Startup life would probably be easier in northern California, the promised land of deals that flow like milk and honey. I don’t deny that. But there’s a very simple reason why staying in Arizona, grinding it out, and making good things happen for the local startup community matters to me:

Phoenix is my home.

I’m a second-generation native (on my mom’s side), which is a rare thing around these parts. But it’s not just because I was born here that Phoenix matters to me. It’s because I started my first neighborhood businesses here at the age of eleven. It’s because I met the love of my life here over ten years ago. It’s because my three amazing, hilarious kids were all born locally. It’s because we’ve found a neighborhood we love with neighbors we consider friends. It’s because all my family—parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins—live here (and I like free babysitters). It’s because I’m part of an amazing local church who I consider family. It’s because I’ve found business partners that I love working hard with everyday.

I believe you can make anywhere home, but this is where I’ve made mine. It’s a fabulous place to start and grow your business and your family. While the Arizona startup ecosystem may have some building to do, I’ve chosen to help build it in the same place I’ve chosen to build my life. In Phoenix. My home.