Meet SCAPE Mentor: Jasper Welch
Q: What’s your name, title, business?
A: Jasper Welch, Management Consultant, Four Corners Management Systems, (1991-
and Co-Founder, DurangoSpace (2011-
You can read Jasper’s full bio here.
Q: Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.
A: Started in junior high with my first paper route, the afternoon Evening Outlook newspaper, where I had to fold, (rubber) band and deliver about 150 papers, including personally collecting door-to-door the monthly subscriptions. In Durango, it's been a journey working in local businesses (office supplies, local Chamber), starting businesses (such as my FCMS consulting practice and DurangoSpace), helping startups (trainer/coach for local SBDC, SCAPE) and leading startup/entrepreneurial organizations (SJC Enterprise Center, National Business Incubation Association) and serving on privately held and employee owned companies Boards (Stoneage Tools, Data West [utility billing software], WSI [oil/gas field services]). Along the way, I've served two terms on the Durango City Council and two one-year terms as Mayor, and in leadership positions with Club 20/western Colorado. And (most importantly), my wife Susie and I are the proud grandparents of six (6) grand children. I've been supporting the SW Colorado Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs (SCAPE) in various ways, since we were founded in 2013.
Q: What was the most powerful lesson you learned on this journey?
A: Determination, hard work and learning how to work smarter. Sometimes you may be lucky, sometimes things just don't work out as well as you'd hoped. Being willing to learn and be curious, especially from your mistakes, can reduce the amount of luck, that too many people depend on. Rather, I've been learning from a variety of business and life experiences, both as a management consultant and entrepreneur. It's my passion to help the startup and emerging companies with the road they face on their journey.
Q: How do you apply this to your mentoring?
A: That a balanced group of advisors, both professionals and peers, can be essential for a start up company. As an emerging company, a combination of internal talent, a qualified and diverse Board of advisors (and eventually Board of Directors) and a group of strategic alliances are essential. "You don't know, what you don't know. As you should be afraid. And you're not very afraid" Jasperism. So in my mentoring and coaching with my FCMS client and SCAPE companies, my job isn't to point out what is wrong with client ideas and how much smarter I think I am, than they are, but rather how to (with concrete suggestions, frameworks for decision making and proven tools, like Value Proposition Canvas) help the start up and emerging companies (and founders) tackle the problems and take advantage of the opportunities they face and have in front of them.
Q: Why are you involved with SCAPE?
A: New start up and emerging companies are where job creation, innovation, new products and services are created. And it's essential that we diversify and expand our Durango area (and SW Colorado). SCAPE is a hands on, proven process and program for startup and emerging companies to work with mentors, subject matter experts (SME's) and contributing investors (time and money) to build financial viable and market ready businesses in SW Colorado. After 30 years of working with small businesses, startups and emerging companies (including some of my own), it's a privilege to be involved with SCAPE.
Q: Why should someone apply for SCAPE?
A: Going it alone is risky. Being too smart to ask for help is, well, just a waste of your time and money (even worse if other people's money is involved!). So, with a program like SCAPE, participating companies can leverage time, mentor, SME's, startup capital and connections to grow a viable company.
Q: What do you love most about Durango?
A: Real town, with real people and a real program (like SCAPE) to help startup and emerging companies. And I'm so appreciative of the SCAPE mentors, SME's and investors in the Durango area that are willing to help the start up companies.
