Build a great company on a powerful foundation!
CHRIS HUTCHINSON heads up Trebuchet Group here in Fort Collins. They deliver extraordinarily powerful consulting for their clients, particularly around leadership development and organizational change.
I had the opportunity speak with Chris (CEO) and his wife Diana (COO) this week. I’ve been wanting to have this conversation for awhile, because I’ve been following the company for four years now and have been impressed with the distinct character that they’ve built.
DR. ART MISSIRLIAN, DDS, heads up a small dental practice here in Fort Collins. Full disclosure: he’s been my dentist since he launched the business in 1987.
I’ve appreciated his quality work and attention to customer service over the years. But that’s really just the kind of service one would expect. If I’d been disappointed, no doubt I would have gone to one of the many other professionals in town.
I realized a few years ago that he brings his Christianity forth as part of his personality. It’s not a huge part of his approach, but you’ll find in his bio on the website. You might find Christian music in the background in his waiting room, and the directory of local Christian businesses.
It’s not a huge part of his marketing approach, though. Read the rest of this entry »
WE HAVE ALL HEARD the traditional wisdom that keeping employees happy results in happy customers, which brings in more money, which makes you insanely rich.
But honestly, I don’t see too many companies which actually structure around this kind of philosophy. More often, building a great and loyal employee base is more like “do as much as we can afford.”
Courtesy Stenbakken Photography
I met Pete Gazlay a few years ago, when both he and I had just started our businesses. After working in the industry for a decade, he created Total Facility Care to service business janitorial needs in northern Colorado.
Yeah, I know – has this just got to be just the most boring industry ever? Let me tell you about why TFC is special.
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.
DOUG, WYNNE and CORKIE ODELL started their brewery in 1989 in the outer reaches of Fort Collins. 
The 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 »
TAMARA KLEINBERG heads up a fascinating company named the Shuuk – THE testing ground for the world’s coolest, newest ideas. 
Just 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.
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.
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.
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:
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?
