A start-up for a brighter tomorrow by Rolf Schrömgens

At the end of our recent brafe.space camp, as goodbyes and hugs were shared, many folks mentioned how much they appreciated my closing speech and wished for a written copy.

But here's the thing: I can't provide that. That speech wasn't pre-written or rehearsed. It came spontaneously, from the energy in that room. It didn't feel like I was speaking; instead, it felt as if something else was speaking through me. So, for those who love their logic: it just felt like the words weren't entirely mine. No wonder I can't recall the specifics. Instead, let me share how I felt then and how I reflect on it now. It won't be the exact speech, but maybe it'll resonate in a similar way:

Like past years, the last day of our camp had its unique challenges. On the second day, we introduced a new perspective that was for many people triggering. We did a constellation work that stretched the purely rational thinkers quite massively. Although it was beautiful to see that the camps within the community were divided differently this time compared to previous years, it still created a lot of tension.

But that second night also showcased the beauty of the connections made during the camp and long before. Everyone sensed the power of these bonds. And with the camp ending, there was this collective itch to turn these new potentials into action.

I'm familiar with this ebb and flow of tension and handling the mix of emotions isn't always easy. Feeling responsible for the group, it feels like fighting these battles within myself. At one point, I felt a need to bring some clarity, and in that very moment before my speech, I also found that clarity within myself.

I deeply resonate with and understand the feeling of urgency for action. Our world is in turmoil, and change is crucial. Yet, I've seen firsthand how taking a pause, stepping back, and gaining a broader perspective can lead to profound shifts in people and their organizations. This is why I believe, that if we want something to transform, we have to give it space in which it can receive new inputs, fall apart, and restructure itself; and as long as we are all stuck in our very own hamster wheels, we will not come up with new perspectives, connections or solutions. Our systems, willingly or not, are designed in a way to keep us running all the time, and the suffocating side effects of this are shared feelings, no matter the entrepreneur type or kind of change we're aiming for.

Our mission at brafe.space is clear: We want to create space for entrepreneurs to evolve themselves, their organizations and society at large. This sequence matters. We firmly believe that to bring about external change, we first need internal transformation:

Space for Entrepreneurs

This is why we start with the individual, start with each and every entrepreneur. We feel that if we want to move forward we have to give ourselves and one another space to explore and experiment with newly inspired ideas. The beauty of it is that we have already everything that we need. We bring very diverse perspectives, and if we manage to truly relate to these, we open up a space to include more of each other's reality.

Space for Organizations

Many of us experienced in the last two years how these movements within ourselves impact the systems in which we operate, our families, and our organizations. We make space for people around us by including their realities in the relationships, products, services, and organizations we are creating. A superpower that helps us to be more creative and productive while following our purpose and at the same time develop a higher sensibility for complexity, ambiguity, and sustainability.

Space for Society

We gather incredibly ambitious change-makers whose organizations shape the society in which we live. By providing their ventures with room to include more of the world, they can have a greater impact and foster stronger connections. Our aim is to support this by making these ventures more independent from the financial systems that currently constrain them.

brafe.space is a platform and enabler of this process. We are not the actor. We are the ether in which action can unfold. In concentric circles we want to give space for the individual, to give space for our organizations, to give space for society to evolve.

I know that the process of getting us there is a lot to take in and feels like a big stretch. How can we take things lightly and be playful when there's so much at stake? How can we stay patient with that heavy weight of urgency on our shoulders? Why does change seem so unbearably slow? I can just refer to my own experience and to those of many within our community in the last two years: a space that might initially feel like a void is actually a start-up for a brighter tomorrow.