I have a difficult decision to make: Should I take the job or not? 
​
Why I Should Take the Job.

1. My life mission is to intentionally and gratefully serve my family and my community. I would definitely intentionally serve my community and possibly, just possibly, help figure out a big issue for Wyoming. The idea of making such a large contribution to my State excites me.
2. I love being on a team. I would be leading a team of twenty towards a common goal that impacts the State and our economy. I am a complete dork and cannot wait to do team building activities with this new team, especially the engineers. Watching engineers cringe during team building activities gives me weird joy. I also love watching people grow and thrive and succeed. This would give me a bird’s eye view and the opportunity to contribute the success of others.
3. It would be a challenge. A good challenge gets me as excited for Monday morning as a football fan is for a Sunday. Accomplishing tasks and reaching goals, and frankly, winning, is akin to a runner’s high in my lane. I not only love it, I crave it. I. Love. Winning.
4. I’m flattered. The year 2016 was full of disappointment and…rejection. It’s nice to start fresh with 2017 and be offered such a well-respected position by a talented group of professionals. It’s nice to feel valued. And appreciated. And have someone want me on the team. I miss my teams.
5. I would get to meet new people. When mountain climbing, each curve, each wall face, and each handle is different. It’s similar with people. Every individual has a story that is unique. How a person’s experiences and needs interact with another’s is an intriguing puzzle that I enjoy putting together. After twenty years in medicine, I realized that what I loved most about my profession was connecting to people. This job would allow me lots of new, 1000 piece puzzles and interactions that I would otherwise never have.
6. It would be stimulating. Throughout my childhood and teen years, I only wanted a career in medicine. I became a RN at age 22 and loved every second of my career. By the time I decided to go to graduate school (8 years later), I had written six novel length manuscripts and tinkered with the idea of doing something different. I applied for two graduate programs: a Master’s in Nursing to become a Family Nurse Practitioner and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Being the practical person that I am, my next manuscript was my thesis about Stress and Emergency Departments. Still curious about another what another career would look like, twelve years I actually pivoted away from medicine and into civic work with the Downtown Development Authority. It was a crazy pivot that led to more civic aspirations and a second place finish in a mayoral race….and now this job. The opportunity to continue this alternate career route is exciting and never something I would have anticipated.
7. It’s stable. I like stability. I’ve had my same car for the last nine years. I use yahoo. I kind of want a flip phone. There is great comfort in ordering the same food and having a routine. Our bodies love routine and our minds perform better with routine. Stability to me is like wearing my comfy clothes and no bra. It’s just how it’s supposed to be.
8. I like having somewhere to go. Am I the only mom who obsesses about how clean the wood floor is? For some reason when I am working I can handle a lot less cleanliness then when I am home. It seems the more I am home the more obsessed I am with cleaning. And organizing. And cleaning. And organizing my cleaning. It’s exhausting always organizing and cleaning and never getting anything done.
9. I love looking like a professional. There is something about wearing fancy clothes and putting on make up that I just love. Maybe it’s because I lived the first twenty years of my career in scrubs and my hair up, maybe it’s because high heals are a tad bit more elegant than clunky Danskos, or maybe it’s simply that when I dress up I feel better about myself. Regardless, I love looking, acting, and feeling like a professional.

 
Why I shouldn’t take the job.

1. I would have more time with my boys. And I have so many of them: four! And they all need me in so many ways. My 19 year old come home from college on the weekends and wants a home cook meal. My 17 year old and I are BFF’s. Lane and Drew are 8 and 6. My most favorite little boy ages are now until they become teenagers. The idea of being around a bit more for this magic age of still holding hands but able to brush own teeth is appealing. I love the idea of snuggling with them more often, taking them to the pool in the summer, and just being available when they need me. Here is what makes this one hard: all of the justification. Justifications:
   1. They are in school during the day.
   2. They don’t want to hang out with mom all the time.
   3. I have lots of help from brother, grandparents, and dad.
   4. I’ve always worked so this job wouldn’t be any different.
   5. I would fill my time with so many other things that I would essentially be working full-time anyway.
   6. Do dad’s consider this or is just a mom thing?
   7. It doesn’t mean I love them less if I work.

     2.   I could focus on other things. Like my family. And our clinics. And my fitbit. And that damn               floor.
      3.  My day would be flexible. Did I mention I like routine?
      4.   I could breath. For the last three years, and possibly the last forty-three years, I have gone                 non-stop, worked several jobs at the same time, and pushed myself as hard as I possibly                   could. The idea of not pushing is so foreign that it’s kind of intriguing…and also terrifying. I               wonder if I could learn how to breathe and enjoy each moment for what it is? What would I                 do with that space if I actually just embraced it instead of filled it? 

BREAKTHROUGH 307 ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF $2.1 MILLION ANGEL INVESTMENT FUND WITH 21 INVESTORS ON BOARDBreakthrough 307 January 31, 2017

(Casper, WY) Breakthrough 307, a foundation for connecting entrepreneurs with investors as well as the skills they need to succeed, announces that their first investment fund has been launched with 21 angel investors from many different industries and disciplines.
“Breakthrough 307 provides entrepreneurs the ability to share their ideas to a group of individuals with established networks and varied talents.   The access to this group from the entrepreneur viewpoint is invaluable.  The outcome from the successful submissions will promote economic growth and personal success,” said Investor, Chris Tice of Jackson.
The investors are primarily from Casper, but there is also state wide representation with investors from Laramie, Cheyenne and Jackson. The fund is comprised of 21 accredited investors all contributing $100k for a total of $2.1 Million. This fund is to be used to invest in promising and scalable, start-up and early stage companies to help bolster the Wyoming economy and promote innovation in the cowboy state.
“This year Wyoming’s economy was last in the nation. We want to help diversify and improve Wyoming’s economy by investing capital into start-up companies and entrepreneurs with promise and potential. We are going to invest our time, talent, and treasure to help entrepreneurs succeed… to help our state succeed. Think Shark Tank only cowboy style," Investor, Amy Surdam of Cheyenne commented.
“I view [investing in Breakthrough 307] as an excellent way to help the community and promote small businesses in Wyoming. I’m excited to have exposure to opportunities outside of my normal purview,” added Dr. Eric Cubin of Casper.
Although angel investment isn’t right for every company, it can often mean the difference of the next big idea sitting in a garage or actually being in the market and producing economic value. Breakthrough 307 investors not only invest their money, but they also invest their time, knowledge, and connections to help these companies succeed. “Having a wide range of specialties within the group is essential for providing the best resources to entrepreneurs and their qualified businesses,” noted founding member, Charles Walsh of Casper.
View the full line up of investors or to learn more about angel investing and how it may benefit your start-up on our website.


For more information contact:
Charles Walsh
Founding Member, Breakthrough 307
(307) 577-7012

​I’m Amy Surdam and I’m an entrepreneur.
 
To be a successful entrepreneur you need three things.
​
The first thing you need is vision. Did you know that only about 10% of the population are visionaries? That means we can see things no one else can see. We can see the end state. The end product, the end results. The most difficult task you will ever face is getting other people to see what you see until it is actually here. Whether it’s through a business plan, a strategic plan, marketing, or the concrete end product, your job is to help others see what you can see.
The second thing you need to be a successful entrepreneur is perseverance. Perseverance is digging deep then digging deeper, it’s not quitting when things get tough, and it’s overcoming all obstacles to achieve your vision.
Perseverance is not easy, in fact, it is extremely challenging.
In Leadership Wyoming last year, I created a life mission: to gratefully and intentionally serve my family and my community. For me this can come in many forms and take on many different visions. In my life, heck, in this last year, I’ve had many opportunities to persevere to achieve this mission.
I ran for Mayor, and I lost.
I put a tax on the ballot, wanting something grand and beautiful for the community, and it lost.
And you know what? Losing sucks.
On November 10th I felt nothing short of broken. It took everything I had to get dressed and cover my puffy, tear filled eyes with make up and go downtown. I forced myself to walk into the Paramount and grab my latte, then go to work like I always did. For weeks every time someone looked at me with a sympathetic look, I cried.
Just because I am not serving my community the way I thought I should doesn’t mean I can’t fulfill my life mission of intentionally and gratefully serving my community.
I’m not weak. And neither are you. I’m in the Army and the lessons I’ve learned don’t allow for failure. You get up, dust yourself off and move on. Find another solution for your obstacle. Adapt and overcome. If you really want to be an entrepreneur, you must persevere.
Which brings me to the third item you need to be successful and the way I am choosing to persevere. You need capital. You need money. Whether it’s your own or someone else’s, you have to have it.
My husband and I are members of a group called Breakthrough 307. We are 20 Wyoming Investors who want to invest our time, talent, and treasure and help entrepreneurs like you succeed. We want to diversify and improve Wyoming’s economy by investing capital into up to ten high potential, high growth, start up companies over the next two years. Specifically we are looking for medical, tech, manufacturing, and energy companies. We want you to succeed. As a state, we need you to succeed. This year we were last in the nation for our economic state. Last. We must overcome this. Think Shark Tank only cowboy style. 
If you or someone you know is interested in being considered as an entrepreneur then please reach out to us at www.breakthrough307.com.
We are also looking for connectors to help us help them. We need experts willing to assist with time and talent in marketing, accounting, legal, etc to help our entrepreneurs achieve success.
Vision, perseverance, capital...And make up. You can succeed. And maybe we can help you.

​This year I climbed the highest wall I’ve ever climbed.
 
I almost made it to the top before I came crashing down
 
I’m still full of bumps and bruises but I’m alive and you know what?
That wall doesn’t seem as high as the first time I tried to climb it.
 
I swear I didn’t sleep this year, I didn’t waste a single minute of time.
I lived big and then I lived bigger. I gave this year every damn thing that I had.
I was promoted in the military, traveled to the east coast, the west coast, and the Middle East.
 
My husband and I opened another practice.
I graduated from Leadership Wyoming and my oldest son graduated from high school.
 
I helped launch Wyoming’s first ever traveling children’s museum, a concert series, a women’s mentoring conference, and a bike share program just to name a few.
 
I helped the museum put a tax initiative on the ballot through a petitioning process. We made state history by doing something no one has ever done before… and almost won.

And I ran for mayor… and I lost.
 
My little boys stayed little, my son Dawson grew up. And my time at the DDA ended.
 
Despite climbing all the way up that wall and falling down, I have to say this has been one of the best years of my life.
 
I left this year with more than I had started with: more love, more support, more friendships, more hope, and more optimism than I ever possible could have imagined.

Thank you 2016 for what has been the worst and best year of my life.