The Work No One Sees

Bogota, Colombia 2024

“By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.”
- Mishlĕ (Proverbs) 24: 3 - 4

When we first arrived in Bogotá, the buildings near our apartment were in the thick of construction—scaffolding, steel beams, raw concrete everywhere. It wasn’t clear what was being built, only that something was.

At first glance, it didn’t look like much. No polished surfaces, no defining features.

Only frameworks, noise and mess.

But over time—quietly, steadily—something took shape.

Walls rose. Floors settled. Patterns emerged.

And what was once invisible began to reveal its purpose.

It reminded me of the early stages of building a business. Especially the parts no one sees.

We often think of growth as something that announces itself—bigger numbers, new clients, public milestones. But real growth often begins in silence. It’s found in the foundational work that doesn’t get applause: the budgets, the systems, the late-night reflections about why we’re doing this in the first place.

It looks like:

• Setting up bookkeeping systems before you’re “big enough” to need them

• Creating client onboarding checklists no one’s asked for yet

• Clarifying your purpose when no one else is questioning it but you

None of it is flashy. But all of it matters.

Because the parts no one sees are the ones that hold everything else together.

As I watched those buildings rise day by day, I realized that the scaffolding wasn’t the point—it was what allowed the builders to get where they needed to go.

That’s what your systems are. Your cash flow tracking. Your SOPs. Your purpose check-ins. They are the quiet structures that make the visible work sustainable.

So don’t despise the days when progress feels hidden.
They’re not wasted. They’re not slow. They’re sacred.

The work you do behind the scenes?
You will live in it tomorrow.

Reflection: What are you building right now that no one else sees but you know is shaping your future?

Shalom, everyone!