Travis Stoliker has been scaling businesses since age 12 when he started a small hockey league and shared a paper route with his best friend. Grown-up ventures have included companies in technology (Liquid Web), the restaurant industry (Saddleback BBQ and Slice by Saddleback) and publishing (Scribe Media and Year of the Opposite). Stoliker’s tenure at Saddleback, a Michigan 50 Companies to Watch awardee, introduced him to the Edward Lowe Foundation. Since then, Stoliker has participated in a variety of the foundation’s programs, beginning with an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) retreat in 2022.
EIR retreats enable business leaders to spend three days at Big Rock Valley, the foundation’s 2,000-acre learning campus in southwest Michigan, which is comprised of woodlands, prairies, ponds and streams. The goal is for participants to step away from daily distractions, spend time in nature and reflect on challenging issues.
Stoliker says the EIR retreat came at a pivotal time. The unexpected deaths of three close friends (all in their early forties) left him struggling with grief. He also found himself at a professional crossroads: Although Stoliker intended to serve as a limited partner at Saddleback, he found himself pulled into daily operations on an increasing basis — with increasing misgivings.
During his stay at Big Rock Valley, Stoliker took advantage of the scenic property and spent hours walking, hiking and running. He slept in the historic cabin that had been Ed Lowe’s home. There, he put considerable mileage on a rocking chair, reflecting on his next steps and capturing his thoughts on a nearby whiteboard. This resulted in two lists: things to stop doing — and things to start doing. “It was the first time I had deliberately disconnected from all electronic distractions for three full days,” Stoliker says. “No one could reach me, and I was completely isolated.”
The solitude not only helped Stoliker process his grief, but also recognize he wasn’t getting satisfaction from being in the restaurant industry and needed to hand off Saddleback to his business partner. “Since that retreat, I’ve taken every chance to return to Big Rock Valley,” he says.
Stoliker has also participated in two of the foundation’s PeerSpectives roundtable programs — one held virtually and the other held at the foundation’s Lansing office. The roundtables marked Stoliker’s first deep dive into facilitated peer learning, and he gives a thumbs-up to both formats.
Not having to travel was a primary incentive for joining the virtual roundtable. Stoliker also appreciated the diversity of participants, who came from different industries and regions. Yet the in-person roundtable provides a special connection that is hard to replicate online, he says.
Whether roundtables are online or in-person, Stoliker has derived great value from being surrounded by other business owners who share similar experiences. The roundtables have given him a network of resources to approach with specific questions, such as understanding regulatory changes on the horizon and policies to comply with. Perhaps even more important, the roundtables have ended his sense of isolation.
“There seems to be a negative feeling about business owners in the broader social conversation deeply troubles me,” Stoliker explains. “I believe that capitalism has been a force for good in the world, and it has lifted the most people in history out of poverty. Because everyone is a business owner, they share that same beautiful appreciation of capitalism being the engine of human freedom and progress.”
“The foundation offers a unique experience that goes beyond typical business programs, fostering real growth and reflection,” he adds. “Seeing what Ed Lowe did by establishing the foundation and Big Rock Valley has had a profound impact on my life and my family. It’s remarkable he was able to establish something that already has impacted many generations of people — and will continue to benefit Michigan’s economy and individual entrepreneurs.”
Published 12-12-2024