Category: Self Development | Page 2

Trust Drives Colorado’s Entrepreneurial Progress

I got to thinking about TRUST following my interview with co-founders Jenn Knight and Niji Sabharwal of AgentSync. Jenn said that because they are spouses, they have an existing level of deep trust, which allows each to more readily accept the other’s judgement, facilitates candid dialogue, and ultimately allows the company to move more quickly. This is consistent with the theme of the book titled, The Speed of Trust.

Time and again I hear from entrepreneurs and founders that the spirit of collaboration has helped them succeed in Colorado. Colin McIntosh of Sheets & Giggles (episode), talked about how Chris White, founder of Shinesty, helped him to initially establish Sheets & Giggles’ shipping from the Shinesty facilities. That kind of collaboration can’t happen without trust – Colin trusting that Chris wouldn’t try to somehow take Colin’s products or customers, and Chris that teaching Colin the shipping ropes and helping him get started would somehow, oh, I don’t know, build Karma in exchange for their effort. It seems to me that TRUST is a core value in Colorado’s entrepreneurial community, and it’s one that is universally rewarding.

More Colorado Collaboration Cited in Success

climbers at the top of a pass with backpacks meeting the sunrise in the mountains

In the episode featuring Sheets & Giggles, CEO Colin McIntosh, says that “The Colorado community is literally the reason that this company exists and we try to give back as much as we can as a thank you.” As an example, Colin shares the story of when starting the company he reached out to Chris White, the CEO of Shinesty – a Colorado company selling a collection of outlandish clothing (and featuring Ball Hammocks for Father’s Day!), for advice about warehousing and shipping. Chris offered to have Colin begin shipping out of the Shinesty warehouse to get things going. In my last blog post I mentioned that Colorado’s entrepreneurial brand includes collaboration, and on cue, Colin McIntosh supported that in his episode of ProCO360.

Can Colorado’s Brand have a CAUSE?

This is a big question.

It came to me after my interview with Johnny Le Coq, founder and CEO of Fishpond. Patagonia is a products company that supports the environment. Athleta is a products company that supports the advancement of women. Both companies are examples of authentic and effective support for a cause that aligns with customers. Fishpond seems to go further – Fishpond seems to be coming very close to using sales of its products as a mechanism to support river conservation.

Image courtesy of the Fishpond website

Johnny: “Our brand has become a voice for the environment… It’s not what we sell that I’m most proud of – it’s what we stand for.” He means it.

That made me think about Colorado. Can Colorado have a CAUSE that ultimately becomes interwoven with our brand? That’s tough, but I think Colorado’s entrepreneurial community DOES – it STANDS FOR supporting opportunity for those who strive, collaborate, innovate, and mutually appreciate the rich lives that people wish to have in our great state.

I’m Still Getting Better – Part 2

In Part 1 of this post, I shared my son’s thoughts about my continuing to make mistakes. The focus of Part 2 is recent work at improving my skills.

Last April, as it became clear that COVID was going to be here for a while and I’d have time for deep work, I decided to invest in some training on sales messaging. I’ve mentioned books by Oren Klaff called Pitch Anything and Flip the Script many times in my What’s Dave Listening To column. I hadn’t done substantial, deeply focused training in a while, probably because I felt “capable.” Oren Klaff’s new thinking felt enlightening to me, so I decided that perhaps it was time to dive into it. I signed up for coaching by Oren’s team, and with their help and I’d estimate about 100 hours of work, I’ve become WAY BETTER and more effective at something I thought I was already pretty good at.

Even with all that work, I still make mistakes, still wish I’d made another edit to a released document (mostly to make it shorter) or had or hadn’t said something. Overall, I’m encouraged to know that a) I HAVE gotten a LOT better, and b) if I’ve worked this hard to improve, even though I continue to fall short, I’ve gained on “the field.”

I’m Still Getting Better – Part 1

Not long ago, I told my older son that I’d thought that by about the time I’d really become an adult, certainly by age 50, I’d be done making big mistakes. And I really did. Sure, I knew I’m make small mistakes, overlook things, but when I was in my 20s and 30s, I really thought by the time I was 50 (and more) I’d have figured things out. My son responded, “Dad, you’re still in the game and the world is still changing.” Smart, and he’s right.

And at the same time I’m still making mistakes, I’m working SMARTER. Interesting how both can happen concurrently. Check out what I’m listening to now: Great at Work, The Hidden Habits of Top Performers, and watch for Part 2 of this post!

Self Development