A true entrepreneur is not just somebody who doesn’t like to work for others. It is somebody who has a burning desire to create new systems and build upon existing ones. An entrepreneur is always thinking of ways to improve everything they come in contact with. Successful entrepreneurs have a part of them that is extremely lazy. This laziness is what causes them to relentlessly think of new ways to make things easier on everybody. They are obsessive problem-solvers; they see every challenge as an opportunity to show people a better way of doing something. The typical office environment drives... Read More

Inspiration can connect the most far-fetched or opposite ideas and come from the most unlikely of places. To give it further jolt, necessity is indeed the mother of invention. Put the two together and see what curious results give light. So, let’s play a little trivia. What do Boulder High School and beer brewing have in common? No, I’m not talking about teenage alcoholism so cross that snarky answer off the list. What they do both have in common are some interesting ties through both historical and modern day Boulder in a unique way: Crystal Springs Brewing Company. Some people search their... Read More

Sometimes, as an entrepreneur, it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You craft an amazing idea, map it out on the napkin of your favorite restaurant and now you must take it from concept to reality – but how? Taking an idea from concept to reality seems easy while you’re in the conceptual stage, but as the idea starts to snowball on top of itself you begin to realize how far you truly are from the finish line. So what do you do? I personally, do not have the perfect answer, as every entrepreneurs individual situation has an equally important, individual... Read More

Amy Long is no stranger to adversary – actually her life has been overcoming one challenge after another to be in the place she is today, a successful entrepreneur, business owner, and Boulder community member. Amy developed her resilience and work ethic from her parents, who owned and operated the popular local restaurant Tsing Tao Asian Cuisine in the south part of Boulder for 22 years. Growing up in the restaurant and hospitality industry was a ‘school of hard knocks,’ where she developed the skills and knowledge for building businesses from the ground up. After years of building small... Read More

    I was almost done. I knew I had to “pitch” my idea to somebody who had been there before. Someone who had successfully done it. Someone who had navigated this treacherous and unfamiliar territory. I knew just the guy. About a year and a half ago, I decided to start writing a column for About Boulder while I diligently worked on my first book, in addition to several of my own personal blogs. As I neared completion of my book project, I starting to get excited. I knew I had put in the hours and had a very solid foundation built for my entry into the world of authorship. I was proud... Read More

This column has traditionally focused on businesses located in Boulder or nearby Front Range communities. We here at aboutboulder.com live in Boulder, we work in Boulder and we care about the Boulder community. However, we are also citizens of the state of Colorado and there has been much buzz in the state capitol about building businesses beyond the Front Range. Governor Hickenlooper has focused extensively on expanding the economies in rural Colorado communities. His new program, the Blueprint Initiative “invites the state’s rural communities and regions to apply for specialized resources... Read More

After winning Super Bowl 50, Gary Kubiak, the Broncos’ head coach goes on record to say, “we grinded all year and we just had to do it once more”. Kubiak just gave everybody an insight into the mind of a champion. You see, The Broncos’ season was nothing like the Panthers’. The Panthers destroyed teams and then danced all over the field like children (by the way, I would’ve danced just as much as Cam. Judge all you want.) Their victories were spectacular. They scored points at will. They dominated. Everything they did was stylish. The Broncos’ season was very different. It was a... Read More

In light of an overwhelming response to last week’s post about the rise of the B Corp, I wanted to follow up on some of the questions that I received. Many in the community wanted to know more about how to become a B Corp from a practical perspective. I think most entrepreneurs understand the concept of the B Corp quite well and, based on the testimonials of existing B Corps, they are starting to understand the benefits of the certification to a company’s bottom line. In short, people get the why, they just don’t necessarily get the how or the when. What sorts of companies should apply for... Read More

Earlier this year, Brad Feld, a prominent Boulder-based venture capitalist wrote a blog post titled Holidays Can Be Hard. The post was written in July, right around the 4th of July holiday weekend, but I think it warrants revisiting his poignant thoughts again now, in another season, during another holiday, which can cause stress and difficulty for so many of us. Feld talks candidly about his own depression and also cites alarming statistics that show that entrepreneurs are almost four times as likely to suffer from depression and to commit suicide than the rest of the American public. Holidays... Read More

On Wednesday, the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business hosted an event that they dubbed the Sustainable Shark Tank. The Sustainable Shark Tank provided an opportunity for MBA students to present sustainable business plans to a panel of expert judges. Unlike the real Shark Tank (the one on television, not the one at The Aquarium) the judges weren’t deciding whether or not to write a check at the end of the program. However, the judges were providing honest and valuable feedback so that the MBA students could decide whether or not it would be worth it for them to take a chance and pursue... Read More

This week I want to touch on an important topic that was brought to my attention by a colleague of mine, Xavier Lemon. Xavier insists, as I agree, that a big aspect of being an entrepreneur is being able to walk away from failures with a lesson learned. This has been a major driving force in my success and in the success of many others around me. In order to appropriately touch on the topic I thought it would be wise to garnish lessons from those who have truly achieved success. Steve Jobs  Steve Jobs, as many of you know, created Apple. Apple is currently worth more, in liquid cash value,... Read More

“When I was a kid, there was no collaboration; it’s you with a camera bossing your friends around. But as an adult, filmmaking is all about appreciating the talents of the people you surround yourself with and knowing you could never have made any of these films by yourself.” – Steven Spielberg. For this week’s blog, I want to take a step back from the general scope of the Boulder Startup Boom and write about an extremely influential part in becoming a successful entrepreneur – networking. While the quote above pertains to the film industry, we must not look... Read More

It’s that time of the week again, and to kick things off I’m implementing a new topic. Once a month I will be blogging about an up and coming startup in Boulder. For the first “Startup of the Month”, I will be focusing on a recent tea startup called Wu Mountain Tea. Wu Mountain was co-founded by University of Colorado Student, Dylan Rothenberg. Dylan, President of Wu Mountain Tea, originally went to China as a Boren Scholar to study Chinese, and ended-up living and working in the famous Tea Markets of Gungzhou where he learned to source tea for a European premium tea distributor.... Read More

Boulder, Colorado – Most come to hike the Flatirons, saunter down Pearl Street for a bite to eat or simply bathe in the reverent beauty that is, Boulder, Colorado. Originally, that is why I came. The aesthetic pleasure of Boulder drew me in, so in 2011 I decided to move here, attend the University of Colorado at Boulder and pursue a degree in Economics. I soon realized that beauty, or any aesthetic pleasure for that reason, just was not enough to hold me in one place. I thought about leaving time and time again, and then one day, I gave myself a reason to stay. I stayed because of the... Read More

The CU Boulder campus is jam packed with creative, innovative and savvy-minded students. Denver, and Colorado as a whole, is thriving – It’s rapid growth due to the hundreds of thousands of people who are moving to the CO each month can be contributed to the economic success of the state. Much of this success is due to the explosion of small yet successful businesses popping up across Colorado, from dispensaries to breweries. A new App called Free & For Sale is launching in August. Not only will this App change the way that we buy and sell used items within our local communities,... Read More

With spring springing and summer just around the corner, the pace in Boulder is picking up quickly as Boulderites prepare for a summer filled with fun activities around every corner. For the tech lovers, entrepreneurs, students and investors of all kinds, the beginning of this summer season promises lots of fun and opportunities with Boulder kicking off its sixth Startup Week. Founded in 2010, Boulder Startup Week is five days dedicated to all things entrepreneurial, business and startup, celebrating the incredible startup scene Boulder has to offer.   The five-day event takes place from May... Read More

Every year for the Boulder Valley, Biz West recognizes forty professionals under the age of 40 whom they consider to be emerging stars and leaders in the city of Boulder. These young, hardworking individuals are celebrated for their professional successes in the Boulder community. One of these forty people is Kelly Elle Larisey yoga studio owner, Paleo nutritionist and bacon-lover. Kelly is recognized for a range of professional and creative endeavors centering on holistic health; from being managing owner at Boulder’s popular yoga studio, The Little Yoga Studio to life coaching and Paleo coaching,... Read More

This year, About Boulder is teaming up with Quintessentials for one unbelievable partnership. Quintessentials is a company that delivers personal care items to students on behalf of their parents, giving them all the things they need to survive their freshman year of college! I’m sure you’re wondering how this incredible partnership started, and that’s what Quintessentials founder Travis Parke is telling us today. “I suppose it all started in the fall of 2013 when Keira and I met each other in a Business of Entrepreneurship class. She – being far better at studying... Read More

Hello Boulder! I am so excited to become a part of the team at About Boulder™. After meeting with founder of our company, it was obvious that we shared a passion for encouraging people to give back to their communities. Towards that end I have joined the team as the Director of Giving. My first task is the creation of this blog, which I am calling: Boulderthropic. In this column I will set out to discover how local individuals, groups, companies and organizations are contributing to the wellbeing their fellow citizens, restoring the environment, contributing to the mind trust, and encouraging... Read More