Business Is People

Business Is People

As a physiology major in college, I came out of school with no understanding of business, only knowledge about bodily processes. Like so many others though, life has led me into a job that has absolutely nothing to do with what I studied during my time at CU. I do believe however, that in college what we learn most is simply how to learn, and I am learning a ton on this trip.

During a conversation that I had the other with a potential outfitter, I was being watched by the godfather himself, Mr. Epstein. After the call, Epstein stated that although the info about SWAE that I was plugging to this guy was great, the tone in my voice as I spilled it all, well, it sucked. I was just spewing info, not sounding passionate, talking dryly. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I knew the man himself was listening, or because we are a start-up company, and this is my first week of attempting to get meetings with outfitters, and subsequently sign them (which by the way we have been doing… killin’ it).  We are excited, and passionate guys, especially about what we are doing with SWAE. So when we are talking with potential outfitters, and even emailing them, our language has to be just as excited as we are… Good advice, because my next calls went extremely well, and scheduled meetings with 3 more outfitters (see them on “people along the way”) and signed them all on the spot. 

We are coming into these companies who have been operating for 20 some-odd years and completly changing the way they do business in under an hour. So it should come as no surprise that when we do this they offer us rad things. For example,  yesterday when we signed Outdoor Odysseys sea kayaking (www.outdoorodysseys.com)  one of National Geo’s best adventure companies of 08′, the owner (Clark- awesome guy) let us use his newly built eco-office to take showers.  Will also went sea kayaking, and after Epstein signed a rad sailing company (www.sanjuanclassicdaysailing.com) they took us out on their boat, let us sleep in their beautiful house in the woods, and fed us breakfast… 

All of these amazing experiences, and we are only 9 days into the trip. It feels like all we have been doing is first, connecting with people, and then we innovate their business… Not the other way around. I am beginning to understand why business isn’t just business, business is people.

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