Meet jay strear | Business Coach and EOS Implementer

We had the good fortune of connecting with jay strear and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi jay, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I think the decision to start my own business was less about a thought process and more about finally listening to my inner-voice. For nearly thirty years, I brought an entrepreneurial spirit to the not-for-profit sector. At times this impulse was welcomed, and often I was pursuing change at a pace far faster than what the organizations could tolerate.

To act, I need a lot of information, I don’t need systems in place, and I’m pretty risk tolerant. When launching my business coaching practice, I had already learned and lived the tools I now teach, and knowing a system is critical to build repeatable success, I embraced a system known as EOS, or the Entrepreneurial Operating System. With my NEED TO KNOW satisfied, and systems in place, I knew this big step was the one I was meant to take – the step required to enable me to continue to touch people’s lives while calling upon my 30 years of professional experience.

It’s amazing how joyful and fulfilled we can be when we listen to that oft-ignored inner-voice.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

I am blessed to be a teach, facilitator and coach to leadership teams in the for profit and nonprofit spaces. I teach a simple set of tools known as EOS, which help these teams get on the same page with where they’re at and where they’re going, instill discipline and accountability, and build the needed team health to overcome the impediments preventing them from getting what they want from their organization. I love this work; I love working with business leaders and I love the tools I teach, which helped me be better as CEO.

I’ve lived what I now teach, so I speak from deep experience. I also bring a wide array of perspectives, having worked in almost every management seat. But perhaps most important, I blend being firm and direct, with compassion and deep care. My work is about being open, honest and growth oriented. What I do with leadership teams is not for the faint of heart. That said, my pastoral training – and plenty of mistakes made over the years – helps me know when to push a person, and when to hold them.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

A week long trip??? Reminds me of what my aunt used to say, “visitors are like fish, they begin to stink after three days.” Fortunately, we’re in Colorado so there is plenty to do to keep the visit fresh and lively. We would most certainly drive. On and off road.

Speaking of fish, I love whitefish salad, so any of the days starting off in Denver would require a stop at the Bagel Deli, Zaidy’s, or Call Your Mother. The bagels are great but the whitefish salad at each place is perfect.

Day one must include a drive to Red Rocks. It sets the context for the whole trip – the Rocky Mountains meet the plains. From there it will be a stop in Golden and back to Denver for a meal at City O’ City.

Day two would be another breakfast and then off for a day of driving – to Boulder, then to Estes Park, perhaps a hike and stop at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and a piece of pie at the You Need Pie Bakery. From there we’ll head down to Longmont or Fort Collins to really get a sense for how the landscape changes, and back to Denver.

Next day, it’s up to the mountains. We’ll eventually make our way to Glenwood Hot Springs – otherwise known as my happy place. I’ll tell my guests how my great-grandmother would bring my grandma to Glenwood by train, how my dad learned to swim in the hot springs pool and how as a kid, my family and I would visit, along with three or four other families, nearly every 4-6 months. A few days poolside, with plenty of ice cream from Sunday is the BEST!

From Glenwood, we’ll drive over towards Carbondale and Marble and drive the Chili trail to see Crystal Mill. Another day we will hike Maroon Balls. And if time permits, we’ll pay a visit to Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, grab a bite at Devils Kitchen and then take in some beer and wine tasting in Fruita and Palisades and make our way into the Colorado Monument. From there, the road turn back to Denver and more adventuring enroute…

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is to my wife Beth. I was at a the most challenging point in my career in November 2022. After decompressing, spending some wonderful time with Beth and our three kids, I knew what I was going to do next. This was a big-time change, going from being a salaried employee to being an independent business coach. No more structure, no more team, no more salary and no more benefits. Beth has been unwavering in her belief that I am exactly where I am meant to be. I think she and my kids see it in my renewed smile. And so do my clients — who I might add, I love!!!

Website: https://www.eosworldwide.com/jay-strear

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-strear/