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History
Founders
Be Courageous was founded by Kyle and Jenna Hermans in 2017 as a global, digital-first business consultancy.
We unlock the breakthroughs necessary in culture, strategy, technology and innovation to build and transform the world’s most ambitious and courageous leaders and brands to positively impact people and the planet.
We build on our team’s over 2,500+ programs with the senior leaders of 300+ Fortune 1000 companies, and hundreds of SMEs and Start Ups across multiple countries and industries.
We strive to unlock and activate billions of moments of courage, in a billion human beings, aligned towards creating a positive future for our planet and all its inhabitants.
Be Courageous Timeline
The idea of Be Courageous was born in Winter of 2012 during the facilitation of a client session when the client team was at complete odds with each other while exploring the future direction for their business. Projected on the wall was a quote from the innovator and author George Prince, it said:
“Another word for creativity is Courage.”
In that moment, the realization came that rarely are there ideal conditions to be truly creative and that many of us stay trapped in our old thinking and actions.
Doing things the old ways is often the path of least resistance, whereas change, and the process of change, takes courage. It takes many moments of courage to create and nurture the conditions necessary for true progress to be achieved.
As the years progressed, we began to understand that the world, and all of its inhabitants, needed help in their moments of courage. Moments to stand for what is right, moments to unlearn and moments to reimagine systems of the past, moments to create a future more important than our past. We could not find a business that was doing this, so we created it.
2012
The Idea Was Born
Realizing it takes courage to be courageous and the universe loves courage. We asked the question, what would a world with an abundance of courage look like? How can we play a major role in making it a reality?
2013
Company Registered
Be Courageous is registered as a business. With both Co-Founders being in executive roles within organizations at the time, Be Courageous began as an after hours side hustle as a place to incubate new mental models and thinking, test and experiment with new tools, techniques and frameworks. Both Co-Founders worked in environments that were resistant to trying new approaches. Be Courageous became that testing ground. Focussed on working with early stage startups and SMEs who were turned down by large established consultancies, hungry to scale and open to experimenting with new approaches to achieve impact.
2016
Moment of Courage
Both Co-Founders understood the only way to bring the learnings from three years of Be Courageous experiments forward and achieve impact was to step out of their existing roles and commit full time to Be Courageous. The side hustle had picked up momentum, there was client demand and it was a now or never moment of courage.
2017
Company Founded
Be Courageous is founded, established and launched as a business consultancy with Consulting, Training and Research services, focusing primarily on scaling VC backed startups and SME organizations in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles. Using a staff on demand and network partner business model to scale delivery teams.
2017
First Clients Welcomed
Within the first months of opening, Be Courageous signed on its first few clients. A Silicon Valley Design Science Agency serving some of the world's largest technology brands through AI, Technology and Staffing services. An International Institute and Learning Center for the practice of Mindfulness and Inquiry. A Social Network building Women-Led communities and developing WomenLed Entrepreneurship. A Nation Solar Company - Top 500 fastest growing company. A Social Media Music Management Platform and an Alternative Healthcare Product Company.
2018
Going Global
Be Courageous adds speaking engagements, events and coaching programs to its services. Adds global Multi-National Organizations to its client portfolio and expands internationally with network partners in several countries. The Be Courageous Team goes Global. Serving International Banking clients in the UK, Consumer Product brands in Canada. Car Rental Franchise, Hotel Group, Real Estate Development and Insurance in Mexico, Investment Markets and Banking in Singapore. Korea for Electronics. India for Fashion and Retail. Netherlands for Aerospace and Defense. Argentina and China for Financial Institutions and Italy and Australia for Technology.
2019
Going Digital
After three years of partnering with exponential technology experts, education institutions and practitioners, and with the ambition of achieving more reach, Be Courageous begins the digitization of its products and services and expands to include Digital Consulting, Content, Workshops, Interactive Speaking Engagements, Programs and Digital Courses. Gaining a strong understanding of the global grand challenges we face on this planet, Be Courageous begins shifting its priorities to focus on working with its clients on Sustainable Development Goals, Environmental, Sustainability and Governance planetary priorities and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Be Courageous expands into non first world countries and economies focussed on improving leadership, basic living conditions and positive impact.
2020
Team Expansions
With a full International year of impact engagements booked, the COVID-19 pandemic hits. Be Courageous shifts all in-person services to Digital First Global Consultancy services and Premium online events, and introduces multi year impact programs focussing on creating future innovations that solve for people and planetary challenges. Be Courageous expands all consulting, training and experience services to address systemic change and transformation. Be Courageous introduces High Performance executive coaching programs and Master Classes to its service portfolio. Be Courageous partners with data driven health and wellness partners to address corporate stress and burnout. The Be Courageous team expands to 10+ and Network Partners expands to 35+ and positively impacts thousands of people from 82 countries.
2021+
Courage the Future
Be Courageous sets an ambitious target of activating 1 billion moments of courage around the world and begins partnering with forward-thinking, future-focussed NGOs, B-Corps and Multi-National Organizations on 2030 SDG and ESG goals and Planetary Impact solutions. Be Courageous introduces multi-year subscription consulting services. As the world moves forward from COVID-19, Be Courageous continues its quest to be the go-to global leader in positive human and planetary impact. The future is for the courageous!
