Published in Grand Valley Magazine (www.grandvalleymagazine.com) - March 2010
Communities that attract entrepreneurs and build strong, growing businesses tend to have a major research university, lots of PhDs, and a pack of venture capitalists throwing money at new inventions. The Grand Valley lacks all of these and yet is a thriving entrepreneurial community. So why exactly do people start their own companies here?
I think it starts with an independent Western mind-set and an interest in solving problems ourselves. Add to that the fact that the Grand Valley has only a handful of large corporations, and 82 percent of the firms in our community have fewer than ten employees. Mix in the fact that it is very easy to start a business in Colorado (www.colorado.gov/cbe/ (Thank you to Bernie Buescher)), and our local governments are enthusiastic about new business development (for example, see Mesa County’s “Open for Business” initiative: www.mesacounty.us/openforbusiness/). And then top it off with demand for a wide variety of specialized services in sectors such as construction, natural extraction, health care, and recreation. This is not the kind of recipe or blend of factors that makes communities like Boston or San Francisco entrepreneurial, but it is what drives our local economy.
Sometimes the choices we make about our professional careers have, at the core, more to do with our personal priorities than anything else. In digging deeper into what drives people to “put up a shingle” and go into businesses of their own, it really comes down to lifestyle. We see it every day at the Incubator Center: People choose to have their own business in order to take advantage of the flexibility this type of career gives them to accommodate other priorities.
At the Incubator Center, you can see Kelly DeVries of Mollycoddle Soap (www.mollycoddlesoap.com), who cares for her kids during the day and works late into the night running her business. Fred Fowler of Delta Epsilon (www.deltaepsilon.com) often takes a road-bike ride at lunch, while Bruce Strong of Apex CAD Products (www.apexcadproducts.com) prefers taking a break in mid-afternoon to go mountain biking. Matt Mayer of Mayer Medical Technologies (www.mayermedical.com) is active in the Grand Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited and coaches his daughter’s soccer team, but he’s in his office both early and late to balance out his family and work obligations. In downtown Grand Junction, Matthew Breman of Cranium 360 (www.cranium360.com) travels from Alaska to Florida growing his thriving marketing firm and still serves the community as president of the United Way of Mesa County. In Fruita, Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller are hard at work renovating a building to become the new Hot Tomato Café (www.hottomatocafe.com) — a business that blends their passions for mountain biking, pizza, and good times. And in Palisade, Naomi Shepard-Smith shares her passion for art with wine at Grand Valley Vineyards (www.grandvalleywine.com) . There are thousands of other examples, but in each case, people are finding ways to have a successful professional life in balance with all the rest: with family, with recreation, and with passions that fulfill the spirit.
The same things that make the Valley so attractive (a family-friendly community, abundant outdoor activities, and proximity to the mountains, the desert, rivers, and canyons) also make this a wonderful place to start a business. Business owners do get to decide how much to take on and when to do it, and along with that freedom comes a lot of work and a huge challenge. Still, it’s a workable and popular method to get more out of our Grand Valley lifestyle. Is it the road map for you? That’s something to think about.
Communities that attract entrepreneurs and build strong, growing businesses tend to have a major research university, lots of PhDs, and a pack of venture capitalists throwing money at new inventions. The Grand Valley lacks all of these and yet is a thriving entrepreneurial community. So why exactly do people start their own companies here?
I think it starts with an independent Western mind-set and an interest in solving problems ourselves. Add to that the fact that the Grand Valley has only a handful of large corporations, and 82 percent of the firms in our community have fewer than ten employees. Mix in the fact that it is very easy to start a business in Colorado (www.colorado.gov/cbe/ (Thank you to Bernie Buescher)), and our local governments are enthusiastic about new business development (for example, see Mesa County’s “Open for Business” initiative: www.mesacounty.us/openforbusiness/). And then top it off with demand for a wide variety of specialized services in sectors such as construction, natural extraction, health care, and recreation. This is not the kind of recipe or blend of factors that makes communities like Boston or San Francisco entrepreneurial, but it is what drives our local economy.
Sometimes the choices we make about our professional careers have, at the core, more to do with our personal priorities than anything else. In digging deeper into what drives people to “put up a shingle” and go into businesses of their own, it really comes down to lifestyle. We see it every day at the Incubator Center: People choose to have their own business in order to take advantage of the flexibility this type of career gives them to accommodate other priorities.
At the Incubator Center, you can see Kelly DeVries of Mollycoddle Soap (www.mollycoddlesoap.com), who cares for her kids during the day and works late into the night running her business. Fred Fowler of Delta Epsilon (www.deltaepsilon.com) often takes a road-bike ride at lunch, while Bruce Strong of Apex CAD Products (www.apexcadproducts.com) prefers taking a break in mid-afternoon to go mountain biking. Matt Mayer of Mayer Medical Technologies (www.mayermedical.com) is active in the Grand Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited and coaches his daughter’s soccer team, but he’s in his office both early and late to balance out his family and work obligations. In downtown Grand Junction, Matthew Breman of Cranium 360 (www.cranium360.com) travels from Alaska to Florida growing his thriving marketing firm and still serves the community as president of the United Way of Mesa County. In Fruita, Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller are hard at work renovating a building to become the new Hot Tomato Café (www.hottomatocafe.com) — a business that blends their passions for mountain biking, pizza, and good times. And in Palisade, Naomi Shepard-Smith shares her passion for art with wine at Grand Valley Vineyards (www.grandvalleywine.com) . There are thousands of other examples, but in each case, people are finding ways to have a successful professional life in balance with all the rest: with family, with recreation, and with passions that fulfill the spirit.
The same things that make the Valley so attractive (a family-friendly community, abundant outdoor activities, and proximity to the mountains, the desert, rivers, and canyons) also make this a wonderful place to start a business. Business owners do get to decide how much to take on and when to do it, and along with that freedom comes a lot of work and a huge challenge. Still, it’s a workable and popular method to get more out of our Grand Valley lifestyle. Is it the road map for you? That’s something to think about.
2 comments:
I have started, and helped people start, several businesses here in GJ. I think that the market is right for it. If you are educated and don't want to work a blue collar job or for someone who started their own business, entrepreneurship is the best option.
There are plenty of consumers here but very few producers.
If you are honest, charge reasonable rates, are willing to work and provide excellent services, it is difficult to fail here.
I think that some businesses try to get too big too fast here and they have a hard time succeeding, but GJ is full of businesses that started small and worked their way up.
With so few qualified and competent providers in GJ, word of mouth also spreads quickly. Doing a great job at a great rate is all the advertising many businesses need.
Great points, Adam. I wholeheartedly agree.
To your point that “If you are honest, charge reasonable rates, are willing to work and provide excellent services, it is difficult to fail here”. It is amazing to me how many businesses in GJ count on customer service as their differentiator, without really focusing on what that really means…solving your customers problems and exceeding customer expectations. Excellent services at a reasonable rate, delivered honestly and consistent are a core part of truly valuable customer service.
Thanks for the comment!
Post a Comment