We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Mike, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My favorite joke about entrepreneurship: “We don’t do this because it’s easy. We do it because we thought it would be!” I think every entrepreneur, at some level, became obsessed with a problem and felt that they had not only the right solution but also the right person to see it through. In reality, that’s a combination of ego and naivety. But it’s also incredibly human because we all take the occasional leap into the unknown.
For me, that first leap into being an entrepreneur was based on an experience I had with a wildfire as a child. Everyone told me it would grow back. Twenty years later, it hadn’t. And that really got under my skin. So I left my previous career to leap into the unknown world of forestry, carbon markets, and climate. And I haven’t looked back.
What should our readers know about your business?
At Aclymate, our tagline is “Net Zero for All” because we believe that there’s no path to our climate future without engaging the millions of us who aren’t climate experts to make better decisions about climate at work. Other climate tools focus on providing complex, expensive solutions to large companies with sustainability teams, but there are billions of climate decisions being made by millions of businesses in the US without an on-staff sustainability expert. By focusing on a different segment, we have the opportunity to be a different company. We pride ourselves in guiding our customers along their climate journey with intuitive tools built for the non-expert, transparent and reasonable pricing, and quality service they can rely upon.
Getting here has been a journey filled with a few stumbles, but as a mission-driven company, it has helped our team to come together through the challenges. Moreover, it has allowed us to stay ahead of the market, because we create a tool to fix the underlying climate problems of our customers BEFORE the regulations hit 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.
I used to live in Italy, so I’m very picky about Italian food. I also love the underappreciated spots, so I’m a big fan of the special at Carmine’s on Penn. It changes all the time, but every time I’ve had it, it’s been great. Sitting outside on a late summer evening with some wine… perfect.
Speaking of being outside, I’m a fan of the free concert series that they have in Ruby Hill park at the Levitt Pavilion and Jazz in the Park at City Park. Ruby Hill is great for winter sledding with the kids. If there’s someone you’d like to see playing at Red Rocks, do it, While you’re out there, swing by Dinosaur Ridge for a nice little walk and Morrison for an ice cream.
Finally, check out Denver’s mountain parks. The city founders seem to have grabbed all sorts of fun little places in the hills to take in a hike and they’re less used that other mountain places. Totally worth the afternoon.
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?
It’s maybe a bit cliche, but I really couldn’t do what I do without the support of my wife, Lindsey. Being an entrepreneur is a hard, uncertain thing, and those stresses are borne by the family as much as the entrepreneur. Lindsey has been the emotional and financial rock for the family without complaint and with enthusiasm for what I’m building. What success I have had in my career is something that is at least equally hers. I love her, our family, and the life we’ve built together, but I’m also deeply grateful for everything that she has done and who she is.
Website: https://aclymate.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikevsclimate/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tabb/
Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikevsclimate