their own selfish interests and breed a demon of despair.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
---Matthew 7:15

Author: Erik Gagnon - Managing Partner, Chi Rho Consulting

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Returning to Our Atlanta Roots

3/11/2016

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Silhouette of Atlanta Skyline Drawn on Chalkboard

In 2009, our founding partner offered to help friends in Atlanta's startup community secure funding to launch a nonprofit catering to professionals in the music industry. This followed Erik's efforts raise angel capital for his own web-based startup, CollectCentric. After meeting a handful of entrepreneurs through the networking process, he began to help them with their Capital Formation strategies. Soon, he was also assisting a handful of startups with their marketing and business analytics needs as well. One thing led to another and, before he knew it, Chi Rho Consulting was born.

What started out as a local consulting business soon turned into a national effort through the referral process. We picked up clients in Mississippi, Maryland, Tennessee and Colorado in short order and expanded our staff to accommodate the work load.

In 2013, our firm experienced an unexpected tragedy. While visiting family in Colorado, Erik fell 40 feet from an elevated construction platform at Denver International Airport. The prognosis looked very grim. The fall placed him in a coma and he was not expected to live.

Miraculously, he awoke from the coma after nearly 3 weeks. Despite severe brain trauma, he was able to speak and retained his cognitive functioning. He spent the next four months in the hospital undergoing numerous surgeries to repair the damage caused by the fall.

Physical therapy took nearly a year and a half. Erik remained with family in Colorado during this rehab period. He slowly returned to work, focusing on existing client relationships. Two and a half years later, his recovery has been miraculous and nearly full.

Although we had to let go of our most of our staff during the rehabilitation, we've picked up where we left off with a handful of clients. We've also added a couple of news ones. In January we returned to the Atlanta, GA metropolitan area. We've begun to reintroduce ourselves to the Atlanta startup community and we look forward to a fantastic 2016. The best is yet to come!

ABOUT CHI RHO CONSULTING
Chi Rho Consulting is a strategic management consultancy that helps entrepreneurs launch successful startups and expand their business ventures. They specialize is strategic planning, growth strategy and risk avoidance. Their dedicated practice areas include Strategic Planning, Venture Capital, Demand Generation, Business Analytics, Branding and Marketing. They are based in suburban Atlanta, GA (USA) and engage with a select clientele in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.

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