February 5, 2007

DailyCamera.com hosted an online chat Monday, Feb. 5, with Trent Hein, CEO and co-founder of Applied Trust Engineering. What follows is a transcript of the chat.

MODERATOR: Welcome to today's Business Plus chat with Trent Hein, CEO and co-founder of Applied Trust Engineering.

MODMSG MODERATOR: This chat forum is moderated. To submit your question or comment to the moderator, type the question in the field below this box. Then click the "Send to Moderator" button in the bottom right corner of the window.

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SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: Thanks! I'm really excited to be online with everyone today. As you probably noticed in Alicia's interview, I'm a huge fan of doing business here in Boulder -- I can't imagine being anywhere else. I look forward to chatting with all of you today!

MODMSG wallacea: What does Applied Trust Engineering specialize in?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: We're a really interesting company. We provide information technology consulting services, specifically in the area of IT infrastructure, including security and ecoinfrastructure (some folks call that "green IT"). Our clients range from the very small mom-n-pop shops, to Fortune 100.

MODMSG wallacea: Why did you decide to start your own businesses instead of working for someone else?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: Initially, it was fueled by a desire to work here in Boulder in an industry that (at the time) really didn't exist here. It was such a great experience that I really wanted to do that again. I'm also a bit of a control freak (ok, I'm a total control freak), and that really fits well with starting a business. It definitely requires a lot of attention to detail, and control, every day.

MODMSG jnw226: So you started locally and then broadened? Do you still maintain a strong local clientel, or perhaps only local?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: Yes, both at XOR and Applied Trust, we started with local clients. Because we're in such a specialized niche, there's been a lot of demand outside of the region. Initially at Applied Trust, we tried to serve everyone. Today, ...

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: we mostly try to stay within our region, which we define to be Colorado, including parts of Wyoming and New Mexico. By staying focused on regional clients, we simultaneously are able to serve our clients better and increase the quality of life of our staff members.

MODMSG wallacea: How do you think your tech startups would have faired if they were based elsewhere, such as California?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: That's a great question. There are certain aspects of Boulder and the Colorado area that make it the ideal home for a business like Applied Trust. Most importantly, people WANT to live here. That makes it easier to attract and retain great talent (although that continues to be one of our biggest challenges). I think ...

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: that would be a lot more difficult in California. In our industry, without staff that sticks around, you don't have a business. I also think that Colorado is the ideal place for our style of business, which is focused around "a handshake is a deal." Business in many other states isn't like that.

MODMSG wallacea: What kind of steps should college graduates take if they want to do what you did (start a business right out of school)?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: The first step is to ignore all the people that tell you it's a bad idea. Even my most trusted mentors (literally) laughed at Herb and I when we told them that we were starting a business. It's true that not every business will succeed. However, even that can be an excellent learning experience. And, ...

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: like it or not, immediately after graduating college is a time when an individual's risk tolerance is much higher than at later times in their life. If you're going to take a giant risk, right after college is ...

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: a great time to do that. Next, find other local entrepreneurs and ask them for help/advice. Finding someone who can be your business mentor is essential, so that you have someone to ask for help when you're completely puzzled. Finally (and here's where I'm sure that some folks in the community will start howling), ...

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: develop a business plan that has profitability milestones that shows at least some parts of your business idea can produce revenue/profit within the first few months. If your business plan requires more than 6 months to produce any income, I'd rethink it before jumping into that alone. Business plans that need more time to mature are better executed with a lot more infrastructure behind you, like a Venture Capitalist.

MODMSG jnw226: As a soon to be college graduate, it seems so intimidating to start a business. What do you think was your main asset in keeping the company strong, and helping it grow so much?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: Well, as I mentioned in the interview, having a business partner is key. A good business partner keeps your feet grounded, gently guides you back to reality when you have an idea that's too crazy, and ...

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: is always there to celebrate the good times and push through the bad times. Originally, I thought that it was just me who thought this was so essential, but I was reading some material written by a well-known Boulder entrepreneur (Terry Gold, founder of Gold Systems) and he had ...

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: similar advice. I've been very fortunate to have such great business partners (Ned McClain at Applied Trust, and Herb Morreale at XOR). Of course, it's also about hiring and keeping the right staff -- that can make all the difference in the world. And last but not least, you always have to keep a sense of humor. Funny things happen in business - keeping it light hearted keeps it fun.

MODMSG wallacea: Do you think you'll start any more companies? Would you want to?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: Yikes. Gosh, I don't know. It's a ton of work, and part of the philosophy that we founded Applied Trust with is that we want to build a company that we WANT to work at for 20 years or more. There's no near-term exit strategy here. So, I guess I'm hoping that starting another business won't be necessary :-)

MODMSG wallacea: On the quality of life side, is it difficult to run a business and maintain a work-life balance?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: Yes. It requires specifically focusing on quality-of-life, and being aware of when you're not doing well in that area. One thing that really helps me is to track how much I do work (very accurately), so that I can't pretend that I have good balance when I'm really working too much. I also have a wonderful wife and two terrific kids, and that helps me remember that there's a lot more to life than work. I also think it's really important for founders to set a good example in this regard for the rest of the staff.

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: If the founders are too work-focused, the staff will follow, and burnout (and unhappy customers) will ultimately be the result. Besides, who would want to live in Boulder just so they could work in an office all the time?

MODMSG wallacea: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you know you wanted to be doing something with computers?

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: Sadly, yes. I began programming industrial process controllers when I was 6 or 7, and have always loved information technology. That's one thing that makes my job easy -- I truly love what I do. A friend recently asked me if I would do the same stuff I do today if I wasn't being paid for it, and I had to respond "yes."

SPEAKER SPEAKER_TrentHein: Thanks so much for giving me this opportunity to chat today -- if anyone has other questions or comments, feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Have a great week!

MODERATOR: Thanks Trent!

Contact Camera Business Writer Alicia Wallace at (303) 473-1332 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it