An Open Letter to Stephen Tebo

Dear Mr Tebo,

I wanted to thank you for your inspiration to young entrepreneurs and your contributions to the Boulder business community. I have heard your story told at so many functions from Boulder Chamber events, to award functions where you were being honored for a philanthropic effort or a general Boulder stimulus recognition. As a young professional looking forward to a career of growth and achievement your example has been one to study.

My question to you is concerning the current state of the Boulder business climate. In attending networking events and conversing with a variety of local Boulder business owners I have seen a disturbing number of people talk about how close to the line they are riding, even when producing a consistent and significant revenue stream. That the cost of their space is such an inordinately high percentage of their overhead they they are often barely breaking even. Many times they are not, evidenced by the more and more "Tebo Space for Lease" signs that we all see appearing around Boulder. I am wondering what your plans are to help with this situation? How many businesses need to close their doors for you to notice? After so much attention for your work in stimulating the Boulder economy, why not reduce your rates? Why not give some of the other businesses an opportunity to flourish as you have?

You have been honored and awarded for your work. You have accumulated an incredible amount of the commercial property in Boulder. When do you think you will have enough? When can the prices be made reasonable again so that small businesses trying to start with a new idea, or existing businesses that produce regular revenue are actually able to show a profit instead of closing their doors because of high rent. I plan to open a store, but will be looking in Louisville or Lafayette because the space in Boulder is just too costly to even consider. How many other businesses are driven away from Boulder because of this?

You have the power and the responsibility to help. Please do so. Thank you.

"My target market is... Anyone." Yeah, Right.

Read just about any writing on marketing and promotion and they will tell you that finding your specific target market is paramount to crafting a successful marketing plan. You have to know specifically WHO it is you want to reach. Not "Anyone" or "Everyone." I have heard this repeated at networking education seminars, marketing blitzes, and even at my local Chamber of Commerce.

For some reason, this does not seem to prevent people I meet, who I know from these very same events, from repeatedly saying things like, "A good referral for me is...anyone." We are so afraid that we might lose a random client who is not even our ideal, that we don't give people any real information to actually help them think of a potential client.

We used to offer "training & consulting services for any program", we wanted to reach "anyone who did training in their office, or organization." That is a LOT of people, and thus we received very few referrals or direct leads. Once we focused our vision, things changed. We now offer "customized diversity & inclusion programs for non-profit organizations." Do we still offer other programs, of course, but we do not try to sell them. If people are interested in what our primary passion is, and they like it enough to ask if we do more, then we tell them. This shift has exponentially increased our leads and clients.

In our last program, "Planning to Fail: 100% of everything you will ever possibly need to know to see your business fail." We received a mixture of results. About half the people LOVED the funny, experiential, alternative approach to finding the barriers in their businesses. About 1/4 thought it was OK, and the other quarter were just confused, or said it wasn't their style.

Not everyone wants what we offer. For some people we are just too weird, risky, different, or odd. That's fine, we probably would be good business partners. But for those people interested in programs that push the envelope, make people uncomfortable and help them break through to a new level of understanding regarding their teammates and clients, we're the people to see.

So, quit trying to get your service and product into "everyone's" hands, and get it into the hands of the people who really want it. Those people will find you more business.

Tools don't work if you don't use them.

According to the Denver Post:

"Workplace-bias cases in Colorado grew at nearly triple the national rate over the past five years, according to statistics compiled by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission."

I find this to be astonishing. I suppose I shouldn't, we've only just now entered into a new administration where the value of people seem to be of importance, but I still find it remarkable that with all the resources available for workplace education, these occurances happen at this rate.

Gender studies, affirmative action, LGBT centers, employee resource groups, diversity specialists, and dozens of other ways to teach your managers about dealing with inclusion issues, and we still have these issues.

I'm certain I am idealistic in my dreams for a fully inclusive society, but can't we get just a little closer?

Be the change you want to see in your business.

Seconds after the 44th Presidential Inauguration Starbucks airs the video below to show their commitment to the change that has come. Have you committed to the change? What are you doing, with your business, in your community to make a difference?



You can advertise all you want, design brilliant tag-lines, network everyday, but none of that will have nearly the same impact and taking a risk, choosing a cause and putting your business dollars behind it.

Yesterday I donated to be a annual sponsor for the Boulder Women's Leadership Group. This is a organization that provides the Boulder community of business women with education, leadership, recognition and business opportunities through informative and professional programs. What are you doing?

Fear and Loathing this Saturday

I have been invited to sit on a panel entitled. "Fear and Loathing: Why We Despise What Scares Us." It is this Saturday on the 8th, from 6:00pm-7:00pm at the Dairy Center for the Arts and will be moderated by Bud Coleman, Associate Professor in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The panel is part of a series of program being offered in conjunction with a play entitled Fat Pig which, according to the Daily Camera:

premiered off-Broadway in 2004, questions prevailing notions -- at least in some parts of the country, like uber-fit Boulder -- about bigness and beauty. It's also about our capacity for honesty, with ourselves and others. How much honesty is too much and how much is too little? At what point do we allow what others may think of us to become too important?

Below are the details of the play and the "Saturday Series" panels that precede them. There is no cost to attend the panels, I hope that you can make it.

Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company

presents the Regional Premiere of

FAT PIG by Neil LaBute

Click HERE to read Mark Collins' Daily Camera Review

FAT PIG continues November 6th - 23rd

Click HERE to buy your tickets NOW, or call 888-512-7469

2-for-1 Tickets on Thursday, November 6th and 13th!

Thursday – Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm

The Dairy Center for the Arts

2590 Walnut Street, Boulder

Don't forget, our "Saturday Series" starts this weekend!

These exciting FREE events on Sat Nov. 8, 15 and 22 focus on the themes surrounding the play and feature local experts from a variety of fields such as Paul Campos, Carmen Cool, Robin Hammer, Diane Israel and more! All "Saturday Series" events begin at 6:00pm at the Dairy and last one hour with a FREE reception before the show that night. These events are open to the general public (tickets not required). Visit www.BoulderEnsembleTheatre.org for specific information about each event.

FAT PIG was named one of "Ten to Watch" by the Denver Post!

For more information, check out our preview articles in the Denver Post and the Boulder Daily Camera !

DUE TO STRONG LANGUAGE, ADULT MATERIAL AND SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE CONTENT,

FAT PIG IS RECOMMENDED FOR PATRONS 16 YEARS AND OLDER.

Tattoo & Coffee

Intriguing isn't it? I thought so too which is why, when I had some time to kill, after a canceled meeting I drove by a sign that said Tattoo & Coffee and actually turned around to get a cup of tea. I write this to you from the combined space of Bananelope Coffee and Smokey Banana Tattoo. Where you can enjoy a cup of joe and watch through the glass and people get ink imbedded I their flesh. What a marvelous world.


I mean that sincerely. In a time when people live most of their lives without really getting to know their neighbors anymore, I find it refreshing that two business decided to open their wall and share space and advertising power. I would love to see more places like this. How about they knock out the wall between The Cup and The Crystal Dragon? Or between Albertson's & the next door liquor store? Floyd's Barber & WaHoo's Tacos on Pearl & 28th did it, and it feels great. They should open their wall just a bit more though.

You have neighbors, do you know them?

Give Yourself A Raise

It all comes down to perspective, but seriously think about this before you dismiss it as some hair-brained, granola ideal. Ride your bike.

Save over $500 per month.

It happens so fast. First you just start driving less. Using your bike on occasion and you that your monthly gas bill has dropped by let's say $100. That's less than 2 tanks of gas infind today's market. Just ride your bike enough to eliminate 2 tanks for gas. If you are currently driving an SUV, this will be even faster.

OK, So now that you're riding once a week you should notice that you are more awake when you get to work, you have more energy in what you do and you are saving money. All these things feel good. So you ride more often. You save more money.

Give it a few months at this level. If you have a gym membership (that you probably don't use enough to get the value from it) then you've just put yourself in a place to save that money too.

Now you have reduced your gas bill and your maintenance costs. Commute driving is the worst kind of driving for your car, and a reduction of this kind will save your brakes, your clutch, your oil AND your sanity. In a short while you've just given yourself several hundred dollars a month extra to spend. But WAIT, there's more!

If you can go this far, then perhaps you can go a little farther... How many cars do you have in your family? Do you and your partner both have one? If you have kids is there one for them? How much are you paying a month in insurance?
Why not get rid of one of those cars?
You've now saved gas, insurance, maintenance and your gym membership while simultaneously increasing your energy and improving your health.
Well Done!

Of course, bicycling isn't the only way to give yourself a raise. More to follow...

Hawaiian Shirt Day!

You may remember this from the movie Office Space. If not, you must watch it. It is a social commentary on the office culture and the ways in which we eat our young, strangle the potential of our employees, and cut off our nose to spite our face.

It's relevance to today is to illustrate the difference between effort and sincerity. My partner, Aicila, is often found spouting the lack of effort it takes to be fun in your environment. And she is right; it does not have to take much effort. It should, in fact, be easier to have fun than not. The trick is in finding that balance between putting in little or no effort, and not really caring whether people have fun or not.

Hawaiian shirt day can be fun. It can also be insulting, patronizing, and a few other words from the thesaurus that mean the same thing. So have fun. Enjoy your people. Do little things like casual Fridays, joke of the day and monthly birthdays. But MEAN IT. Your people can always tell the difference.

A Peak Presentation

Standing on the top of Flagstaff Mountain I spoke to the many incredible members of the Boulder Women's Leadership Group. The people smiled and proudly wore their diamond rings. I enjoyed my time, as I always do, with the BWLG. It was a marvelous way to start the day. I wish more days could start at the top of a mountain. It really gives you a different perspective. There will be no meeting next month as the Boulder Chamber of Commerce is having their annual Women Who Light the Community dinner. Check out the Chamber Website and attend to support this fantastic event. I'll see you there.