Build a great company on a powerful foundation!
STARTING UP A BUSINESS can be a real challenge.
Let me revise that.
For most people, we struggle with what it takes. But I met a guy this week who’s started up so many ventures that it boggles the mind. And many, if not most, were quite successful.
He’s that “serial entrepreneur” that we tend to laud and admire.
THE CRAFT BEER SCENE in Northern Colorado is pretty crowded. But Horse & Dragon Brewing stands out from the crowd because of their character.
Carol and Tim Cochran started this business in 2014, based on a long passion for craft beer and a desire to make their home in Fort Collins after living in other states and countries.
And the beer’s pretty good – of course I’ve had to do plenty of research for this story. But there’s a lot of great brewers in the area.
It’s the culture of this company which makes it special.
LILLY SORENSEN owns the local franchise of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? You may have seen their trucks driving around, but don’t know the great company which they represent.
I sure didn’t.
Lilly started her journey back in Ann Arbor, when she was looking for a job and joined up as a driver for the company. Despite their pleas to keep her on, she ended up moving out here to Colorado to start a new life.
But the universe can be a surprising place.
“WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE.”
This quote has been attributed to a lot of people, so maybe its origin is lost in the mists of time.
No matter. What’s important is that it contains a grain of truth.
JUST TODAY I was speaking with a business leader who has some pieces of their purpose and mission, but not the whole thing.
This is more common than you’d think.
Here’s what it might look like. You started your business five years ago, with some thoughts about where it might go: Read the rest of this entry »
WHEN YOU LIGHT SOMEONE ELSE’S CANDLE, your own flame is not diminished.
How incredibly unusual is that? If I give you some of my money, I no longer have it. When I give you my food, I can’t eat it myself.
We’ve built an entire world economy on the beliefs of scarcity, which makes supply and demand powerful forces.
Not everything is that way.
TOMORROW IS OUR Independence Day celebration in the USA. Many people will be taking the day off, and planning a summer holiday for the family.
Here’s the thing about our government: We always have plenty to complain and worry about. When they do stuff, we resist change. When they don’t do stuff, we complain that they’re gridlocked.
But let’s take a moment to realize what an asset our government is to our success in business Read the rest of this entry »
JASON BRABSON’S HEART ACHES for the injustice he’s seen.
His most recent career has been as a mobility cab driver, and he’s directly seen how cruel transportation can be for the disabled and elderly. Public options aren’t great in this town, and private companies don’t treat their passengers well at all.
So Jason’s fixing it.
DOCTOR DAN WALLIS IS A CHIROPRACTOR with a huge vision.
He started Elevate Chiropractic just a year ago with a unique approach to health. It gives patients the power and ownership to build and maintain a healthy body, supported with Chiropractic attention to the nervous system.
The deeper grounding for this philosophy is based on Dan’s Christian belief that our bodies and our vitality are gifts from God, and that God intends us to live and function well.
TODAY I’M HEADED TO DENVER for the Small Giants Summit. This is a fantastic opportunity to interact with other business leaders who thoughtfully reject the pressure to take their companies public.
We make a lot of assumptions in our culture that bigger is better and that growth is even mandatory for survival. The Small Giants Community shows us that you can have much more impact as a privately held company, and there’s an appropriate size for a business at which it is most effective.
The Values-Based Business 
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