Kenny Chapman (the 'blue collar coach') explains the idea of "strategic byproducts": positive, often unexpected outcomes that arise from hardship. Using his stepfather Richard's battle with dementia (noted around Jan 17, 2017) and visits to Paonia, Colorado, Chapman shows how tragedy produced the byproduct of discovering a beloved town, local farms/wineries, and new perspective. He connects this life example to similar business lessons (his own start as a broke drain cleaner at 23).
Chapters
Foreign strategic byproduct. Really? What am I talking about today? I talk about strategic byproducts a lot in business. Today I want to hit you a little bit different Freedom Friday. Kenny Chapman, the blue collar coach. Stay with me here for a minute. I'm in Peonia, Colorado, a town that I grew up competing with when I was in high school in Palisade and different things. I never cared if I ever came to this town again. And then, you know, January 17, 2017, I, my stepfather to a horrible disease many of us know and have battled through family members called dementia. I don't wish that on anybody. However, there's always an opportunity for strategic byproducts. Toward the end of Richard's life, he got moved out here to a place in Paonia. And as he was here in Paonia, you know, the lovely Christy and I would hop in the convertible and we would ride down here and see him and anybody that's dealt with family members that have dementia know the struggle, know the challenge of the visit and, and the quality of the visit and different things. And so we spend our time then we would go around this area and we check out there's a big organic, really healthy food movement, natural farms, great wineries, awesome cider, different things. And today we're at big B's as we hop into town. We're going to stay the night here tonight. And I want to talk about that's a strategic byproduct. My friends, my father in law had his fate. I didn't cause his death. All I can do is learn from it. And what I know is that now there's an amazing part of this world that he taught us about as a strategic byproduct. Now often I talk about that in business, but today I want you to think about that in your life. Where in your life has there been a tragedy, has there been a catastrophe, has there been a challenge where you're just beat down, you don't understand how you're going to make it and then somehow it turns into a strategic byproduct. The reason I'm speaking to you right now is a strategic byproduct of me being a broke drain cleaner, starting a business at 23 years old. I didn't know how I was going to get here. I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know my father in law who treated my mother amazing throughout the years was going to end up with this horrible disease and end up in a little town in Colorado that's now one of our favorite towns. Thank you, Richard. Look, for your strategic byproducts. My friends, until we talk, have a better.
