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BRENDA AND RICHARD LUCIO own the 
Blue Agave Grill in Fort Collins, the fourth restaurant they’ve started in northern Colorado.
I was introduced to Brenda and the company a few weeks ago, and was particularly struck by the relationship she has with employees. So I sat down with her this week to discover the secrets behind this.
As you may know, the restaurant industry is infamous for its levels of turnover. Companies often pay below minimum wage, attracting youngsters who have little loyalty and given minimal training.
After all, why bother with extensive training when the employee’s going to leave in just a few months?
WE’RE ALL FALLEN, INSECURE, DOUBTFUL. It’s a fact of life and part of the human condition.
Your business, whatever it is, can supply hope. For you, for employees, for partners, even customers.
I mean this in a deep way, not just as an element of your marketing messages.
LAST FRIDAY 
WE HAD AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION over lunch, about the value of identifying your brand with your own name. It’s a conundrum, so I thought I could throw it out for a larger audience.
Here’s a range of examples:
- Joe’s hot dogs
- Smith investment strategies
- Fred and Wilma accounting services
- The Jones consulting group
- Marvin Winklestein and sons
THIS WEEK I had the opportunity to participate in a very interesting discussion around the topic of brand-building. This was an 
EntrepreNerds meeting focused on the books Unlabel: Selling You Without Selling Out by Marc Ecko and Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger. Both were worth the read and had some good lessons.
What struck me most profoundly was digging into the topic of authenticity. There’s actually a number of interesting dimensions to this concept: Read the rest of this entry »
THE 
WORD “COLLABORATION” has shown up for me multiple times this week. It must be a message!
I totally understand the reluctance to put your future in the hands of someone else. No doubt many of us learned the lesson in school that a “team project” would sometimes turn into all the work being done by the one kid who cared about grades the most. The others would let things slide a bit, letting the dedicated one pick up the slack.
Instead, let’s look at this from the standpoint of collaborations which work well.
My first example might surprise you: Read the rest of this entry »
THIS WEEK was an exciting time in the city: 
Fort Collins Startup Week. There were a tremendous number of activities, presentations, competitions – and face-to-face connections. I was honored to be a startup mentor, meeting with people who are launching their creative ventures.
It’s awe-inspiring what some of these folks are coming up with.
But there’s a general perception that this is a young person’s game. Older folks don’t have the energy and inspiration to go out there and so something that’s risky and edgy. Right?
MICHAEL HYATT 
is a powerful speaker and leader in the area of values-based companies. I was listening to a recent podcast on this topic this week where he reinforced one of my key messages:
Stated values are fine, but they don’t make a difference until you take action.
It’s a simple concept, really, and should be blindingly obvious. After all, when your favorite cable company states that they’re “customer oriented,” do you believe it when they’re also not showing up for appointments? When they don’t answer your questions over the phone?
MOST COACHES I’ve met entered this field because they have a deep and abiding passion for helping others to succeed. Often this is based on a deep appreciation for the support that they’ve received from others during their lifetime.
Then you start a coaching business.
This can be a startling experience for new coaches, because you quickly find that your job is now marketing and sales. If people don’t know about you and the value coaching can provide, they won’t hire you. And you got into this profession because you wanted to help people.
Coaching and marketing are different skills, and you need to master both.
WHEN A CHILD 
needs to go wash her hands, it’s best not to say, “don’t touch the walls!” That’s the surest way to ensure that you’ll get handprints all over the place.
Instead, you give them the positive instruction, “keep your hands together until you get to the bathroom!”
The idea is that the word “not” tends to be filtered out, and you’re firmly planting the unconscious message, “touch the walls!” This has been verified through experimentation, and I’ve seen it work in practice.
The same works for adults.
HRISTUS RESURREXIT! Christ is risen!
This last year has been just amazing, and I’m blessed to be working with such talented and generous people. This blog has been going for less than 16 months, yet it’s generated a level of interest and enthusiasm that I never expected.
I want to offer my sincere thanks for all your support and engagement. I continue to get personal emails, connections, and encouragement every week.
Please take this opportunity to thank all those who are YOUR support – especially in your times of greatest need.
We’re all in this together, after all.
The Values-Based Business 