Build a great company on a powerful foundation!
CONFESSION: I HAVE started business which failed. OK, I’ve admitted it.
But 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?
SOMETIMES I just love this job.
I 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.
MAYA (SYLVIA) DOLENA 
is 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.
THE 
MOOT 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.
OTTERCARES FOUNDATION is the philanthropic arm of OtterBox. 
We’re familiar with OtterBox as the company which builds wonderful phone cases.
For those of us in Fort Collins, they’re also an inspiring example of an amazing employee culture and a rapidly-growing superstar.
I had the privilege of speaking with Tricia Lemmer and Gary Rogers last week, who are one half of OtterCares. They told me more about the history behind this amazing organization, and how they bring their mission to life.
BACK IN MAY I mentioned that Google would bear watching, because it seemed like they might be losing some of what made them special as a company. So it was interesting that I ran across a Quartz article which discussed the death of Google’s “20% time” policy.
You may not be aware of this, but it was a HUGE DEAL in the high tech industry. It was astounding that a company would give every employee 20% of their work time to pursue unrelated opportunities.
When I started at HP back in 1978, there were some philosophies which were similar to this, including the concept of the “G-job” as a sanctioned means of working on unassigned projects.
But 20% of your time, a full day every week? That’s outrageous!
B-CORPS (Benefit Corporations) are a new kind of business structure which is sweeping across the US. Its official name is now Public Benefit Corporation, which defines a legal structure in which a company can balance profit-making with other important business goals.
We’re particularly lucky in Colorado to be on the leading edge of this opportunity, which might be of great interest to readers of this blog.
I’d like to introduce to you Ariana Friedlander, who has been following these developments. I asked her to give us some insight into this news, so here goes!
On May 16, 2013 Colorado Governor Hickenlooper signed Public Benefit Corporation Legislation into law making Colorado one of 20 states to pass such a bill. Starting April 1, 2014, companies in Colorado may begin registering as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). But what does this mean for business?
THIS MORNING I read yet another article on “Why business plans don’t work.” It seems that these things crop up periodically, perhaps when people are frustrated, or just trying to display their mental superiority.
I hope I’m a little more humble than that.
Here’s how I view it: If you have unrealistic expectations of a business plan, then of course you’re going to be disappointed. Some people expect that a plan will remove all risk, and force reality to align with your desires.
That’s unrealistic.
Here’s the story of what most companies do: deliver products and services, build a loyal customer base, and make as much money as possible. Eventually the owner retires rich, sipping rum drinks in the Caribbean and perhaps playing some golf.
While that’s a lovely scenario, it’s not very deep.
When I coach business owners, I often find that there are some goals which are much deeper, more heartfelt. The companies who are driven by something deeper are different.
STEFANIE AND PATRICK O’NEILL own a third generation family business called 
Vern’s Toffee House. It was started by Stefanie’s grandfather, Vern Hackbarth, in 1976, as his second “retirement project” at the age of 60. I met her father last year, as the company was in the process of transitioning to Patrick and Stefanie.
It’s a fascinating little business. They had survived quite nicely for 36 years with just family and some seasonal part-time employees, and just last year took on someone year-round.
How does this survive? Quite simply: An amazingly wonderful product, a simple business model, and flawless quality.
The Values-Based Business 