PROCO360 | Best Podcast for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

Two CEOs Talk With Their VC About Money

"We’re largely making a bet that they have the vision to build something great and special...”

Chris Erickson, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Range Ventures

 

This is a very entertaining and instructive podcast episode!  It was a blast to hear the CEOs of two initially bootstrapped companies that recently received millions of dollars of VC funding talking with their VC about business.

Affordable, Predictable Marketing - Really!

"We score people based on attitude, effort and performance, and if attitude and effort are good, we’ll give a very long leash on performance.” 

JB Kellogg, Co-founder & Co-CEO, Madwire 

Madwire has been amazingly successful.  It now has 600 team members helping small businesses grow.  What intrigued me most about interviewing co-founder and co-CEO JB Kellogg is how one could possible scale to 600 employees and still deliver the great service-oriented results that built the company.  What I learned surprised and impressed me!   

Culture is the Heaviest Lever

"It’s that moment that you say, if this thing matters that much to me, if I’m that passionate about it – that’s what gets me through...”

Brian Egan, Co-founder & CEO, Evolve

It took me a while during prep to understand the difference between Evolve and VRBO, AirBnB, Booking.com.  Then I didn’t understand that they aren’t competitors, usually.  Evolve sits on TOP of those and other platforms, serving both the property owner and the renter.  More important than my took-too-long struggle to figure that out, is how Brian Egan uses CULTURE, what he calls “the heaviest lever” in leading a company, to create satisfied customer experiences.  A great listen.

Made in America – by Refugees

"I had this realization that these people have an abundance of (sewing) skills and we’re teaching them to do janitorial work, or work in slaughterhouses.”

Jeremy Priest, Co-founder, President & CEO, Knotty Tie Co.

So many companies are aligning with causes with which they share an audience, often supporting those non-profits with a percentage of sales.  Colorado-based Knotty Tie is different – it’s almost operating AS a non-profit.  It’s not though – it’s FOR profit.  It’s mission, even its outside investors seem to care as much about Knotty Tie’s focus on employing refuges as the company’s ROI. And the company is growing.

”Real Information Most Critical”

HE SAID HE WOULD NOT LEAVE HIS CITY – HE WOULD FIGHT BACK.

Yulia, resident of Kharkiv, Ukraine

I’ve gotten to know a freelancer in the Ukraine who sent me heart wrenching messages about his and his wife’s life.

His home is in Kharkiv, just 20 miles from the Russian border and under heavy attack.  I went “off topic” and did an interview with his English-speaking wife last night.  Their story is compelling and they want it shared as their way of combating propaganda.

Happy Animals, Tough Challenges

"It was rough… 3 months we were closed - $15M in earned revenue – GONE."

Bert Vescolani, President & CEO, Denver Zoo

Since I was a young boy I’ve loved the Zoo.  In 5^th grade after school I’d sneak into the Buffalo Zoo by hopping a hidden fence, and I’d just watch the monkeys.  Interviewing Bert Vescolani was a thrill for me – so many questions… about managing the financial challenges during a 3-month Covid total CLOSURE, about keeping animals, about the business model. 

Business Decisions, Monetary Policy, Converge!

"You would hope that businesses aren't thinking about this over the long run... they're not thinking about should I buy equipment now because I think it's going to be more expensive later." 

Nick Sly, Denver Branch Executive, Kansas City Federal Reserve

With all that’s going on in the economy, some key economic issues are top of mind, even in the entrepreneurial community where macroeconomics are usually farther down the list of things to focus on.  But issues like inflation, workforce, supply chain ARE top of mind – and they’re impacted by monetary policy, so I asked Nick Sly to join me to explain how monetary policy works and how it is impacting decisions that business leaders are making. Nick is a high-energy economist who was really fun to talk to.

 

Chicken Sandwich That Strives to Be Patagonia

“I am a disciple of Patagonia… Can we build a lifestyle-driven fast food restaurant?  If we can, it’s not going to be overnight – it will be by constantly going back to the mission.”

Pete Newlin, CEO, Birdcall

I was intrigued going into this episode with Pete Newlin of Birdcall.  I knew that Pete was (and is) involved in Park Burger – he started as an hourly employee and worked his way to becoming a Partner of Gastamo – the ownership group for Park Burger, Birdcall and others.  Pete was part of the concepting team for Birdcall, and as its CEO has great ambitions to see if he can pattern a fast food brand after Patagonia and create a “lifestyle-driven fast food restaurant.”

3.5 Mins on business in 2022

“Overall what really struck me most is that during all the challenges being faced in 2021, Colorado business leaders stayed KIND.” 

Dave Tabor, Host, PROCO360

In this brief episode I’m not having a guest.  I’ll reflect on what I’ve learned from my guests, and from conversations with HUNDREDS of Colorado business leaders in 2021. It’s those in-depth interviews and conversations that have shaped my views, and my perspectives for 2022. I’ve been writing about these in recent blog posts so I encourage you to visit www.PROCO360.com.

Heartfelt, Happy People Baked Into Bonanno Concepts

“There are only so many A-players out there and we’re doing what we feel is right for the people we work with… the more of those you have around you, the more successful you will be.” 

Frank Bonanno, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, Bonanno Concepts

 

I reached out to Frank Bonanno after I read that his Bonanno Concepts restaurants and bars (10 in total) had instituted a policy which requires all employees to be vaccinated and all guests to prove their positive vaccination status before being able to enter a Bonanno Concepts business.  Frank graciously agreed to talk about that – and as you’ll hear in this longer than usual episode, the conversation went much deeper about creating a work environment that has led to 100% employment in a hospitality arena where others are struggling to maintain staffing levels.  Fascinating insights.  They can easily be mimicked – are they?  Not by many.  Will they?  You decide how likely that is.