PROCO360 | Best Podcast for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

Grower’s Organic Customers, CEO Thrive Together

Grower’s Organic Customers Refuse to Let the Business Fail – Supporting the CEO, they bring the business back from bankruptcy.

 

“Five farms from all over the country reached out and said we cannot let you fail.”

Brian Freeman, CEO and Founder, Grower’s Organic

We all know that the organic produce industry is huge, and getting bigger.  Brian Freeman is a pioneer who built Grower’s Organic too fast – he “got too far over his skis” and went bankrupt.  With the commitment of supporters and customers, Grower’s Organic has come back and is thriving in a tough market space.  Those curious about the industry will love this interview!

Punch Bowl Social CEO Takes a Punch!

“I will not create a business enterprise and a professional legacy for myself at the cost of the legacy I build inside the walls of my house.”

Robert Thompson, CEO, Punch Bowl Social

Punch Bowl Social is a restaurant concept phenomenon.  Robert Thompson, its founder and CEO, is one of those successful entrepreneurs who looks like he’s got it made – but what a story.  Robert left home at 16 to fend for himself and had a roller coaster of successes and failures before forming Punch Bowl Social.  We talk about his story, what makes some restaurant concepts work when others fail, and what sustains a concept compared to those with short lives.  Then we switch gears to talk about capitalism, family and teaching the most important lessons to our sons. 

Candid Conversation with Colorado Frac CEO

Liberty Oilfield Services CEO on industry PR, disclosure, culture and affinity for the outdoors.

 

“To build a great business you’ve got to be in a dynamic community where young people want to move and start their lives… Denver checks those boxes.”

Chris Wright, CEO, Liberty Oilfield Services

Love the oil and gas industry or hate it, you’ll love this interview with Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Oilfield Services.  Liberty is a Colorado public company that does fracking for energy producers. Chris is its candid and outspoken CEO who leads based on a passionate philosophy about people, truth and values.  He is fascinating – so love the energy industry or not, Chris is someone you’ll admire – and someone whom you’ll want to emulate when it comes to passionate leadership.

Global War for Talent Being Won from Colorado

Graebel Companies CEO Helps Clients Win Global War for Talent from Colorado.

“There are people on this planet who are wired as extraordinary caregivers… we have to identify them, and we can train them to do the very specific things customers expect of us.”  Bill Graebel, Owner & CEO

This is an interview with a Colorado leader who exemplifies building a culture based on his core values: “Truth, Love, and Integrity.”  Graebel is a business built on what Bill Graebel calls, “duty of care.”  Most business leaders WANT to build and lead a culture they find truly gratifying… yet haven’t really committed to doing so.  Bill Graebel will inspire you to believe you can do it, and give you ideas to help.

Ball CEO All About People, Values

“If you don’t have the right people, you don’t get it right... The human spirit wants something bigger than itself.”

John Hayes, Chairman, President & CEO, Ball Corporation

Ball Corporation is a tremendous role model for our state – extremely successful, people focused, culture and values driven.  While you and I may not see ourselves as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, we CAN learn from John Hayes’s passionate style of leadership and the examples he shares.  Some great lessons and stories that will make you proud that Ball calls Colorado home!

Inscripta – GIVING AWAY tools for worldwide genetic editing is its business model! ProCO360

“The challenge before us is to build an essential tool for biologists… where they can ask questions they wanted to but never could before.”

Kevin Ness, CEO, Inscripta

Did you ever want to download a DNA sequence just to see what it looks like? Inscripta lets you do that, FREE from its website.  The company believes that researchers all over the world deserve to have tools that unlock the world of gene-editing for R&D and clinical advancements.  And they’ve received $85 million in venture funding to support that business model – amazing.  Listen to my interview with Kevin Ness, CEO, to learn how this business model works, and to learn more about how and why gene editing is so important to human advancement.  

Xero Shoes – giving a tribe of customers “superpower” through their feet ProCO360

The biggest problem we have is that the day we launch a new product we get emails saying, “that’s great, now I want this!”

Steven Sashen, CEO, Xero Shoes

You’ll enjoy this high energy interview with the very successful wife and husband team who started and run Xero Shoes.  Their startup experience, including purchasing initial product raw materials at Home Depot, and turning down an offer on Shark Tank, offers entertaining lessons of entrepreneurship. 

 

Growing Awesome COLORADO Brands - Denver Flea ProCO360

People are looking for brands that reinforce who they think they are... or want to become.

Blake Adams, Founder, Denver Flea

Denver Flea is a platform on which Colorado brands are built.  You know Icelantic Skis and Voormi clothing as great brands growing up in Colorado.  Blake Adams of Denver Flea brought Andy Fleckenstein of Mountain Standard for “show and tell,” and a great conversation about building a brand based in Colorado.  If you haven’t been to a Denver Flea – GO!  And if you want a free ticket and haven’t yet subscribed to this newsletter - do it now and get a free ticket to the next Denver Flea!

Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It - FBI techniques in business! ProCO360

"Some people are horrified by new information during negotiations… they’re cutting themselves off from better deals."

Chris Voss, former Lead FBI Hostage Negotiator, CEO of Black Swan Group

You’re hiding stuff, and if you think they’re not, you’re kidding yourself! “Compromise” and “win-win” are NOT the approaches taught by Chris Voss. Before you squirm and choose not to listen, know this: I’ve put Chris Voss’s book in my virtual “CORE STACK” – these are the books that I rely on in my career. Chris was Lead International Kidnapping Negotiator for the FBI. Listen to get a taste of tactics that work in business: why “No” is better than “Yes,” how entrepreneurs should think in a negotiation with venture funders, and more. This is a fantastic taste of how to act differently in negotiations. I am honored to have had Chris on the podcast! 

PopSockets - a Colorado Story of Innovation and Scrappy Execution! ProCO360

Even a PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR can be an entrepreneur, with enough determination and effort!

My biggest mistake was doing it myself… I lost a year in the process… a PAINFUL year. - David Barnett, Founder and CEO

What a Cinderella entrepreneurial story David Barnett tells in this interview.  Listen to hear how he turned a minor aggravation he had with storing his earbuds, from a clunky and embarrassing product hack into a multimillion dollar enterprise.  You’ll enjoy hearing how YouTube celebrities have embraced and propelled the business!  This interview was repurposed from a live radio show I did on KDMT – you may notice a few edits.