Leaving the Comfortable Pasture
Leaving the Comfortable Pasture
What Luis Delgado learned about faith, going it alone, and finding the right herd
In Lamar Valley, thousands of bison graze across open prairie. When the grass is good, life looks easy. But every bison in that valley is getting ready for winter, whether it knows it or not. Every storm starts in good weather.
That picture framed my conversation with Luis Delgado, founder of The Critical Update, an IT services firm in Austin. Luis has weathered two very different storms: one he walked into on purpose, because he believed God was calling him there, and one that hit without warning. His story is about faith, about the danger of getting comfortable, and about why no leader should face winter alone.
Summary
When Luis introduces himself, he starts with who he is, not what he does: a father, a son, a connector, and “a pretty good friend to many people.” Born in El Paso and raised in Mexico City, he came back to Texas in 1987 and has called Austin home since 1995.
In 2005, he left a secure job to build The Critical Update full time, after what he describes as a clear nudge from God. Years later, shortly before the pandemic, he lost every technician on his team and found himself serving schools and 50-person companies on his own. Through both storms, he learned the same lessons: comfort is not safety, faithfulness shows up when you do your part, and community is what keeps you alive.
Into the Storm
In the early 2000s, Luis was a network administrator at a credit union. He liked the work, and the people treated him well. Meanwhile, The Critical Update, then really just Luis, kept getting referrals. One led to a printer replacement project at Houston-Tillotson. He couldn't do it and his day job, so he hired his first person, a friend. Then the referrals kept coming.
That's when Luis sensed God telling him to give up his job. His son had been born in 2001. A steady paycheck mattered. And he wasn't sure he was really hearing God.
“Then of course I had to negotiate with God, 'cause that's what we do.”
His terms were simple: if God would help him make the mortgage, he would let someone else take his job. In September 2005, on his birthday, Luis handed his resignation to the VP. The credit union kept him on with full pay and benefits through December 31st. Then he jumped.
Years later, a second storm arrived uninvited. A year or two before the pandemic, Luis lost all of his technicians. He still had schools and companies with 40 to 50 employees depending on him. He was, in his words, the “last man standing.”
Through the Storm
The first storm tested his trust. One day, payroll was due, and a client's check showed up at 2:00 in the afternoon. Luis drove straight to the bank, the money cleared, and his people got paid. It happened more than once.
“I often wonder why God makes it so dramatic… but we seem to grow right through those challenges.”
Luis believes we need constant reminders that God is real, and that hard seasons often bring those reminders. He also learned something about himself. He grew up seeking comfort, and he noticed that comfort made him anxious and complacent. Every time he settled in, things went sideways.
“The pasture's beautiful, and it's comfortable, and it's great, but there's a hunter there waiting for you, so you might as well get moving.”
The second storm tested his relationships. Luis reached out to other business owners, friends in tech, and his wider network. Staffing agencies didn't work because the culture fit was missing. He hired people; some didn't fit, and one still does. He made hard calls because he sees his company as a way to care for families: his clients' families and his technicians' families.
He also found out who his real partners were. His owner-operated clients understood, because they knew what running a business feels like. The few who wavered were executives a few layers removed from ownership. In the end, Luis says he only felt truly alone for two or three weeks. His approach the whole way through: do your part. Pray, stay connected to God, and be intentional about doing the right thing.
Beyond the Storm
Bison are built to weather winter, but they aren't built to do it alone. A lone bison in a snowstorm makes a striking picture. The ones that survive find their way back to the herd.
Luis has built that kind of herd, and it includes people you might expect to be rivals. He keeps healthy relationships with other IT companies. Just two weeks before our conversation, a friend who runs an IT firm in South Carolina offered to send him a technician for a full month, free of charge.
“Without community, that's when you get taken out. So you need community.”
When everyone pulls together, no matter where they come from, the whole herd gets through storms that would take out any one of them.
Three Lessons for Leaders
Comfort is not the same as safety. Good grass can make you complacent. Keep moving, keep growing, and stay ready for the next season.
Do your part, then trust. Pray, stay connected to God, and do the right thing, especially when the check hasn't arrived yet.
Build your herd before the storm. Invest in clients, staff, peers and even competitors. You'll need them when winter comes, and they'll need you.
Questions to Reflect On
Where have I gotten comfortable in a way that's making me complacent?
Is there a step of faith I've been negotiating instead of taking?
Who is in my herd, and who would show up for me if my team disappeared tomorrow?
Listen and Connect
Hear Luis tell his story in his own words on the Be the Bison podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms. Find every episode at ventureandphilanthropy.com/bethebison.
To connect with Luis, visit thecriticalupdate.com or find him on LinkedIn. He likes to meet the people he connects with, whether over coffee, lunch or a virtual call.
Into the Storm | Thru The Storm | Beyond the Storm
