A Bit of Background
What kind of coach would I be if I didn't practice what I preach? I prefer getting to know each other over a face-to-face conversation, but in place of that, here is a bit of my background.
BHAG or Audacious Goal
I request my clients to hold a meaningful Audacious Goal that aligns the business toward an ambitious and differentiating achievement. For me, that is to remove 700 million metric tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere by 2030, or the equivalent of nearly 15% of the US carbon emissions in 2019. More on that here.
Backstory
I've been an entrepreneur nearly my entire life, from 12 onward. Although my formal education was in Environmental Studies, I deviated and started a software and marketing company in the late 90s. Honestly, I struggled those first few years. The lessons of my family's construction business didn't translate to the new World of the internet. After two years of employment during the Dot Com bust, I ventured out again with two colleagues to start Imulus, my second attempt at a company. That faired much better.
From 2001 till 2015, Imulus grew to one of Colorado's fastest-growing companies and best places to work. Our specialty was building highly complex web-based software for companies like Boy Scouts of America, GE, and Solidfire. Thankfully, I found mentorship and leadership opportunities in the Entrepreneur's Organization during that time. In my five-year tenure, I served all my years on the board as President, President-Elect, Forum Chair, and Membership Chair. When I exited Imulus in 2015, I stepped into a brief role as a founder in one of Techstar's only physical products companies, named edn. My Co-Founder, Ryan Woltz, went on Shark Tank, which was fun to watch.
From 2016 onward, I consulted as a sales and marketing director while coaching entrepreneurs, but I lacked a formal coaching system. I was able to move individual founders forward personally, but without a system, I couldn't impact institutional change in the business. Then in 2019, I was asked to assist The Jacobsen, a commodities pricing company, with scaling the company's growth and preparing it for either private equity or acquisition. We implemented EOS Traction at the time, and the system worked great. The acquisition came earlier than expected due to the changing market conditions the Covid spawned. Suddenly The, Jacobsen became very attractive, and it was acquired by the European-based company, Fastmarkets/Euromoney.
My life in corporate was short-lived as a Global Director of Marketing for Agriculture. My fast, nimble and responsive entrepreneurial World gave way to a slow, complex, and conservative work style. Single accountability, which I was used to, was replaced with Matrix Management, and it wasn't for me. I left in July of 2021 with the intent of re-entering the tech space, specifically the blockchain, until two ex-EO friends reached out and encouraged me to start coaching.
I considered both Scaling Up and EOS Traction, both of which which I had experience in. Scaling Up, however, had a robust strategy and cash component, plus a way of thinking that adapted to the business rather than forcing the company into a one-size-fits-all approach. In 2021 I started my formal Scaling Up training and never looked back.
Core Values
Seriously Fun: Pay attention, be rigorous, and encourage youthful wonder.
Question the Defaults: Be vigilant of how we limit our thinking and actions and seek the uncomfortable truths.
Own It: Treat every client, project, and task with the utmost care and accountability.
Be The Change: How we work and live is reflective of the World we are creating.
