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Meet Bob Richards, one of the Deming Center鈥檚 Catalyst Board Members and a seasoned entrepreneur with an enthusiasm for the Outdoor Industry.听

Bob didn鈥檛 always see himself听becoming an entrepreneur听but he realized over time that entrepreneurship excited him. He was hooked on the entrepreneurial way of thinking after starting his first venture, Cubetek, years ago. Bob鈥檚 career ranges from being the Marketing Director of the Ice Cream Division for Carnation/Nestle Foods (yum!) to starting the first multi-state chain of climbing gyms in 1991 called Rockreation. After selling his portion of the company in 2004, Bob created a private equity firm, Open Water Ventures, that focuses on investing in active lifestyle companies. Bob has sustained his presence in the climbing gym world by partaking in expert witness work and consulting with climbing gyms across the country. In addition to his听list of successful ventures, Bob has participated in听mentoring Leeds School of Business听graduate students for the past ten years.听

Leeds Mentorship

Bob started informally mentoring students while his son was attending the Leeds School of Business and听eventually began听mentoring students in a more formalized capacity. Bob enjoys helping students and sharing the bumps that he experienced as an entrepreneur, as well as the lessons learned from hitting those career bumps. Bob thrives off of the creativity vital to entrepreneurship and enjoys the opportunity to build a cohesive and effective team. As an athlete and former college hockey player, he understands that teamwork is critical to the success of a business.

Bob believes that identifying your personal and professional ideals and values is paramount in your entrepreneurial journey and personal life. Each year he reassesses his values to see听if they have changed. As part of that process, he believes听that entrepreneurship is adaptable and that each person can create something individualized听to their own journey!

When asked about听his favorite aspects of entrepreneurship, Bob stresses the value of learning,

鈥淚n entrepreneurship, you are constantly learning and it鈥檚 absolutely critical. I always found that I struggled more in times during my life that I wasn鈥檛 stretching or growing. One of my personal ideals and values is curiosity. Entrepreneurship forces you to grow as a person! You are constantly learning new things to help your business grow and maintain its vitality.鈥�

Advice for Current Students

When asked about advice for future students, Bob encourages students to understand who they are, what鈥檚 important to them, and what they want their future to hold. Bob believes there鈥檚 no rush for听current听students,

鈥淭he most important thing is to know that there is no rush to be an immediate entrepreneur. If you have the opportunity to work with a great mentor at a bigger company and learn, I believe it鈥檚 important to gain skills to help you later and plan your entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is also very flexible and you can always choose when you will start.鈥�