Latest / Be the Bison / Leaving the Comfortable Pasture: Going It Alone, and Finding the Right Herd
Transcript
- Andrew Rauch: All right, Luis, good to be with you. thank you for joining Be the Bison podcast, where we get to share some authentic stories about how some of the relationships that I have, how we've gone into a storm in life, how we've gotten through that storm, or how did God take us through that storm, and then what's on the other side of that storm and maybe a message or two that you want to share. But good to have you. you know, before we jump into it, I'd just like to invite the guests to give us a minute or two some context. Who are you and then we'll get started. Luis Delgado: Well, it's a great honor to be here with you and I'm very grateful for the time. Luis Delgado, the founder of the Critical Update, but that's not who I am. I'm a father, I'm a son, I'm a connector, I'm a pretty good friend to many people. I love making new friends. This week I met a couple of new friends that I just met. so I love I love talking to people, I love understanding. how they think, why they think, what they think and and you know, just walking along, learning what makes people tick. That's that's one of my my my joys in life. Andrew Rauch: That's a great joy to have. I love how you teed that up with starting out with, hey, this is my identity, and this is not my identity, right? A lot of times you know, we get caught up or I know I have in the past get stuck in my identity as in my role or my work or my title. So thank you for kicking that off. Luis, where just real quick, where were you born? were you are you native Texan or? Luis Delgado: Yeah. Yeah, I was actually born in El Paso, Texas. So barely at the edge of Texas, but still Texas. And then Andrew Rauch: Sure. Luis Delgado: I grew up in Mexico. so my dad was an engineer and he used to run a mine in Durango when I was born. and then my my my family was from Juarez and El Paso. So, you know, I was born in El Paso 'cause my mom's mom was in El Paso. and then we got back to Durango to the mine. And they tell me that we were in the mine for about three years. Then from there we went to Mexico City and and I grew up in Mexico City. That's the only place I remember growing up in and that was that was an experience. Andrew Rauch: Sure. Luis Delgado: but then we came back in eighty seven, came back to El Paso, went to college, got married, and then we came over here to Austin and we've been here ever since. Andrew Rauch: Yeah, very good. What what year did you land in Austin? Do you remember? Luis Delgado: Ninety five. Andrew Rauch: Nineteen ninety five. Okay, great, Luis Delgado: Mm-hmm. Andrew Rauch: great journey. Maybe side topic, I'll I can share with you a little bit of my personal story to Juarez and El Paso, Luis Delgado: Mm-hmm. Andrew Rauch: with the adoption of Olivia, my oldest, but that's a story for another day. And there's a few storms in that story as well. But hey Luis, thank you for for sharing a little bit about that and who you are and your identity. Let's talk a little bit about a storm and the the reason why. I do this is just an opportunity to share authentic challenges or struggles that people go through. Maybe it's a short storm, maybe it's a really long one, but what what's your story? Luis Delgado: Well there's lots of storms 'cause there's life, there's storms. And actually right now I just I just thought of one that that I think is even better than the one that I was thinking about. so when back in two thousand I was working for a credit union and I was a network administrator there. Great people, treated me wonderful. I did some good work for them and you know, I I started getting referrals for the critical update. So the critical update was something else. It was just me basically. and then I started getting referrals for companies. And I got a referral to Houston Tillison College to do a help a printer company with a project replacing all the network printers. And I had a full time job, so I couldn't really do it. so I hired my first person and he was a friend. And that was the start of the critical update. And then and then I started getting more referrals. And I mean it wasn't anything major, but it was it was big enough to where I couldn't do both. And I remember I remember hearing God's w God's voice saying, You need to give up your job and I was like, Mm, is that real? I don't know that I'm really hearing that. 'Cause we had a baby. Our boy was was just born in two thousand one. and this was about two thousand three, two thousand two thousand four. And you know, I I I I I struggle with that bit little bit. You know, am I really hearing what I'm hearing? And then of course I had to negotiate with God 'cause that's what we do. And and come two thousand and five for my birthday, two thousand five in September, I gave my letter of resignation to the VP and and they were so good to me. They offered to keep me until December thirty first with full pay, full benefits, everything. which I did, of course, 'cause I'm not I'm not dumb. But but my agreement with God was if you help me make make my mortgage, then I'll I'll give my job to somebody else. And and sure enough, you know, it was a it was a leap of faith and and God was was faithful and there were days where we were sweating it 'cause payroll was due that day and the check arrived at two o'clock and I went straight to the bank and money was in. We could clear payroll and that happened a few times and I often wonder why God makes it so dramatic. You know, I would like to be at at a place where That's not necessary, but seems like we seem to grow right through those challenges and trust and and know that you know God is real and we need constant reminders that God is real. And I think that's why a lot of times we have these these struggles sometimes are self inflicted. But but I've been you know, as my faith has has has grown, I've been I've I've been seeing more of that and more I'm more aware of of those things. you know, the the one that I originally thought about, the original storm that I thought about was I think it was a year or two before the pandemic, I lost all my text. So it was just me. Yeah. Yeah. I'm I got I got a number of clients, big clients with you know forty, fifty employees each, schools. I had three schools at the time. and I'm last man standing. it was it was it was really, really hard. But but you know the interesting part was again, God chose up. I made some really good connections. I hired some people, some worked out, some didn't work out, one of them still with me. and you know knowing that As long as I'm doing my part, right? Prayer, connecting with God, being intentional with with doing the right thing, which is very important. God honors all that and and and things just seem to work out. It's not fun, but it's it we get to celebrate. Andrew Rauch: Yeah. It's not so one of the analogies that comes to mind is and I I was before we w started hitting the recording I was telling about being in Montana for a couple of weeks. we went into Lamar Valley where there's thousands of bison. And your first story or first storm that you were talking about, I'd love to get your insights on this. You know, sometimes, you know, like like the herd of the bison, you know, it's it's it's been a good rainy season. you know, the grass is really good out in the prairie. You know, you go from one prairie to the next and you're you're just in enjoying and just getting ready for the storm. And it sounded it sounded like, you know, you were you're sharing that about, hey, you know, I had a job and all of a sudden God is saying, Okay, you you know, by the way, there might may be a really cold snap coming here for the next five months in Yellowstone and you're not gonna be eating so well. How how do you How do you get through that? Luis Delgado: Well, it's interesting because I've done a lot of a lot of thinking around those things. And growing up, one of the main things that that I learned was to seek comfort. And I think it's just a human condition. We seek comfort. And it wasn't until adulthood, actually right around when my son was born, our son, that I was I was noticing that, you know, searching for comfort is it puts you in a place where you're really anxious. You know what I remember I remember thinking this is really good. Things are wonderful. When is it gonna end? So so then I'm worrying about something that may or may not happen because I'm comfortable because we've worked all this time and we've built a little something and and it was it was really interesting. I think that's that's I think that's why why why God decided I needed to give my job for this adventure. because every time that I seek comfort, I notice that I become complacent and and things go sideways almost every single time. so I think I think the pasture's beautiful and it's comfortable and it's great, but there's a hunter there waiting for you, so you might as well get moving. Andrew Rauch: get moving. Yeah, that's a great way to tie that together and and the second story or storm you were sharing, which was kind of interesting and it it's quite the image that I often think about when I think about the bison out in Yellowstone or Montana or elsewhere. Is you know, when that cold storm comes in the wintertime and you know they've got this beautiful heavy coat on them. of a sudden, you know, they're white because of because of the snow. And then I often think of that that image where the lone bison is is by him or herself out in the prairie. Right. And it's kinda like what you were describing before COVID, all of a sudden everybody was on the team was just me. Right? So how do you get through that kind of storm, Luis, when it's all of a sudden, hey, I've worked hard, I've built this this good, healthy business, now something out of my control, aka a big storm when a storm Luis Delgado: Mm-hmm. Andrew Rauch: comes, and I'm out there by myself and it's a I've got this beautiful fur on, but it's still a little chilly. How do you get through that? Luis Delgado: Well, so during that time I I I really focused on relationships, people that I know, people that had other businesses, people that knew friends that that were in tech. I reached out to some staffing agencies as well, which was not really it wasn't really a good solution because the culture part was was was missing in that. but You know, I've always thought of of the company as as a a resource to help families, right? Our clients and ourselves. Now, a lot of not a lot of times, but many times, we'll we'll sacrifice our family because they're so close, they're easy to ignore, I guess. But you know, being able to take care of other technicians, watching their families grow, I think I think that honors our calling and and and I think it's rewarded. You know, maybe that's you know, what they call that the prosperity gospel thinking, but but, you know, again, God is faithful. And it may not be it may not be a comfortable decision to make, but it's one that has to be made in benefit of somebody. so when we were going through that that season, you know, I had to make some tough choices with different people that came and and and were not a good fit and and other people that came and and and and really poured their heart into the company and and and really wanted to be part of of of of who we are and and what we do and and serving our clients and man that was so good. It was so good. so I didn't really feel alone for more than you know a couple of weeks, two, three weeks. plus my clients understood. You know they were they were really understanding. There were a couple of them that that were kind of iffy, which is about normal. but you know, one of the reasons why I work with owner operated businesses is because the owners understand what we're going through. The customers that were a little iffy when when it was just me were C level executives, so there were layers in there and they didn't have a real understanding of what it is to own a business and the things that happen. So Now right now that we're talking, I think that's that th that's connecting. Andrew Rauch: Beautiful. One of the one of the things that come one of the things that comes to mind is you know, as I was telling sharing the analogy of, you know, the bison being out there alone, but what you were doing is you're tying it back to what I think is also kind of a beautiful way God's designed the bison to be in a herd. Right? So, you know, yes, you might see that lone bison, but ultimately, you know, they'll they'll get back to the herd and they'll be part of that herd and you know, they'll graze together, they'll go through the storm together and so that idea of community is is really critical to to not being alone and as you were saying, you know, have a heart of service, you know, make sure you take care of your family, take care of your clients and, you know, that's the best that we can do and ultimately things will work out, right? But any any final thoughts, parting thoughts as we close out our time today on Be the Bison? What would you Luis Delgado: Yeah, I think what you just said you know also bring something to mind, you know, not only during that time but other times too. I've actually had I have some really healthy relationships with with other IT companies. And you would think, You guys are competing, how can you work together? But I mean two weeks ago I had a friend in South Carolina at the North Sun IT company, he was offering to send a technician for me for a whole month free of charge. I'm thinking, Who does that? Right? It's a it's a beautiful thing to build good relationships with with people and with clients and with with your staff and you know it it it really changes how the herd works. When everybody's pulling together, regardless of where they come from, it's it's it's a beautiful thing to watch it happen and to see how you can get through the different storms that show up. because without community, that's when you get taken out. So you need community. Andrew Rauch: Yeah. Beautiful. Beautiful way to wrap it up. love that. make sure you're in the right herd. Right? When the storm comes. Very good. Luis Delgado: Yeah. Yep. Yep. Awesome. Andrew Rauch: Well, Luis, a great time to be with you today on Be the Bison. if somebody wants to get in touch with you, know a little bit more about you, about your business, what's the best way to do that? Luis Delgado: So we have our website, the www dot the critical update dot com. I'm on LinkedIn as well, so happy to connect on LinkedIn and I I try to I try to meet people that connect with me on LinkedIn because I wanna know who I'm connecting with. So, you know, doing coffee, lunches, even a virtual one for people that are far away. that's that's a good place to find me as Andrew Rauch: Beautiful. Luis Delgado: well. Andrew Rauch: Awesome. Thanks. And so if you like Luisa's authentic story about going into the storm through the storm and coming out on the other end, go to podcast dot venture and philanthropy all one word dot com and you can listen to this and it'll point you to all the different podcast formats to listen, whether you like Spotify, Apple, or other, we we can get you there as well. So Luis, great to be with you. Thank you for joining the Be the Bison podcast today. Luis Delgado: It's an honor. Thank you. Andrew Rauch: See you soon. Luis Delgado: Yes, sir.