"What if the smartest person in the room only has some of the answers, but ten people together have all of it?" In this episode of Connections That Matter, Andrew Johnson sits down with Curt Bear, founder of LOCO Think Tank and host of The Loco Experience podcast. Curt built LOCO Think Tank to give Northern Colorado business owners a place to get honest, experienced advice from fellow business veterans, not consultants.

Episode Highlights
🔹 Why Curt describes each LOCO chapter as "two parts board meeting, one part support group."
🔹 How buying local keeps jobs, tax dollars, and community ties in Northern Colorado instead of Amazon.
🔹 Why the builders, thinkers, and next-level chapter structure matches leadership challenges to business size.
🔹 How Curt's own peer group talked him out of scaling a food trailer business that wasn't the right fit for him.
🔹 Why deliberately slow member vetting protects the trust inside a peer group.
🔹 How genuine curiosity, really trying to picture life in someone else's shoes, leads to better conversations.
🔹 Why Curt's co-branded hot sauce and whiskey partnerships grew out of long-term trust, not sales pitches.
🔹 How The Loco Experience podcast grew from a marketing side project into 277+ episodes.

Why You Should Listen
🔹 Learn what separates a true peer advisory group from a typical networking meetup.
🔹 Understand how to get honest, experienced feedback instead of well-meaning but under-qualified advice.
🔹 Discover how genuine curiosity about someone's story builds trust faster than any pitch.
🔹 Hear how small, authentic partnerships can grow out of long-term relationships instead of formal deals.
🔹 Get a first-hand example of how a peer group can help you recognize when to change direction.

Businesses Curt Recommends
🔹 Matador Mexican Grill: co-branded "crazy ginger" hot sauce partnership; Curt sends listeners there for refills instead of selling it himself.
🔹 Seed and Spirit Distilling: supplies the whiskey Curt shares with podcast guests; opening a tasting room in the former Funkwerks location.
🔹 Old Town Spice Shop: carries "the local mix," a rebrand of Curt's original spice blend, with a nod to LOCO Think Tank on the label.

How to Contact Curt Bear
Podcast: https://thelocoexperience.com
LOCO Think Tank (free "think" events): https://locothinktank.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/curt-bear/

Timestamps
00:17 — Welcome and introduction to Curt Bear and LOCO Think Tank.
01:11 — Why "buy local" sits at the heart of LOCO's mission.
06:56 — The difference between a true peer advisory group and a typical networking group.
07:06 — How LOCO chapters work as "two parts board meeting, one part support group."
13:37 — The builders, thinkers, and next-level chapter structure.
16:40 — How to get the most out of a mastermind or peer advisory group.
19:32 — Curt's own story of stepping back from a food trailer business.
26:19 — How The Loco Experience podcast started and grew to 277 episodes.
29:19 — How Curt finds and sources his podcast guests.
32:44 — Curt's advice for asking better questions and building curiosity.
35:41 — Building co-branded partnerships through trust, not pitches.
42:25 — Where to find The Loco Experience podcast and LOCO's free "think" events.

What if the biggest thing costing you referrals isn’t your work, your pricing, or your network—but the fact that people can’t clearly explain what you do?

Your brand is more than a logo, color palette, or business card. It is the complete experience people have whenever they interact with you—and that experience can determine whether customers find, trust, and choose your business.

In this episode of Connections That Matter, Andrew Johnson talks with Amy Taylor, brand strategist and designer at O Hey Amy Design Studio. Amy helps small businesses, nonprofits, and churches combine strategy with the soul of their organizations to create brands that connect with the right people.

Amy explains how clear messaging makes it easier for customers to understand your value and for referral partners to confidently recommend you. She also shares how networking helped her overcome imposter syndrome, refine her elevator pitch, build a trusted referral network, and grow her business within the Northern Colorado community.

Episode Highlights

🔹 Why your brand is much more than a visually appealing logo.

🔹 How to recognize when your business has outgrown its DIY branding.

🔹 Why strategy, messaging, and customer clarity should come before colors and fonts.

🔹 How networking events can become a testing ground for your elevator pitch.

🔹 Why your clothing, behavior, business cards, and follow-up all contribute to your personal brand.

🔹 How a clear message helps networking partners recognize and communicate referral opportunities.

🔹 Amy’s five-step branding process: soul, customers and competition, strategy, visual identity, and implementation.

🔹 Why the people in your referral network should reflect the quality, empathy, and customer experience of your brand.

🔹 A practical networking strategy introverts can use to confidently enter conversations.

Why You Should Listen

🔹 Learn how to explain who you help and what problem you solve in one clear breath.

🔹 Discover why brand clarity can improve your marketing, networking, referrals, and customer trust.

🔹 Understand how to align the way your business looks with the experience it actually delivers.

🔹 Learn how to choose referral partners who serve your customers with the same level of care you provide.

🔹 Get practical advice for approaching groups, starting conversations, and building deeper connections at networking events.

How to Contact Amy Taylor

Website: oheyamy.com
Instagram: @oheyamy.studio
LinkedIn: Amy Taylor

🔹 Submit the discovery-call questionnaire on Amy’s website to discuss your branding needs.

🔹 Book a one-hour clarity session to brainstorm solutions and create an actionable roadmap.

Timestamps

00:56 — What a brand strategist actually does.
02:49 — When a business has outgrown DIY branding.
06:46 — Using networking to test and improve your messaging.
08:11 — How your brand shows up at networking events.
12:30 — Making your business easier for referral partners to explain.
16:02 — Amy’s five-step branding and rebranding process.
20:13 — How referral partners become part of your brand.
21:34 — Amy’s networking advice for introverts.

Entrepreneurs rarely start a business intending to sacrifice their marriage or family. Yet without intentional boundaries, the company can slowly become the “mistress”—taking the time, energy, and attention once reserved for home.

In this partnership edition of Connections That Matter, Angela and James Mitchell, co-founders of Love Intentionally, share how entrepreneurial couples can build successful businesses without allowing their relationships to drift apart.

Drawing from Angela’s counseling experience, James’s background in entrepreneurship and coaching, and their own marriage, they offer practical systems for keeping love, family, and business aligned. They also explain why a healthy home life is “rocket fuel” for business success. When entrepreneurs feel supported and connected at home, they have more energy, focus, and confidence to grow their companies and strengthen their professional relationships.

Episode Highlights

🔹 Create an annual vision retreat for your marriage and family
🔹 Hold a weekly marriage meeting that combines emotional connection with household logistics
🔹 Establish boundaries that prevent business conversations from consuming family time
🔹 Schedule intimacy without creating pressure around what it must look like
🔹 Use the FBID exercise—Fears, Boundaries, Intentions, and Desires—before networking events, vacations, and family gatherings
🔹 “Bookend” demanding business seasons with intentional connection before and afterward
🔹 Help your spouse understand how business networking supports your shared financial and lifestyle goals
🔹 Replace resentment and defensiveness with appreciation, validation, and honest communication

Why You Should Listen

If you are an entrepreneur, business owner, or spouse of one, this conversation offers a practical framework for protecting your relationship while pursuing ambitious goals.

You will learn how to recognize relationship drift before it becomes a crisis, create systems that keep both partners on the same page, and handle business networking without leaving your spouse feeling overlooked or resentful. Angela and James also share simple ways to make date nights more playful and keep connection alive during travel, deadlines, and demanding seasons.

Businesses Angela and James Mitchell Recommend

🔹 Pinball Jones — A Fort Collins pinball arcade where couples can incorporate play, friendly competition, and something different into date night.

🔹 The Love Shack — An alcohol-free social destination in downtown Loveland with handcrafted mocktails and a basement gaming area designed for connection and fun.

🔹 Avogadro’s Number — A Fort Collins restaurant and live-music venue where Angela and James have enjoyed trying something new together, including swing dancing.

How to Contact Angela and James Mitchell

Website: loveintentionally.com
Instagram: @loveintentionally.co
Schedule a free 40–45-minute discovery call through their website
Podcast: Married & Magnetic
Book: Married & Magnetic: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to a Thriving Marriage and a Booming Business

Timestamps

03:05 — How a growing business can create distance in a marriage
05:03 — Systems for keeping your marriage intentional
12:06 — Healing old wounds and changing relationship patterns
16:09 — Why a strong home life is rocket fuel for business success
20:01 — Creating boundaries around business conversations
23:54 — Including your spouse in business networking
29:05 — Using the FBID tool to protect date nights and relationships
32:06 — Staying connected during travel, deadlines, and busy seasons
34:46 — Playful Northern Colorado date-night ideas