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THIS WEEK I WAS CHALLENGED 
by a speaker named Todd Musselman to think about the concept of making choices. One of his key messages? “At every moment in time, you’re doing exactly what is most important to you.”
I have a resistance to this, as you might as well. It feels like an incredible amount of my time is spent on extraneous stuff, trivialities, and annoyances.
Yet, this is absolutely true.
Janska’s outerwear
JANSKA PRODUCES STYLISH WOMEN’S WEAR and is based here in Colorado. Jan Erickson started this venture 2003 based on an experience she had with a friend who was incapacitated at the time.
Jan’s friend was a talented, respected woman. But when dressed in a hospital gown, her self-esteem took a hard hit. More importantly, others in the facility treated her as more of a nameless patient than a vibrant individual.
Jan had the idea to develop a line of wear which was accessible to those with limited mobility, while also being incredibly comforting and stylish.
Janska was born.
IT’S WONDERFUL to step back occasionally and look at the world through different eyes.
I’ve come across several things this week which struck me as absolutely amazing, including this picture here. Sure, we’ve all seen many great nature photos, but isn’t it wonderful to ponder this incredible beauty, and our tiny role in the world?
I was talking with the owner of a business on Thursday, I’m hoping to be able to profile them on the blog here soon. They have a wonderful organization and philosophy, something which seems all too rare.
Of course, the passing of our beautiful cat last week has opened me up to some deeper conversations with the folks I’ve run into. Read the rest of this entry »
THERE IS A POPULAR PHRASE, 
“You are what you eat.” If you’re unfamiliar with it, the idea is that you should be careful about what you put in your body – because it is the foundation for what your body becomes.
This is a powerful concept that can be applied to other domains as well.
A number of years ago, I started noticing that my state of mind reflected what I was watching, listening to, and reading at the time. Read the rest of this entry »
A-MAIZE’N KETTLE CORN is a family-owned company that started up just this February by Ed and Jan Frumes.
After extensive backgrounds in the financial services industry, they decided to make a change and do something that was smaller, more fun, and would help the community.
They’ve ended up with a great family run business which sells a popular product, and is easily integrated into fundraising and charitable benefits.
YOU 
ONLY HAVE a limited amount of money to pay your employees, I understand that. As a result, you’re probably going to pay people differently, spending the most money where you think it will give you the greatest benefit. Primarily, you’ll pay your most valuable people more than the others.
There’s other factors too, yes, but the effect is the same. Most likely you have some workers who feel adequately rewarded, while others feel slighted. Even if you try to be cagey about pay levels – especially if you do – people will pick up on the fact that they’re paid less.
This is one of the biggest quandaries about running a business. Given that you only have limited resources, how on earth can you pay everyone what you’d like to?
SilverEdge 
WAS A TRADITIONAL payments services company in Colorado. From that history as Payment Solutions, they’ve reinvented themselves under a new name as a payment technology provider for small- and medium-sized businesses.
I saw that they were growing swiftly – they made the Inc. 500 in 2012, the Mercury 100 in 2011 and were awarded the Mercury Fastest Growing Company in 2012. But I hadn’t paid much attention.
This is an impressive business. Fast growing, focused, and solid in their convictions.
A few weeks ago I met Ken Salazar, president and CEO, and was impressed with the values foundation they have for the company. So I was glad I had a chance to meet with him and dig into the topic.
THIS 
IS PERHAPS the wrong question.
But we’ve been telling our kids for generations now to do what makes them happy. “Follow your bliss,” we say.
The problem is that happiness is an emotion, and it’s fleeting. Read the rest of this entry »
WHAT A TIME of celebration and relaxation! People around here are definitely getting into the summer mode, and appreciating the Independence Day holiday with family and friends. I sure am.
It makes me think about the deeper values of this country.
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?
The Values-Based Business 