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Author: Dave Tabor

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Rob Katz of Vail Resorts Does It Write 

SEE LARGER HERE

I received this email (as did tens of thousands of Epic Pass holders) from Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts.  Not only did Rob do the right thing by stating that he feels Vail has fallen short and apologizing, he warmed my heart with the statement, “This is certainly not the fault of our call center agents, who have tried their best to provide great service under difficult circumstances.  It is my fault for not ensuring we were better prepared.”  Rob is being a great leader by supporting his front-line team and asking that any frustration be directed at him instead.  Rob, thanks for being a role model of the Colorado spirit!   

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How One Person Changed My Impression of the U.S. Postal Service 

I was at a post office in Littleton last weekend to ship a box and the line in front of me stopped because a woman asked for a roll of stamps.  The clerk had to leave his post for almost 5 minutes to GO GET THEM.  A post office clerk had to leave his station to go get (find, it seemed) STAMPS???  

Slow, inept, uncaring. 

Since my work office uses a postal meter, today I spent an hour taking 8 boxes of packages to the post office.  Why take them?  Because last year when we ordered FREE PICKUP, the post office never arrived, and my account said that they’d been picked-up as scheduled.  I decided to just take them this time, and hoping to avoid hauling 8 crates from the parking lot, through a door I’d have to somehow prop open with one foot while I pulled a dolly and tried not to touch anything with COVID on it, I stopped outside and asked a postal worker if I could borrow a wheeled bin.  He was upbeat, friendly and eager to assist, “Just back up here to the loading dock and I’ll get them from you!”  I did that – EASY – and he gave me replacement bins for next time.   

Easy, fast, friendly.  That’s today’s impression of the post office at 225 S. Broadway.  One person did that!   

Marketing, Miscellaneous Thoughts, Sales

It’s Time to Take Video Calls Seriously

Friends, when we started to use video at the onset of COVID, I advised to be thoughtful about how we present ourselves.  We are now 8 months into COVID and video calls are no longer a novelty.  It’s time to take video calls seriously.  One company leader I spoke with said that it is now REQUIRED for pitch meetings that those participating have lights, a green screen, and decent microphone.  Over the top?  No, it’s not.  Here’s a screen capture from that drove me to write this post.  It time to CARE about what others see (laundry day!) and hear when we’re on video.

It’s time to step up to well lit, clear sounding calls that make a positive impression.

Is what I’m recommending complicated?  NO.  Extravagant?  Here’s the budget:

– Light ring for face lighting:  $35 to $200 (other lighting options, $100 to $200)

– Bluetooth headset with boom mic:  $35

– Green screen:  $100 to $200,  (with a thoughtful, uncluttered background, you can get by without that)

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TOTAL, to look and sound pretty good:  $70 to $425

Do it already.

Entrepreneurship, Miscellaneous Thoughts, Personal Development

Colorado’s COVID-born neighborhood entrepreneurs

It’s likely that Candice Ferguson (above) made great bread and jams before COVID and that Amanda Murphy was a fabulous cook before March 2020.  They have both have turned their skills, ingredients from their gardens, and extra time at home into micro businesses.  Using Facebook posts, in just a few weeks these women are producing at capacity.

What does that say about who we support and how we buy in Colorado?  What we’ve known – that we love buying authentic products from people we know and trust. During times of stress, we even more joyfully rush to buy from these micro businesses.  I know this isn’t just a Colorado thing.  Still, I love that it’s as strong here as anywhere.

Back to our roots.

I find this gratifying – and I find it a thought-provoking reminder that in the age of multi-billion dollar retailers like Whole Foods who strive to meet all our comfort product needs choose to buy from our neighbors.  This desire hasn’t changed since we lived in tribes – wait – we still do!  This is an amazing reminder of why big brands (and even our own businesses) work so hard to build communities of consumers.

P.S.  Watch for the Fetch markets of Colorado artisans (formerly Denver Flea, a podcast episode in 2018)

 

Default, Entrepreneurship, Miscellaneous Thoughts

Colorado’s Unprofitable Reopenings are Encouraging

In my interview with Jamie Repenning, President of Colorado-based Floyd’s 99 Barbershop, I was struck by the fact that even as Colorado businesses reopen, constraints in the number of customers that can be in the shops at a time mean that businesses will reopen knowing that they’ll be losing money.  In fact, many were losing LESS while closed than they will reopened.

But, I haven’t heard loud complaining.  I think that says great things about Colorado business and Colorado entrepreneurs: that putting their staff to work serving customers is the priority.

That’s gratifying to me.  Sure, maybe your do-it-yourself haircut wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be.  Still, it’s time to reward the commitment of our Colorado businesses by going back to them and leaving big tips.

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