I’ve long been a fan of annual letters for their ability to show a different side of a business, leadership team, and reality about what’s happening. So, here’s Acumen’s annual letter.

What would you say if you wanted to write openly and honestly to your employees, clients, and partners about 2023? (see last year’s letter)

Celebrated 10 Years

Over the last ten years, we have been creating deep business communities that sharpen, challenge, and inspire CEOs and Owners, helping them grow the top line, optimize the bottom line and enrich the storyline.

We celebrated those ten years in October and honored our Founder, Drew Hiss, with what else - a big sword.

We’re looking forward to what the tween and teenage years are shaping up to be.

Made for Impact 

We love the word Impact. It’s what we’re about. 

Who can generate this impact in a community? Business Owners and CEOs. They lead, shepherd, and influence the lives of employees, their families, customers, suppliers, and communities. Only one thing can happen when the holy spirit is alive in a community: Exponential Impact and Influence.  

We’ve talked about adding a new equity partner over the last couple of years to increase the velocity of our community growth, influence, and impact. After much deliberation and discernment, we partnered with the Impact Foundation designating us an Impact Company (that’s a lot of Impact!).

The Impact Foundation invests charitable capital for economic, social, and spiritual transformation. The dividends from their investment are returned to redeploy for other charitable opportunities. (think of a higher ed foundation investing in a fortune 500 company creating an increased chance to give away more scholarships – but on a smaller scale). 

We’re excited to partner with the Impact Foundation, creating a higher standard for our influence and results, which we’ll measure as Impact.

It’s what we’re made for.

Embedded in the Front Range – and beyond

2021 set the stage in Denver with Regional President Steve Van Diest leading the charge. Steve added Pete Gazlay in Fort Collins, who will launch a team early in the 2nd quarter. He continues to recruit in Denver and Colorado Springs, embedding the Acumen community more deeply.

We’re actively recruiting former CEOs and business owners looking to go from success to significance while experiencing economic benefits in cities across the US. Is your city in need of Acumen? Are you ready to grow a high-performing community of Owners and CEOs? Is this you? Let’s talk.

Growing Team

Preparing for rapid growth is always a chicken or egg challenge. Grow then hire - hire then grow? We did the latter early to level up our systems, team, and processes to run with the growth. Our team is now too many to list – an excellent problem to have. Who you go to battle with matters, and we’re excited about the talent in the war room.

We’ve proven the city playbook, developed our training and development process, and created tools to start, grow and recruit leaders of teams (Growth Catalysts) and sharpen, challenge, and inspire CEOs and Owners.

It’s time to put – the – hammer - down (you're welcome Chiefs fans).