Ombrelo 18 years – part 10
This is a true story about how we became Ombrelo. First there was an idea. Then one person. Then two. Then a small group who believed in the same direction. It wasn’t clear what this would become. There was only a feeling that things could be done differently—together. This year Ombrelo turns 18. Of age. But this is not a ceremonial speech. This is a 12-part series about how a community is born. How people find each other under the same shelter. How growth is not just about numbers, but about trust. This is our story.
Not for Sale
2016 was a difficult year for the entrepreneur behind Ombrelo. The exhaustion didn't come from the business or the people in it. It came from challenges in personal life. There were things that weighed heavily.
That led to a search for a way out, perhaps by becoming part of a larger company. Negotiations over a potential sale lasted six months. The paperwork was in order, and the process was moving forward. Discussions took place, emails went back and forth, and eventually everything reached the point where the next step would be an offer – a monetary value placed on the company.
That was the moment everything stopped.
The prospective buyer wanted the existing management to stay on for several more years. Yet, inevitably, everything would have changed. Our small, close-knit team would no longer have been ours in quite the same way. We would have become part of a much larger organisation, where others would make decisions on our behalf and tell us what mattered.
Before an offer was even made, an email was sent with a clear message: There would be no sale. Once the decision had been made, it brought such a profound sense of peace and happiness that there was no doubt it was the right one. And that feeling has never changed.
The decision was guided by values, not financial considerations. Employers expect loyalty from their employees, but loyalty must go both ways. Ombrelo wants to live up to its promises and remain loyal to the people who have placed their trust in us. A company is not an end in itself. But a wonderful team and satisfied clients are what truly matter.
Not long ago, exactly ten years had passed since that decision was made. And to this day, it still feels just as right.