Socks For Brogavia!

November 17, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

SOCKS FOR BROGAVIA! was started in 2012 after Jed Arlsen toured Eastern Europe on a mission trip.  Impressed with the beautiful artistry of their work, he saw the opportunity to benefit starving workers by selling their products in the U.S.

With a whole bunch of hard work and dedication, Jed was able to get the socks in 26 stores for the Christmas season.  Customers were amazed at the craftsmanship and fine Brogavian Highlands Goat hair, and the products flew off the shelves.

A week after Christmas, the entire business fell apart as it was discovered that hot water washing caused the products to fall apart in a mess at the bottom of the washer.  The company was bankrupt within two months.

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Balancing business, community, and sustainability

November 10, 2013 in Business profiles, Success in business | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

DOUG, WYNNE and CORKIE ODELL started their brewery in 1989 in the outer reaches of Fort Collins.  Odell logoThe Odell Brewing Company is now one of the top craft breweries in the area, distributing to ten states in the region.

There’s a distinct passion for producing high quality beers.  But that’s just the beginning of the story.

I had the opportunity to speak with Karla Baise recently, the company’s community outreach coordinator.  This isn’t just a simple PR position, it’s actually a critical part of the company’s business strategy.

Here’s a great example:  When I met with Karla, she had a couple of ladies stop in with big bags of fresh herbs from The Gardens At Spring Creek.  Read the rest of this entry »

Nurturing innovation and inventions

November 3, 2013 in Business profiles, Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

TAMARA KLEINBERG heads up a fascinating company named the Shuuk – THE testing ground for the world’s coolest, newest ideas.  TheShuukJust so you aren’t confused, the Hebrew word shuuk describes a community marketplace, with all the vitality and energy that you’d expect.

Tamara is helping inventors and innovators by giving them a marketplace for their new products.

It’s kind of a proving ground, a test market, for all those new products which have no good way to get to a broad market.  And that’s a valued assistance for someone who has a great idea, but struggles to develop a distribution channel and marketing strategy.

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The right support group

October 27, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

IHAD A CHANCE this week to speak with three people who, each in their own way, were influential in the creation of this blog.  This has been an important spiritual journey for me, in addition to the more visible discussions we’ve had.

This helped me realize how important is is to acknowledge where your foundation is.

For most people I speak with, this is almost entirely about the people in their lives.  Sure, I got into a great career and awesome company right out of college, which somehow set me up to be where I am today.  But I’m not going to fall into the delusion of thinking I’m “self-made.”

I think the harder you work, the more you realize how dependent you are on supporters around you.

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Staying the course

October 20, 2013 in Business profiles, Christianity, Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

GALE SIMON heads up Global Wellness Solutions in Windsor, Colorado, and represents SoZo and a number of nutritional supplements.  With a background in chemical research, he approaches product claims with a huge amount of skepticism.

It’s about the research.

Gale’s been promoting nutritional products for well over a decade, building up a very successful income with a previous supplement company.

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Hire for attitude

October 13, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

THERE’S a common complaint that I’ve talked with people about this week:  It’s so tough to find and hire employees who will have the right attitude in their work!  It’s relatively easy to judge whether someone has the skills and experience necessary, but how do you know whether they’ll fit in?

The answer is insanely straightforward:

  1. Identify the attitudes you’re looking for
  2. Interview around those attitudes
  3. Select based on attitudes more than the technical skills

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Business failure doesn’t have to be failure

October 6, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

CONFESSION: I HAVE started business which failed.  OK, I’ve admitted it.

Dangerous watersBut you know what?  It’s not the end of the world.  It’s a natural part of the cycle of learning.

Yes, I realize that doesn’t alleviate the pain very much, especially as you’re going through the process.  But you also can’t let the prospects of failure keep you from ever taking a risk.

How do we think through this?

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Ethical and sustainable sourcing

September 29, 2013 in Business profiles, Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

SOMETIMES I just love this job.

NovaMonda logoI was speaking with Rich Bradfield recently, one of the founders of Nova Monda Cacao & Chocolate in Lafayette, Colorado.  Of course I couldn’t fully appreciate what they do without trying some of their wonderful products, as dried cacao nibs, a couple of ganaches, a truffle, and then a chocolate bar.

The things I put myself through for my readers.

Nova Monda does indeed make some very special and exclusive products, but that’s just a tiny portion of the story of this company.

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Companies with Trust and Integrity

September 22, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

MAYA (SYLVIA) DOLENA Sylvia Dolenais a colleague of mine from when we both worked for Hewlett-Packard. She led and provided consulting, coaching and training expertise for dozens of initiatives in employee engagement, technology implementation, and customer satisfaction.

Now, Sylvia is a Master Business Consultant and Executive Coach in Hawaii, and founder of Conscious Commerce Coalition and Winning Edge University. I was grateful to have a conversation with her recently about her experience working on building trust between people and companies.

Sylvia, you have some expertise on building companies which have Trust and Integrity. Could you help me understand how you’re using these concepts?

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Restaurants with character

September 15, 2013 in Business profiles, Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

THE MootHouseMOOT HOUSE is a Fort Collins landmark: serving the community since the 1970s, and a flagship of the Hot Corner Concepts group for 25 years.  They’re known for their top-notch food and fantastic people.  A superb date night out.

There’s more to the story, though.

We all know that restaurants are one of the toughest businesses to be in – hard-to-please customers and tight margins.  Especially when you market yourself with high standards.

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