色吧亚洲

Alumnae create business to inspire connection and play at work

At first glance, degrees in theater, religious studies and art history might not seem ideal for entrepreneurship.听

But Katie Wall (BFAThtr鈥�05) and Courtney Jacobson (RelSt, ArtHist鈥�07) say their classes were the perfect training ground for starting and running their new company, , which builds culture and connection through intentional play.

The two didn鈥檛 know each other while at the University of Colorado 色吧亚洲. After college, Jacobson began working in summer camps and community programming while Wall waited tables at night and vied for acting jobs during the day. It was during Wall鈥檚 work in restaurants that she realized culture was key for workers.听

鈥淲e鈥檇 play frivolous games to keep ourselves engaged,鈥� Wall said. 鈥淔ind the cork was a staple, we鈥檇 hide a cork around the restaurant, and while bussing tables or taking orders, we鈥檇 look for the cork. That simple game would bring the entire staff together.鈥澨�

Wall said that concept of play at work stayed with her as she transitioned to more corporate jobs where it became even clearer which work teams had core values of trust and connection and which ones didn鈥檛.听

鈥淲hen we feel connected to the people we work with, we are happier, more productive, and we can be more creative,鈥� Wall said.

Jacobson and Wall met by chance in 2019 at a Denver community center where Wall was facilitating a workshop on how pre-school kids and their grandparents could better connect through play. Jacobson had just returned from a conference about the benefits of play as a science.听

鈥淲e got to talking,鈥� Wall said. 鈥淲e both aligned on the necessity of culture as a huge benefit to an organization. We connected on that shared value of connection as well as play.鈥�

When they met again, Wall pitched Jacobson on the idea for the business. 鈥淲e left the meeting as business partners,鈥� Wall said.听

They started The CultureBiz in October 2019. To date, and despite the pandemic, they鈥檝e worked with over 600 people in 25 organizations, spanning nonprofits and businesses across several industries. The company is also launching new products in team building, communication, strategic planning and creative problem solving. Plus, it鈥檚 expanding into the business-to-consumer world with a new product that helps connect people in situations where awkward small talk is at a peak via games and conversation starters.听

Both women credit classes from their respective degrees in helping them in their roles at The CultureBiz.

鈥淭heater is all about ensemble,鈥� Wall said. 鈥淢any of my performance classes were all about building a successful ensemble, where we felt like as a group, we could fail, try new things, and then succeed as a group. And a lot of that initial trust was built through play-based theater games. I really enjoyed watching something start as an ember of an idea, and with support, become something magical.鈥�

Wall said classes outside her major helped, too, specifically sociology and psychology. 鈥淭hey solidified my excitement about people and showed me how my interests could translate beyond performing.鈥�

Jacobson said she 鈥渓oved every minute鈥� of her classes.听

鈥淥ne class I think of regularly is Rituals and Rites of Passages. When we鈥檙e talking about team building and making sure employees feel like a community, ritualizing things like staff meetings, communications and appreciation is so important,鈥� Jacobson said. 鈥淵ou not only want employees to know what to expect in meetings, but to make sure they feel a part of the community鈥攁 connection to the greater whole.鈥澨�

Both have advice for students who are considering entrepreneurship.

鈥淵ou have to believe in your idea, be willing to continue to home in on it, and be able to talk about it confidently,鈥� Wall said. 鈥淏ut honestly, the best thing for an entrepreneur is to have a collaborator, whether it be a mentor or a business partner.鈥�

And Jacobson suggests taking classes 鈥渢hat will open up your mind and thoughts. You never know what value that may add later on in your career. And all work experience鈥攊n restaurants, at camps, in retail, wherever鈥攊s all so helpful to learning the professional world and operating on a team.鈥�