“Do you have a book of paper matches? I’ll show you a magic trick,” says Steve Epner, founder of Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group, a professional services firm. He removes two matches and places them between his thumb and index finger on each hand. “Now, watch closely,” he says, blowing his hands.
Epner’s playful approach to business has allowed him to create supportive mentoring communities throughout his career.
His first foray into creating community came shortly after he started up a technology consulting firm, User Group, in the late 1970s. Since he knew little about how to run a business, he began looking for an association for technology consultants. But none existed.
“I started the Independent Computer Consultants Association,” says Epner. “My friends told me I was crazy, but they were the first ones to join. Through the association I have probably helped over 500 consulting firms grow over the last 32 years.”
As technology continued to rapidly change, Epner saw that he would better serve clients by being an in-house addition to another firm. User Group was acquired by Brown Smith Wallace to create Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group. Although the name of the company changed, Epner’s quest to create success for others has remained constant.
An example of this mindset is Epner’s annual commitment to mentor one or two young people that are referred to him. Here are the three requirements he demands of mentees: 1. If action items are created, it is the mentee’s responsibility to do them and report back. 2. The mentee must call Epner when the mentee needs help. 3. If the mentee’s business prospers, the mentee has to promise to help others.
Why does Epner do this? Does he get clients from it? “I get to feel good. I charge them nothing, and I don’t look at them as a marketing resource,” says Epner. “Sometimes people think I am crazy to leave a lot of money on the table, but I really enjoy it.”
Even with all the consulting and mentoring, Epner continues to reinvent himself. Currently he is the innovator in residence and a professor of entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University. He and other educators are collaborating to create programs to support local entrepreneurs.
Despite dismal economic reports, Epner maintains his outlook for small businesses and entrepreneurs. “In these tough times, people who are willing to overcome fear will find the opportunities and do new and amazing things” says Epner. “That is an engine that is going to drive our economy. The future is filled with so much opportunity.”
Epner moves his hands together, making it appear as though the matches moved through each other. He then shows me how, by just turning his hands, he was able to fool me. “You see, it is just a matter of perception,” says Epner. “You and I were looking at the same thing, but in this case you saw something completely different.”