Build a great company on a powerful foundation!
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.
GREG MUSTO started RJM
Automotive Buyer’s Agency back in 2011 based on a strong desire to change the way relationships are treated in the automotive industry.
We’ve all had the experience, right? You walk into a dealership and are instantly encircled by sharks, looking to make sure you don’t leave the lot without filling their pockets. Today. Now.
This is the sad reality, but based on his experience and convictions, Greg wanted to create a different kind of company. But first I have to tell you about the company name.
MICHAEL BROWN
has been a passionate educator and pastor for 30 years, and joined Tutor Doctor in 2011 to help make this his full time business. Quite simply, he’s improving the lives of students and families through success in education.
And, by the way, he’s also helping to change the face of education in America.
Looking for the next step in his business career a couple of years ago, he teamed up with his wife Sandi and partner Blake, and evaluated a range of options. They were intrigued with franchises of various kinds, and then discovered the field of education and tutoring. Read the rest of this entry »
LAST WEEK’S post When do you change your values? has generated some discussion. I try to get people to add comments to the blog posts, but some end up in LinkedIn or Facebook or as personal emails to me. C’est la vie, I guess.
It is quite possible that you’ll be faced with a fundamental decision. You tried to build a business out of the idea of benefiting a particular needy group, but after three years you just haven’t been able to figure out how to make the company sustainable. If you don’t have enough revenue, the business will eventually die.
And you certainly aren’t benefiting yourself OR that needy group if it’s not sustainable.
YOU MIGHT THINK that this is a flippant question, but I’m serious. Our values DO change during the course of our lifetime, so it’s quite possible that a shift will occur which causes you to change the values of your business.
A common shift comes when you figure out that your business plan just isn’t going to work anymore. Even if it was successful at one point, you now know that you’re headed for failure. It’s time to pivot your strategy and take a different approach.
But this doesn’t necessarily imply any change to your values. It may totally change WHAT you’re doing and HOW you’re doing it, but not WHY.
The Values-Based Business 