Improving students’ lives and education

July 28, 2013 in Business profiles, Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

MICHAEL BROWNMichael 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 »

Changing values (has your business failed?)

July 21, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | 2 comments

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.

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When do you change your values?

July 14, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | 1 comment

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.

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Reinforcing values with employees

July 7, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

WHEN YOU are building a company based on deeper values, it’s critical to align your actions with your employees.

No, I’m not talking about the plaque on the wall stating your principles.  I’m not talking about your employee training program.  Both are important, I suppose, but they lose their value to reinforce attitudes on a day-to-day basis.

In Corporate America lingo, I’m talking about Reinforcement, Recognition, and Rewards.

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“Rain Man” as Mirror into Your Liminal Dimension

June 30, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | 2 comments

Reprinted with permission from today’s guest blogger, Jon Hokama!

“To have a firm persuasion, to set out boldly in our work, is to make a pilgrimage of our labors, to understand that the consummation of work lies not only in what we have done, but who we have become while accomplishing the task.”

-David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea (emphasis mine)

While employed in corporate America, I drew strength and inspiration from David Whyte’s book, Crossing the Unknown Sea.  I began reframing the challenges of that environment as an influence over my character which was being shaped for good at times and for ill at others. Remembering Whyte’s insight, a classic movie was the poetic inspiration that burnished a waypoint mirror for my current journey toward business maturity.

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Recharging your vision

June 23, 2013 in Christianity, Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

THIS WEEK I had a chance to participate in the CMAA Sacred Music Colloquium. That may not seem relevant to a business-related blog, but it actually is.

I do this because I’m passionate about the subject, but also because it re-centers me back on to some of the core values in my life.  In this case, it’s spiritual, but I do other things to keep other values focused in my life.

When you’re trying to direct a values-based business, this is quite necessary.  Read the rest of this entry »

Building a powerful environment

June 16, 2013 in Business profiles, Success in business | Tags: , , , , | 1 comment

THOSE OF YOU here in Fort Collins know how crazy it would be to leave OtterBox and their amazing employee culture.

Kristin GolliherKristin Golliher did exactly that, back in February last year.  To start a new business called WildRock Public Relations & Marketing.  She has great passion for what she does: providing professional services to companies large and small across the nation.

But she has an even deeper passion for the kind of company she’s trying to create.

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Polarizing your customers

June 9, 2013 in Success in business | Tags: , , , | 4 comments

WHEN YOU communicate a set of values out to your customers, some of them will reject your message.  But then again, others will be attracted to it.

This WILL polarize your customer base.

But that shouldn’t scare you off, because this kind of thing happens all the time.  If I have a restaurant which targets the affluent, it’s going to turn off those people who are cheapskates like me.  But another restaurant which highlights affordable meals for the masses will be looked down upon by those who believe it’s beneath them.

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Bringing God’s hope

June 2, 2013 in Business profiles, Christianity, Success in business | Tags: , , , | 4 comments

BRIAN and PAM DAY are an amazing couple.  They’re bringing an approach which is helping people on their spiritual journeys.

I’ve known Pam for a long time as a friend and experienced and gracious coach.  I think I first met Brian at a Christmas party a decade ago, but it’s hard to remember exactly when.

23rhfbrf.jpg Pam and Brian DayI’ve been following their journey, which has taken them to the ends of the earth, literally and spiritually.

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Trusting people to do the right thing

May 26, 2013 in Business profiles, Success in business | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

GREEN RIDE COLORADO is a well-known local award-winning leader in shuttle buses to and from Denver International Airport.  For such a commodity service, people are constantly surprised at how they give a special experience of customer service and professionalism.

It all starts with the culture.

I had a chance to speak with Bob Flynn recently, who started Green Ride with Ray Schofield, and is a wonderful friend.  He wanted to start this company because he was tired of working for bosses who treated employees like generic machines.  Bob Ray GreenrideAnd he really didn’t like being a manager in that environment.

So Ray and Bob went out and started their own company, to create the kind of employee culture that they would love.

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