As I sit here and reflect about this experience 2 weeks later a few key things come to mind. The first one is “just do it”. Say it out loud, make that reservation, buy that ticket, climb that mountain. People ask me “how do you do these special things?” I just did them—no magic involved, just go do it.

Secondly, find a workplace that matches who you are as a person. It may sound corny, but I finally found an employer who not only respects who I am as a person but who also wants to see me lead a fulfilling life. I used to feel like a fish out of water at so many places I used to work. The people who make up ReadyTalk exemplify the way I want to live my life—work to live, not live to work. I would like to take this space to truly thank ReadyTalk for letting me accomplish one of my life’s goals – break 20,000 feet.

Yesterday, I talked about the leap of faith I made in signing up for a trip to Nepal to climb above 20,000 feet. Six months out…

I’m at least 50 pounds overweight (do I keep mentioning that?) and I have not even requested the time off from my boss.

I spend several nights in the doghouse after my wife discovers the credit card charge—let’s just say that didn’t go over well. I joined a gym and I hate gyms. I start going two or three days a week at first, which ends up with 5 days a week, 2 hours a day. Thanks to ReadyTalk, we have a discounted membership at a great gym in downtown Denver. Now, I need to request the time off.

Like putting the deposit down, I had no idea if I could take that much time off of work (Are you seeing a pattern here?). I met with Scott King, VP of Marketing and Sales, and co-founder with his brother Dan King. I said, “Scott, I want to chase a dream and achieve a goal and I need a month off.” I continued “I’m going to climb a mountain in Nepal!” And before I could say another word, Scott interrupted with, “Awesome!” I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing ReadyTalk treats their employees. Work hard, be accountable, move the needle, live life. Oh my god, I’m actually going to Nepal!

This is just the beginning of my journey; I need time to train in the mountains. Again, I tell my wife that I need to climb 14’ers (14,000 ft peaks here in Colorado) every Saturday for the next 6 months. She rolls her eyes and sighs. Long story short, I lose 45 pounds; spend tons on new gear; get up at 3:30 a.m. on 16 Saturdays to hike and ski 13 different 14’ers; do several new snow climb routes; climb Mt. Baker (in Washington State); and totaled my car by hitting a 500 pound bear.

…Six months later, I’m ready to go to Nepal.

Social Venture Partners (SVP) named Kim Morse, an account manager at ReadyTalk, as Denver’s Volunteer of the Year. SVP strengthens local non-profit organizations through targeted investments of time, expertise and money and helps partners to become better, more informed philanthropists.

Kim’s work with SVP is a great example of the importance ReadyTalk places in supporting Colorado’s communities.

ReadyTalk asks all employees to volunteer 20 hours a year and gives them the flexibility to do it during work hours. There’s also a Charitable Contributions Committee, which is a group of employees who identify and evaluate donation and volunteer opportunities with non-profit organizations. Some organizations receive an in-kind donation web and audio conferencing services, financial donations, volunteer support or other services based on need.

In 2009, ReadyTalk supported:
• Denver Rescue Mission
• Food Bank of the Rockies
• Meals on Wheels
• Community Shares
• Common Tables
• The International Alliance for Women
• KIVA
• Volunteers of America
• Project Homeless Connect
• Boulder Cycling Club/ Tour de Cure
• Connections Therapeutic Riding Center
• Young Philanthropists Foundation
• Freedom Service Dogs
• National Sports Center for the Disabled
• Love, Light & Melody Foundation

Congratulations to Kim and the entire ReadyTalk team for their contributions of time and money during 2009.

It probably wasn’t appropriate for me to do this, but I weaseled my way into ReadyTalk’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament office pool. After all, I don’t actually work for ReadyTalk, so I might be raising some hackles by horning in on their party. Plus, I run the risk of getting into trouble if the company gets busted for running an office pool.* But I was desperate – March Madness is the only thing that gives my life meaning this time of year.

In my opinion, office pools say a lot about a company. None of the companies where I’ve worked ever had office pools. I don’t work for any of those companies anymore. Coincidence? I think not.

On the other hand, I used to work for myself in an office next to a small insurance agency. They have an NCAA tournament pool every year and an open invitation to join. They bring a TV into the office to show the games throughout the tournament, and anyone can drop by to watch them. I joined their pool several years. The thing I noticed is that the same people work in the office year after year. It might not be just because of the annual NCAA pool, but I think it’s indicative of a fun-loving culture that retains employees and most likely, customers as well.

So it says a lot about ReadyTalk that they have an NCAA tournament pool going with a very high participation rate including the CEO himself, here just a couple of weeks before a big new product release. I don’t know if they have a TV in the office, but you can bet management isn’t blocking the streaming video. With the combined rush of a product release and NCAA tournament going on at the same time, ReadyTalk will be a fun place to be for the next few weeks.

I’ll admit, I feel a little guilty being in their pool. If I win, maybe I’ll use the money to fly out to Denver to visit ReadyTalk and get to know some of the people I gypped out of the winnings.

* I checked this out. Fortunately, Colorado and California (where I live) both allow social gambling. So no pick-up games in prison for me.

Technorati Tags: NCAA Basketball, March Madness, Employees, Human Resources, Recreation

ReadyTalk is proud to have formed a Charitable Contributions Committee in an effort to give back to the community. The committee is headed and run by ReadyTalk employees and any charitable projects are brought to the committee by the employees. Projects are voted by the committee on a case-by-case basis. There are currently three projects that the Committee has approved.

The Relief Project
In collaboration with other recognized non-profit organizations, The Relief Project (TRP) supports communities in immediate need across the United States and around the world. TRP uses music as its platform to raise money, to educate, and to inspire groups and individuals to take a more active role in caring for humanity.

TRP will kick off this next phase of work with a live benefit concert November 29th at the Oriental Theater in Denver, Colorado that will showcase some of the city and state’s best bands. By bringing together top Colorado artists, TRP will raise money to support The Denver Children’s Home, a local nonprofit organization that provides programs and services for emotionally distressed children, adolescents and their families. Specifically, the money will be earmarked towards DCH’s Residential and experiential Art and Music Therapy programs. In conjunction with this effort, TRP is releasing its second compilation CD, The Relief Project, Vol. 2, which will feature songs from Colorado’s most popular and emerging talent.

The International Alliance For Women

The International Alliance for Women’s Microenterprise Development Program alleviates poverty and empowers women by funding Village Banks around the world (more than 60 so far, in Afghanistan, Bolivia, Chile, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, and Uganda).

Meet the Wilderness

Meet the Wilderness teaches life skills by providing adventure education programs to youth groups. The programs instill trust, self-discipline, self-esteem, teamwork, communication skills, leadership qualities and confidence in their abilities to meet unique life challenges, actively engage in their community and gain an appreciation of the natural environment. ReadyTalk will sponsor a day trip to Vail, Colorado where children of the program and ReadyTalkers will spend the day team building and enjoying the great Colorado Outdoors.

ReadyTalk is excited to be supporting these wonderful groups and is looking forward to future contributions.

Technorati Tags: The Relief Project, The International Alliance For Women, Meet the Wilderness, volunteers, charity