The U is Silent; We Aren’t-Episode 7
Watch Ya Mouth, Trust Ya Gut: How Chaos and Creativity Launched Startup Success
How does a kid mowing lawns in West Virginia end up launching a bestselling game and building a creativity-fueled business hub in Staunton, VA? Peter Denbigh gets real about idea execution, building a killer team, and why small towns might just be the next big thing in innovation.
About This Podcast
The U may be silent, but Staunton has a lot to say. Join Visit Staunton as we sit down with inspiring individuals at the top of their craft. We’re chatting about what drives their passion, the actions behind the impact, and a little about the place where they’re making it all happen.
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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome back to Staunton’s The U is Silent; We Aren’t podcast. So happy that you guys are joining us again this week. This week’s podcast interview guest we are so excited for for a couple reasons. One, the history, the journey, you guys are just going to absolutely love listening into. The other aspect is this guest literally calls the place that we are in home here. So please
9 sec.
help us welcome and enjoy this story for our guest here today, Mr. Peter Denbigh. Samantha, it’s a real pleasure to be here. Oh, it’s so great to have you here. Yeah, thank you. It’s a beautiful place and a beautiful day. I love it. Now, this is, in many ways, the best intro we could possibly have. Good. This is a…
35 sec.
is in many ways your home away from home. So Peter, co-founder of the Staunton Innovation Hub, which is where we are at here today. This amazing studio, Nomad Studio, is right here in this space. So welcome home. Hey, thank you. It’s so cool to be here. You know, I’m often in here in a different role of like, hey, that light bulb’s out or what’s this thing that’s broken? So it’s really awesome to be here supporting Staunton, supporting one of our members that we’re very proud of in this amazing space. So yeah, this is
59 sec.
as much of an honor for me as anything. Thank you. Yeah. Now we’re going to get in a little bit to what we just featured, if anybody doesn’t know already. What are you talking about? Right? So you’ve had…
1 min. 28 sec.
You’ve had a vast array of experience and journey throughout your career from entrepreneur in many, many aspects. Innovator certainly encapsulates your career. Inventor. But why don’t you tell us just a little bit about your journey? Sure. My journey…
1 min. 39 sec.
I’d have to say it began, I grew up in West Virginia in a rural town, cute rural town called Spencer, West Virginia. And my family were all small business folks. That’s what I thought was the normal way. I didn’t realize it was the crazy way. And so as soon as I was strong enough to push a lawnmower…
1 min. 59 sec.
I started mowing lawns around our neighborhood. I ended up mowing a lot of lawns and saving up money because I really wanted a new set of speakers for my bedroom. That was my goal. So I got that. I DJed in town, that sort of thing, whatever. And then I – What was, like, the song that you couldn’t wait – or, like, the album you couldn’t wait to play? Oh, it was Atliens by Outkast. Oh, okay. I don’t know what I expected you to say, but that was not what I expected. No, probably not that. No.
2 min. 19 sec.
No, it had a nice bass note to it. Yeah. Yeah. Fun melody. And yep, just sounded really good. Yeah. So you were doing a lawn business. You did a little bit of DJ work. A little bit of DJ work. And then when I graduated high school, I was fortunate enough to get admitted to JMU. And that’s what brought me to the Shenandoah Valley. So when we, we toured a bunch of
2 min. 50 sec.
colleges and universities, but there was something special about coming over Route 33 into Harrisonburg and having that tie to West Virginia, which felt like home, but still being four and a half hours away so mom and dad couldn’t show up unexpectedly. It was balanced. Yeah, it was balanced. But just driving through that Bluestone campus, being in the Shenandoah Valley, being close to the things that I have a very deep connection to the outdoor world and being outside.
3 min. 13 sec.
It just felt right. And it was right. I majored in the integrated science and technology program and a pseudo, like wherever I could squeeze in a business class because they didn’t have a formal business minor at the time and loved it, really loved it and just loved being in the Shenandoah Valley. Yeah. So going back to when, you know, you were a young kid, I know you, you grew up watching your parents be entrepreneurs and business owners when you started.
3 min. 41 sec.
first started your lawn business and knocked on a door and said, you know what, what can we do? Like at that, and I don’t know how old you were then, but did you think to yourself, I have a business or were you just thinking about the stereo? No, man, I was just thinking about the dollar. I was like 13, 14. Yeah. And I was just thinking about, well, I want to make some money. And that was
4 min. 10 sec.
that doesn’t have a big poetic story to it, but that really is like, that was the motivation at the time. And then when I think back to it, I really liked the element of,
4 min. 31 sec.
of a being in control of my, my income and my, and what I’m doing. I really like the instant satisfaction of mowing a lawn because what I’ve since learned is so much about business is kind of a long-term return. You work, you work, you work, you work. And then one day it pays off. When you mow a lawn, you work for an hour and it’s beautiful. And it’s like, that’s, that’s a good looking lawn. Yeah.
4 min. 40 sec.
And I was always very proud of a job well done. So a little bit of a, very much a perfectionist and being able to stand back and say, oh, that looks really good. And being proud of it just for no other reason than I liked it was really nice. But I didn’t really think of it as a business at the time. The first time I ever really admitted to myself that I was in business was senior year at JMU.
5 min. 4 sec.
And I don’t know why, but I felt like I needed some sort of external validation that I was in business. And so the senior year at JMU, I had a structured cabling, like network wiring, low voltage type cabling company. And
5 min. 35 sec.
I remember sitting on a little nook on the third floor of the ISAT building on the phone with the IRS to get my first tax ID number. And it was 542056194. And that was like this moment, and I remembered it. And it was like, oh, my gosh, ISAT.
5 min. 51 sec.
I have a business and it, and some of it was like very, very real. And some of it, I felt like a total imposter and like, well, who am I? I’m just this college kid. That’s like, I don’t know what it was. I was 20. I graduated in 02. So I was 22, 21, 22. And it’s like, so what I have this thing, but that really was a very key moment in my, in my memory of, of entrepreneurship. They’re like, Oh, yeah.
6 min. 9 sec.
This is how it’s done. This is the step you take and you make this call and you get this number and that makes you official, which in hindsight is kind of silly, but it was pretty profound to me at the time. Did it feel more scary or more encouraging? Oh, totally exciting. Yeah. Totally exciting. Yeah. And I’ve always been a little bit of a kind of an adventure seeker. So it was just, it was part of the adventure and it has never stopped being in an adventure since, but it was like, all right.
6 min. 39 sec.
Now we have set off on this path and I don’t know where the heck it’s going. I have big hopes, big aspirations. There’ll probably be a few right and left hand turns in there, but here we go. It was really, it was really profound. Did you tell your professors what you had done when you created it? Oh, I don’t think, well, you know, actually I think I did take a business class and used that business as a case study in it. Oh, interesting. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
7 min. 5 sec.
Now, you are also founder of Schuyler Innovations, which became kind of the overarching business, I guess, that was able to develop, if I’m saying this correctly. You’re very successful game, Watch Ya Mouth. Watch Ya Mouth. Yeah. That’s right. And I love what I saw is so you really, I mean, you are the founder, but your title with that is Chief Chaos Creator. It is.
7 min. 31 sec.
Tell me more. So sure. It’s a little tongue in cheek and kind of born from what my team sometimes refers to me as. I’m sure it’s in an endearing way most of the time. So I believe very firmly that ideas are wonderful and a lot of people have ideas. And I mean this not as an insult, but when you really boil down to it, the value of an idea doesn’t actually come from…
7 min. 59 sec.
without persistent productive execution. And so one of the unique abilities that I have nurtured and fostered and studied and practiced is the ability to take an idea from this conceptual thing in one’s head to something real and in front of you and in the market pretty quickly. And I really enjoy
8 min. 27 sec.
That part of business where it goes it’s and and it’s a pretty hard part of us where it goes from this thing to something physical and whatever shape that takes and Like in front of a customer and you have to be very vulnerable and you’re like putting yourself out there and oh boy was this thing gonna work I’ve learned to move really fast in in and through that process and I
8 min. 55 sec.
for those that are around me, it can appear very chaotic. And it can cause a lot of chaos, particularly if I fail to help explain kind of what is the end goal here and where are we headed and what is the why? So in that process of taking it from here or from your head or whoever I’m working with to the public,
9 min. 19 sec.
is fast and messy and we break things a lot and we mess up and we backtrack and we go again and we try this and it doesn’t work and we’re up and down. We’re sideways, left, right. Working long hours, we’re tired, we’re excited, a little manic, whatever. And it can be very chaotic. Yeah. So I say, and I hope it’s an endearing title that I’ve been given because without that,
9 min. 43 sec.
um, comfort level with causing chaos and being okay, breaking things and trying things rapidly and iterating and whatnot, it’s much harder to bring things to life. So there is chaos. And then what’s so important is having the amazing team that I have of people that can then kind of wrangle some of that chaos and say, all right.
10 min. 11 sec.
Here, here’s stay in your lane, Denby. And we, we get it. You’ve, you’ve gotten us here. Now let us, let us bring some, some calm to this thing so that it can, it can really take on a life of its own. And so having that team and trusting that team and caring for that team is an incredibly important part of that title. How do you go about balancing that though, of, of this fast paced, you know,
10 min. 36 sec.
of creative thinking, but also a team leading balance where it’s not just your idea. Sure. How do you balance that? It’s, it has taken me a long time to learn what sort of team I work well with. And this type of team I work well with are folks that are highly independent, trusting and driven, where I can work with them, not as a…
11 min. 1 sec.
not so much on like a managerial, micromanagerial way, but more of a mentor leader type way where I can help them understand what that path forward looks like. And together we figure out
11 min. 22 sec.
what the steps are to take that path. And then they have the autonomy and the skills and the drive to run with it. And then we all have the mutual trust to come back and say, hey, this thing isn’t working. And that’s not a reflection on the person. It’s what’s a reflection on the person would be this thing’s not working and I’m not going to tell anybody.
11 min. 38 sec.
It’s this thing’s not working and I care enough about this project and the team that I need to raise this. And we’re like, oh, cool. Okay. So that’s a problem to be solved. So let’s do this. Let’s rethink how we entered this moment and work through it.
12 min. 1 sec.
And that’s where the magic really happens is when you get that team together that you can tell that you trust each other and there aren’t all these ulterior motives and it’s it’s really magical. All right. Let’s talk about Watch Ya Mouth. Watch Ya Mouth. Yep. How like where did this come from? What was that initial idea? There’s a movie called The Boss with Melissa McCarthy in it. Yeah. And early on in that movie, yeah.
12 min. 15 sec.
There’s a scene where she’s getting her teeth whitened with what I later learned the technical term is a cheek retractor is in it called a mouthpiece, a little less gross. And she’s trying to talk and there’s all this commotion going on. And I just thought it was really funny. And so we saw that movie again.
12 min. 43 sec.
And at the time, I was still really locked into this idea of an idea’s worth without persistent protective execution. Just like, all right, how fast can we do something? I was fresh off a failed Kickstarter campaign. We had created this really cool bowl that I still think is neat for kids to eat out of. And…
13 min. 3 sec.
It totally bombed. Like I think our, I think our goal was seven to raise $70,000, which was a mistake anyhow. And I think we raised maybe a thousand or something. So that was a good lesson, but I had learned how to build a Kickstarter campaign through that process. I was like, all right, well, this idea seems a little bit more simple and I bet we could turn that into a game. So really what motivated was two things. One is,
13 min. 27 sec.
I wanted to see and kind of challenge myself, how quickly can I take it from this very moment to live on Kickstarter? Because again, I want an idea is about persistent and productive execution. So let’s move fast. Turns out it was like three weeks or so, something like that. Really? And the other thing that motivated is I really wanted a new mountain bike.
13 min. 57 sec.
back to that stereo. You know, I guess so. Um, and the Shenandoah Valley is just awesome for mountain bike. I beat my old one to death. So I was like, you know, if I could just raise just enough money with this idea to get a new mountain bike, it would be successful. Sure. That was my metric. And, um, so yeah,
14 min. 20 sec.
I mean, I hacked together the box. I got business cards printed with the phrases on it. I did 99 designs for the logo. Just fast and furious and break things and make it imperfect. Break things and move fast is what you kind of hear in the startup world. And got it on Kickstarter. And right around that time…
14 min. 38 sec.
There were some other videos that came out with mouthpieces in them. They were really funny. Some of them used our game. Some of them didn’t. So the timing was just very serendipitous there. And several hours and others went viral. And so everybody started looking to that Kickstarter campaign for this weird, ridiculous game that makes people look crazy. And even your grumpy old Aunt Jo can put it in her mouth and be funny.
15 min. 2 sec.
And so that’s what really kicked it off, to be punny about Kickstarter. And it was a wild, wild ride from that point. Yeah. What did it feel like, though, when it did start? Because like you mentioned, you were just coming off an idea that didn’t quite take off. And then…
15 min. 31 sec.
This was the complete opposite. I mean, it was lightning speed off and national attention and was, I mean, becoming part of shows and YouTube and all this stuff and like was really becoming part of pop culture. Right. What what did that feel like? There was part of it, as you can imagine, was just a rush like, OK, we have to keep up.
15 min. 50 sec.
The tough part was not launching it. The tough part was keeping up and getting these things manufactured. And we can talk about that if you want. There was a very big part of it that was surreal. There was like this part of me, it’s like, I don’t deserve this. Why me? When is the rug going to be pulled out from under me and us? I mean, it was my former wife, the team that we had to start hiring to bring this thing to life, vendors that we had committed to.
16 min. 13 sec.
But it was fun. Like if I have to boil it down to any emotion, it was a fun, fun adventure that I am just incredibly grateful for because of the opportunities that it created for me, for my family, for our team, for the town. This is here in a large part because of that. Actually, this idea started before that, but that was definitely a catalyst to make it happen. Yeah.
16 min. 43 sec.
So it was, it was, it was a wild adventure and it, it used the, the interesting thing is I’d had some, I’d had several businesses leading up to this. Some were successful, some were not. I’ve learned that failure is a very big part of the process. But when the game really hit, it’s like every lesson I had learned to that point through these businesses is
17 min. 11 sec.
had to be applied. I am curious if you wouldn’t mind sharing, because like you mentioned, we’ll talk a little bit more about it, is this game was a catalyst to the space we’re in today and so many other aspects that are now growing from this very concept. There really was a domino and a ripple effect. But I’m curious, when you were at the point and this growth was happening and it was like spiraling and everything was happening,
17 min. 37 sec.
You said there was a moment of almost like imposter syndrome of like, do we deserve this? Do we push forward? And there’s this great saying about, you know, on the other side of fear is where greatness happens. But so often that’s where we stop at. Right.
18 min. 4 sec.
What led you to continue pushing past that point to say, you know what? Even if I don’t feel like I should be at this point, this is where I am. Yeah. And we’re going to keep going. What was that? It was a big internal battle. There’s, I am an eternal optimist. I definitely have a belief in abundance and opportunity and, and this burning feeling inside that there’s more out there. And so when this presented itself, I,
18 min. 18 sec.
I felt the pull of that bigger future. And so that’s what really kept me going, that this is happening, and I have a choice of either standing up and enjoying the ride or hiding. I knew I would never forgive myself if I hid. And so we just kept going. And it wasn’t this…
18 min. 47 sec.
big epiphany of sitting down in a deep meditation and seeing this big future and whatnot, honestly, as, as unglorious as this sounds, it was very much about, okay, what’s the next step? What’s the next thing we need to do? Okay. What’s the next problem we need to solve? Let’s get through that. Let’s do this next thing. And just that persistent execution of the idea. And it was fun. It was really fun. It was fun. Like I,
19 min. 14 sec.
Oh my gosh, we need to produce a truckload of these games. We need to produce three truckloads of these games. We need to produce how many truckloads of these games? And figuring out how to do that, going to China, setting up five factories in seven days,
19 min. 42 sec.
But then the beautiful thing was we were able to work locally for so much of this stuff. So like in Waynesboro, there’s a group called Vector Industries and they have a team of people that may not be a fit for traditional employment.
20 min.
And they were phenomenal. Like they were the key to getting the fulfillment where we needed it to be quickly and whatnot. So being able to work locally in the Shenandoah Valley, these products were coming in from three different distant sources and to Waynesboro, Virginia, which is 15 minutes from Staunton.
20 min. 16 sec.
and then going back out around the world. Yeah. Right here in the Shenandoah Valley. It’s really neat. Yeah. Pivoting from that point to where you are now. As we mentioned, we’re in the Staunton Innovation Hub right now.
20 min. 44 sec.
So I think what’s one thing, well, many aspects, but one thing that’s really interesting about your story is you very easily could have taken the success and gone and moved to whether it be another place or whatever it might be. Sure. And instead you’ve really reimagined the world of startup, certainly in the Shenandoah Valley.
21 min. 1 sec.
Those two things really would have been synonymous prior to this in many aspects, I think. And so can you kind of talk about where has the whole idea of now the innovation hubs, plural, right? Like where did that all come from initially and why did you come back to it after you saw this great success? Sure. You know, you’re one of several people that have said that. You could have taken this and gone anywhere else.
21 min. 24 sec.
And it never even crossed my mind to do that. It was always about, okay, how does this lead to more value in this world? And that’s kind of where this came from. Yeah.
21 min. 52 sec.
I grew up in West Virginia. I know how to build things. I have some sick fascination with old buildings, I guess. And commercial real estate was interesting to me. Blame it on the ADHD. I mean, mowing lawns, outdoor sticker company, resume book, game. Commercial real estate seems like a natural path, right? And so,
22 min. 7 sec.
I was at a Bright Rewired business plan competition, which was a collaborative event, I believe, with SDDA, Staunton Downtown Development Association. What was the Staunton Community Creative Fund, now the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund. Yeah. And maybe one or two other groups. This was in maybe 2015 or so. They had a…
22 min. 35 sec.
business plan pitch competition. And I forget where it was. It may have been kind of in the, we’re kind of in the depot area near the train station. Okay. And I had just come from Harrisonburg. My family and I moved down here and,
23 min. 3 sec.
And I was trying to get more involved in the startup scene and the business scene in Staunton. And I sat there and I was blown away by the quality of the ideas that people were pitching, the depth of the ideas, the quantity of the ideas. And I was like, man, this is a cool town. And I’ve been…
23 min. 21 sec.
So I’ve been around startups and municipalities and groups that are trying to help startups. And so what I noticed is that there are all these groups trying to help startups and small business, which is amazing. But what I also noticed is there was a lot of duplicity in that effort. Everybody means well, but a lot of people are kind of doing similar things and stepping on each other’s toes unintentionally and…
23 min. 45 sec.
And those kind of resources are very finite. The financial resources, the energy resources, the emotional resources to help people. There’s a limit. So I was sitting there listening to these competitions and I was thinking, man, wouldn’t it be cool if there was a way to help these people? Because I’d already been through my own serious struggles in business. And I could see like, oh, I wonder if they’ve thought of this. What if they thought of that? What about this? And I just generally wanted to help. And so I was thinking, well, what’s the best way to help? Well, this group’s already doing this. This group’s already doing that.
24 min. 11 sec.
Wouldn’t it be cool if we could just get all of these people under one roof and help them and understand and maybe stop tripping over each other a little bit and just create this environment, this ecosystem, this culture where people could thrive and they wouldn’t have to worry about is the printer out of paper and is the coffee hot and did I pay the internet bill? Yeah.
24 min. 42 sec.
That’s where a lot of this was born, is getting all these people under one roof. So then we started doing research. I started doing research, formed a little working group of… Chris Kane was the director of SCCF at the time. Dan Funk was still kicking off the Makerspace group.
25 min. 7 sec.
Cortland Robinson, Aaron Louie, several Staunton folks that I connected with. And I said, hey, what do you think of this? And they’re like, that would be cool. And so we just started thinking about it. I guess for those that may be listening that aren’t familiar with what the Staunton Innovation Hub actually is, can you kind of give an overview of…
25 min. 27 sec.
What opportunities are here? Because I think what’s amazing is, is just like you said, that the hope was to create a space where people at multiple levels, because there’s multiple types of spaces here can can kind of continue kickstarting or growing their business. Yeah. But also, it strips away or it takes off from their plate.
25 min. 52 sec.
the extras to where they can focus on the work. What is the work that has to happen? But can you kind of give an overview of like, what is happening in this space? Yeah, no, that’s well said. You’re hired. No, you did. You said it well, Samantha. So
26 min. 12 sec.
It’s a it’s a large what’s cool about this place, in my opinion, is it’s a large co-working space in a cool small town. And so we have two buildings that equate to 30,000 square feet of space. We have a square foot for every citizen of Staunton.
26 min. 27 sec.
Um, and the biggest, the bigger of the two buildings is about 27,000 square feet. We have in scattered throughout is a dynamic ecosystem manifested as a coworking space. And so we have traditional coworking, hot desks, things like that. We have private offices, we have anchor spaces, we have hot coffee spaces.
26 min. 47 sec.
And we have a community manager and we’ve built an environment where people can come in, open their laptop and get to work. And that’s all born from what I wish I would have had all those years and how it could have lessened those lows and accelerate the highs of that entrepreneurial roller coaster. And then what’s been born out of that is this community, this incredibly supportive community of people that are all doing something different.
27 min. 12 sec.
They’re doing something. They’re really like they’re pushing forward. They’re working to level up their life. And what they need is a place that when they walk in, a switch flips in their brain and they get into that success mode, as I call it, that production mode where all the other distractions are much more quiet. And it’s the way the place looks, the way it sounds, the way it smells. Like we appeal to all the senses. We have programs here everywhere.
27 min. 40 sec.
to help people get past whatever plateau they’re currently on. And then we have a lot of really interesting organic groups that have formed from book clubs to nonprofit support groups to executives that get together for lunch and talk about what, you know, common challenges. And so we’ve created this community where people come in and they advance whatever it is they’re working on and buy books.
28 min. 7 sec.
Association, advance their life, advance their business, advance the community, advance the region. And we’re just so proud of what we’ve built. So this building that we’re currently in is about 27,000 square feet, three stories. And it was an old newspaper building. We are currently sitting in one of the old editorial rooms.
28 min. 32 sec.
And right across from us is where part of the printing press was. And behind us is where the printing press was. And so it was built in the late 1800s, early 1900s.
28 min. 53 sec.
And for those that don’t know Staunton, it has this incredible historic downtown that has been so well preserved, this Victorian downtown. And so we were honored to be able to play a role in the preservation of downtown Staunton and turn this building into something that will be here for 100 more years, hopefully, or more. And.
29 min. 3 sec.
is a kind of a modern interpretation of creativity and economic development for the town. I mean, in this building and the little one beside us are over 120 companies that call it home. And that is pretty impactful for a downtown. And so these are 120 companies. Some of them are solopreneurs, some of them have several teams, some of them are remote teams, whatever, but they are here and they’re spending money in our downtown.
29 min. 24 sec.
And they are really enjoying being here in Staunton, in the Staunton Innovation Hub, in the Shenandoah Valley, raising their family in this great place to work and live. And so when this was all kicking off, I was like, well, does this have a place in Staunton? And I looked around. I was like, well, gosh, Staunton has an incredible food scene, an incredible art scene, theater scene, culture. It’s beautiful, beautiful.
29 min. 53 sec.
What might it be lacking? At the time for me, it was a place where you could come to work and really try then build that thing. Or maybe you’re not building a thing. Maybe you’re a remote worker for a big company, but you just want to get out of the city. So that’s what we created. So far, so good. We’re very proud of what we have and so excited for the people that are in here.
30 min. 18 sec.
you know, expanding. Yeah. I’ll share this real quick. I think something you just said was a big moment when I moved here and started here in this role because early on, I was, Amy gave me a tour. Oh, nice. And just, she’s so awesome and so fantastic. And, you know, we had,
30 min. 45 sec.
decided to relocate our family here because of the theater scene, the food scene, the arts that were happening, just the culture that was happening here. But there was a great moment. It was just in my own head and myself, but
31 min. 6 sec.
And when I was on that tour with Amy and we were getting to see, like you would walk by a room and you can see all these ideas on a board and then you would walk by and you would see somebody at an individual space or an office space. And then we went up to the rooftop and you could see all of Staunton. And it was just such a great moment that solidified my life.
31 min. 20 sec.
am in the right place. And the reason I say that is we are so known and rightfully so in many ways for the art scene, the culture, the history, the food. But what that moment kind of confirmed to me is I think Staunton does a great job of being very proud of where we’re at right now. But there was also the confirmation that
31 min. 39 sec.
this community still is looking for growth and still looking to invest in what’s next in the, and, and honestly beyond just what’s next and who is next because it’s all about the people here cultivating the ideas. So kudos to you guys for creating that, that space. I am curious, how do you guys go about balancing the business with the community? Cause you guys have a ton of events. My, my,
32 min. 2 sec.
favorite is I finally got to enjoy the, the very talked about chili cook-off. Oh yeah. That’s serious. So much chili that day and it was worth it. Absolutely. But how do you guys balance that, that double side of being a space for work, but also like being a part of the community? Yeah, no chili cook-off is awesome. Gets pretty spicy. It does. So, um,
32 min. 27 sec.
I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. I think our role here is to create an environment where people want to be. Because at what point does…
32 min. 53 sec.
this community become business and business go back to community, I think they’re one and the same. And so creating a space where people want to come in and belong and work on the thing that they’re working on, it’s not so much of a bounce because like, you know, I mentioned that we have a nonprofit support group, for example.
33 min. 6 sec.
Nonprofits are very much businesses and they have all the same challenges of a for-profit, budgets and HR and where’s the revenue coming from and all that stuff.
33 min. 31 sec.
but they also serve our community in a big way. And so it’s our honor to be able to have a place where these nonprofit executive directors can come and work through those issues. Not all of those executive directors are members of the Staunton Innovation Hub. Many of them are. That’s right. But because we are that resource and that third space and that gathering space,
33 min. 45 sec.
I guess if you want to do a marketing play on that, there’s certainly a marketing play on that because people just associate us with where they want to be. Um, but it’s, it’s so much more than that for us. It’s, uh,
34 min. 10 sec.
there yeah it’s it’s just even our location is very central to downtown uh and that’s not by accident because we want to be we want to be that place that people want to be and if if because if they’re here we’re doing our job and if they stay here we’re doing our job and it’s even better if they pay to be here and be a member and they’re going to be because when they walk into the space
34 min. 24 sec.
That switch flips and they’re like, wow, this is where I want to work. And what’s great is when we’re doing our job well, it’s an investment to be a member here. But the ROI is so fast that they pay for that investment in the first month that they’re here. And, you know, and it’s great. So I think it’s very much being in business and being part of the community is very much one in the same for us. Yeah.
34 min. 51 sec.
I am curious. I mean, we’ve covered a good portion of your career, and I know it goes even further, and there’s probably so many other stories you could share. I know I have said this too. I’m like, gosh, I wish the things I knew now I knew when I was at this point in my career. But then again, like, then your whole trajectory would be different. Right. With that said, is there anything in particular that you’re like, man, I wish I knew this 10, 15 years ago? Mm-hmm.
35 min. 20 sec.
Um, the best way through a best way out of a storm is through it. The old Buffalo technique. Yeah. Um, for sure. Don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth is something that’s taken me far too long to figure out. Um, I wish I had been a lot more present through the process. I’m, I’m very, very future focused. Um.
35 min. 49 sec.
and the past is kind of a blur. And I know there are a lot of memories there that I don’t remember because I saw it and I just went straight on to the next thing. And I probably could have learned a lot more and been a little bit less stressed if I’d been just a little bit more present through the process. Building the right team is so important. Just lifting your team up and supporting them in their dreams and where they want to go. If you do that well, it’ll be reciprocated.
36 min. 15 sec.
Being careful who you trust, I think is important too. Picking the right partners in business and in life, I think is something that’s become aware to me or clear to me now. Coffee is so powerful when you’re tired. Red Bull’s great.
36 min. 45 sec.
life lessons now life lessons but it’s you know it’s it is there I don’t think there’s an easy path in life and so finding the path that just naturally lights you up is just so crucial and it’s not what you think I should be doing it’s not what my parents think I should be doing it’s not what my friends think I should be doing it’s the thing that when I think about it I just I can’t sleep I don’t want to eat and
37 min. 8 sec.
I work nonstop and the thing that just lights you up inside, finding a way to monetize that is going to really lead to happiness for you. So yeah, I think that’s, when I was on this path, it was always like, is this the right move? Is this the right move? What am I doing bouncing from this career to this career to this industry to this industry? And what I’ve learned is for me personally,
37 min. 37 sec.
That’s great. I don’t think I’m meant to be on this earth to stick to one industry forever. I think I’m on this earth to build things and build teams and create value for my team, my customers, the town, Shenandoah Valley, the region, the world, whatever it might be. I’m here to create value and I might bounce around a lot doing that. And that is my path. For so long, I was very self-conscious like…
38 min. 7 sec.
I’m certifiably unemployable because I’ve done this thing and I went over here and did this thing and it’s like this kid’s resume screams ADHD but you turned it into like your superpower yeah so you just turn it into your superpower you know yeah yeah I it took me way too long to ask for help too that’s something that I wish I would have done sooner just ask for help because turns out people don’t mind helping yeah but
38 min. 36 sec.
Coffee has been really important too. Kind of the bottom line. Yeah. Coffee or a good cup of tea or something. Which there are a number of good coffee shops in Staunton, Virginia. There really is. Yeah. Talk about a difference maker. Right? That’s why it works so well here, right? All the pieces together. Yeah. Thank you so much for your time, your thoughts, your insight. Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
39 min. 5 sec.
So come visit Staunton, Virginia. Come visit the Staunton Innovation Hub. Come say hi. It’s right on the intersection of two major interstates in a beautiful town in the Shenandoah Valley. It’s worth your visit. Yeah, come create something awesome here and be a part of this awesome community. It’s worth it.
39 min. 29 sec.
I couldn’t have said that better myself we’re going to have you start doing the outros for now Peter thank you so much I appreciate just all the work you guys are doing here in Staunton the energy you’re creating the next wave of what our community will be and is so thank you for everything and thanks for your time on what you shared today and thank you guys for listening in the You Is Silent We Aren’t so continuing checking this out if you like what you hear give us that good 5 star
39 min. 46 sec.
rating. It helps us out. Give us a like, a share, tell your friends, tell whoever you would like and come check out Staunton. And while you’re here, check out the Staunton Innovation Hub. Thanks so much, guys. We’ll see you next time.
40 min. 15 sec.
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