Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Thorpe.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Doug. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
At an early age, I was introduced to entrepreneurship. I was the only child of a working single Mom. Before I had gotten out of high school, she abandoned her 8-5 job in favor of starting her own business. It was scary. Rather than relying on a steady paycheck, she opted for the freedom of running her own show. It paid off very well. Her only living regret was not doing it sooner.
Those words stuck with me. However, somewhat like my Mom had done, I waited. After college, I was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Army and off I went to serve. Then after leaving the military, I ended up taking a job at Texas Commerce Bank, the predecessor to Chase Texas. Married and having a young family I chose to rely on the steady paycheck.
It was 20 years in banking before I chose to branch out and start my first business. The experiences in banking were golden nuggets of valuable learning about running businesses of all types. I got to see so many things from the banker’s seat; small business, big corporations, and even global reach.
The business I opened first was a consulting company, serving many of the former bank clients I knew. I was focused on operations process improvement. As the number of engagements grew, I realized I was really coaching the senior managers as much as I was delivering subject matter expertise.
Over the years I started three other companies, mainly centered on business process outsourcing. We were providing back-office services to banks, mortgage companies, and other financial institutions, helping them offload fixed cost in favor of variable cost (our fees). The last company was doing very well. Then 2008 happened.
The crash in ’08 stopped all mortgage services for several months. My client base of 200 companies collectively lost 75% of their volume in a short 45 day period. My company closed.
I decided to take a severe departure from all things banking. As I surveyed the world around me, I realized there was a need in the southwest part of town for a jobs program. I had visited the great program in Spring called Between Jobs Ministry. But that was over 45 miles door to door for me. I pulled together a network of friends and supporters and created Jobs Ministry Southwest (JMS); a non-denominational, faith-based program for career transition.
We opened the first meeting in September 2008. Five years later, we had coached over 4,500 job seekers, helping 66% land new jobs. JMS no longer exists, but the experience there honed my passion for coaching and helping people.
Immediately after JMS, I was being recruited by a national consulting firm to help with their banking practice. I had some specialized mortgage operations skills that were in heavy demand. This firm was under contract to support the FDIC and their process to close failed banks (there were still a few of those happening).
In time, I deployed on 4 different bank closures and worked with numerous other engagements related to that effort. Again, I found the highest calling being centered on coaching the executives on the engagements, more than the work itself.
In 2014, I made it official by founding and opening HeadwayExec, my local coaching practice. I write a blog 2x per week talking about all things leadership and entrepreneurship. The blog has over 100,000 followers on social media. In 2016 I wrote my first book “The Uncommon Commodity: The Common Sense Guide for New Managers.”
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh no, it’s not been smooth at all. Owning a small business requires a lot. It consumes your time and lots of resources.
One of the first business process outsourcing start-ups I did, involved working with a large publicly traded company. The constraints we had for building the unit were unbelievable. It mostly involved corporate wrangling to get approvals for things; everything! We had the very little latitude to make our own decisions.
When I was doing my own company, it felt more “free”, but the burdens were much bigger. If we didn’t make payroll, it was on me!
Also, finding and hiring staff is so critical. Frankly, even after 20 years as a division manager in banking, leading hundreds of employees, I found hiring a challenge. When the scope and scale were shrunk down to small business size, the magnitude of each hire was radically increased. If I could only afford 10 people, those 10 needed to be very good at what we were doing.
I’ve developed my own practical tests to give prospective candidates so that my personal views could be minimized while we tested for applicable skills and knowledge. Applying those tests has significantly improved the hiring success rate.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Today, my company, HeadwayExec, is about leadership coaching. I help executives and business owners grow their personal capacity to become better managers and leaders.
Often I start with specific business issues. The client and I solve immediate concerns and generate some forward progress past whatever sticking point they may be experiencing. We talk business first. I explore what can be done to make gains now. I’ll be very transparent here. This does three things. First, we get an early win. This generates momentum.
Next, it gives me insight into how this person operates; who they really are, how they solve problems today, and how they interact with people they manage.
Lastly, it gives the client a sense of value for having hired me in the first place. The “coaching” is not some abstract idea, but a tangible worth to them and their business.
I am most proud of the personal growth people tell me they achieve by working with me. Anyone in a leadership role can and should be working on growth for themselves. That is the only way people reach further and achieve greater success.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The greater Houston business community is a tremendous opportunity. We are the home for thousands of companies of all size. If you’re looking for diversity in a workforce, Houston is one of the most diverse communities on the planet.
I have the privilege of serving on the Board of the Houston Silver Fox Advisors. SFA is a 30-year-old organization of business professionals who advise, consult and mentor businesses in the Houston area. We have insight into virtually all segments of the Houston economy.
In particular, we serve as judges to the Better Business Bureau annual competition for business excellence. Working with hundreds of BBB member firms, we see what really is happening on the main street in Houston. It’s exciting!
Contact Info:
- Address: 711 S 11th St. Suite B Richmond, TX 77469
- Website: http://www.headwayexec.com
- Phone: 832.998.8309
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/headwayexec
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dougthorpe_com
- Other: https://dougthorpe.com (blog site)
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
