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

Hi Jon, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Pursuing this dream relentlessly. Through all the ups and downs sticking with it has made all the difference. People love to ask “what if it doesn’t work out?” and my answer is always “that’s not an option”. When things are looking bleak you just have to hold out hope and summon up the courage to keep taking baby steps.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I founded Cold Case Gear three years ago as an “Untrepreneur”. I didn’t know what I was doing or where we were going. What did I know? I knew that I had a great product and that I needed to bring it to life. I had a feeling I could figure the rest out. Well, it’s three years later now, and we are finally bringing a product to market that we are exceedingly proud of. What makes me proud is to just look at how far I have come both personally and professionally. I can remember being 20 years old and just in a pretty terrible place in my life. Back then when I would think about being the age I am now (33) I really didn’t even think I’d make it this far and if I did, I’d surely be a failure. To that end, I’d say that success is entirely subjective and is shaped by an individual’s own experiences in this life. Sure, would I love it if my business were pulling down seven figures of revenue a year? Of course. Does it need to in order for me to feel successful? Absolutely not. Patience, perseverance, and an open mind and heart have gotten me to where I am today. You should never assume you know everything and have nothing left to learn. That will literally never be the case.

If you want to start your own business or you’ve always felt like you’ve had an idea worth pursuing, I’ve got some advice for you, and a warning. You should go for it. Jump in with both feet and pursue your passion. Take it one day at a time. It might take years to make it happen, but hey, that time is going to fly by regardless. I found it helpful to do one thing productive towards starting my business each day. Sometimes it’s as simple as coming up with a tagline for your company/product or figuring out who your target customers are. Now, here is my warning. It’s going to be hard and it’s gonna get ugly. Want to find success? You better be prepared to go a full 10 rounds with your worst feelings and face them head one. Nobody finds success without a little blood, sweat, and tears. You’re probably going to cry at some point. I know I did.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living in Rural Pagosa Springs I don’t really get out much and do the typical city life things. That being said I can still think of a pretty mind-blowing itinerary. We’d hit some Jeep roads and get high up into the alpine for some incredible San Juan Mountain views. I’d toss the canoe on the car and head out to paddle around lake San Cristobal in Lake City. We’d follow that up with some epic camping and a jaunt up one or two of the 14ers down there. Of course, no trip to Pagosa Springs would be complete without a soak in our world-famous hot springs. I recommend jumping into the Lobster Pot which is their hottest pool and then submerging yourself in the icy cold San Juan River. For best results, come in Winter.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
SCAPE. Southwest Colorado Accelerator Program For Entrepreneurs. They have been absolutely instrumental in our success. From mentorship to investment and everything in between.

I’m also going to give a shout-out to a good friend, Mike O’Leary, of Tangletown Bike Shop in Minneapolis. He believed in me and my business years ago and has been a huge supporter of ours.

Website: www.coldcasegear.com

Instagram: instagram.com/coldcasegear

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cold-case-gear/

Twitter: twitter.com/coldcasegear

Facebook: Facebook.com/coldcasegear

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7zfDEQOd_25iPoKD3YZW-w

Image Credits
Deirdre Rosenberg

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