Kevin Doffing

CELEBRATING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

MEET THE ALUMNI:

WHAT GROWTH HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED SINCE GRADUATING FROM THE PROGRAM?
Sam’s Safety Equipment took off after the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, doubling in size in a couple of years. We expanded our retail store footprint with several stores. It was a great experience to see that kind of growth and activity.

HOW HAS THAT GROWTH IMPACTED YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS?
That growth was fantastic, but unsustainable when the 2015 oil & gas downturn occurred. However, I was able to apply the same growth lessons to pivot my company to weather the downturn and come out of it leaner and more profitable. I don't think I could have done that without the lessons of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and the network I had access to with the alumni. We all focus on growth, but every business needs to have the resiliency to withstand downturns and challenges or you won't have a multi-decade business, let alone a multi-generational one.

HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE YOUR PROGRAM EXPERIENCE?
The class material from the program was amazing, but it was also the first time I took time away from the day-to-day activities of working in the business to actually work on the business. It was also the first time that I was surrounded by other business owners, it was transformative to be part of a community of smart, growth minded business owners. Ultimately it helped me move from owning a job to owning a business.

HOW ARE YOU SUPPORTING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY?
I see my role in the local community is as a connector and talent finder. I've had to figure out a lot of things in building my business and I hope to shorten that runway needed to take off for other business owners but leveraging the amazing folks and resources I've met along my journey. I also want to make sure that I'm not the critical piece of the equation; that there are dozens of leaders who have the opportunity and access to lead and tell their stories. My hope is to be extremely useful to every business owner I meet, and the least important person on the leadership team I've cultivated.

YOU’VE JUST BEEN NAMED SBA’S VETERAN CHAMPIONS OF THE YEAR. HOW DOES IT FEEL?
I'm really honored and excited. I remember trying to join as many groups as I could find for veteran business owners ten years ago and not finding anything that fit in Houston. It's great to be a part of a growing and active veteran entrepreneur scene of business owners that are supporting each other and leveraging their military experience to lift each other up.