The Cowboy as Entrepreneur

Last weekend I was playing around with the Google Maps feature on my Verizon Droid phone while driving back home to Wyoming from Montana when I noticed a landmark called, “Meeteetse Chocolatier.” Of course I figured it would be a great opportunity to “score some points” with the wife, so we stopped in the quaint western town of Meeteetse, Wyoming to check it out.

Once inside the rustic store, my wife darted off to the chocolate counter, while I took a read through the framed newspaper articles that adorned the wall in the chocolate shop. “Cowboy Caters to Sweet Tooth” and other headlines lined the wooden-plank walls inside the Meeteetse Chocolatier.

A few years back, saddle bronc rider and rancher, Tim Kellogg, was trying to save up a few dollars for a new saddle. His mom recommended he whip up some of his signature truffles and take them to the fair in Cody to sell. The truffles were a hit and Kellog discovered opportunity outside of the rodeo arena.

We saw several patrons drop in a purchase chocolates in just a few minutes – most of them women. I thought (to myself), this guy really has it figured out. Who knew?

I often write about the entrepreneurial spirit here in Wyoming and I think it’s certainly noteworthy. The cowboy way is about more than ropes and reins, it’s about finding your passion and working your ass off to get it right, no matter what.

Let this be a lesson: Cowboys aren’t just legend, they’re the entrepreneur in each of us.