"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.