We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeremiah Meizis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeremiah below.

Alright, Jeremiah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

So one of my first clients when I started my guide service was a doctor from the DC area who wanted to climb the First Flatiron in February and do some ice climbing as well. I was pretty motivated to get this new venture off the ground and despite the icicles on the rock I got us through it and they were happy.

They proceeded to come back year after year to climb with me. Throughout the years circumstances introduced them to my wife and other members of my family and they became a regular yearly fixture.

After over a decade of climbing they were getting into their sixties and made an Alaska expedition their last climb with me.

I figured he might kind of keep in touch every once and a while but surprisingly he did a bit more than that. For our 10 year anniversary he paid for my wife and I to stay in a nice DC hotel for a long weekend. He also makes a point of going skiing with my kids and I almost every year while covering lodging and lift tickets. He also sends the kids a card with some money every year.

So now he’s like a surrogate uncle and we all regularly talk and meet up even though he doesn’t even climb anymore.

Jeremiah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the owner and lead guide for The Colorado Climbing Company which is a guide service offering rock, ice, and alpine climbs as well as backcountry skiing in locations all over Colorado and beyond.

I originally got into guiding after dropping out of law school. I briefly was a bit of a climbing bum around New England until I landed a job with a wilderness therapy company. After that I worked as the rock and ice climbing manager for an outdoor education center (although I’d only been climbing for a year). After moving to Colorado I worked for other guide services until I decided it was better to go into business for myself.

The biggest thing we do for our clients is provide expertise. They come to us with a dream and we provide the experience, equipment, and wisdom to help them reach those goals and summits they’re dreaming about.

We’ve been really proud of operating in Colorado for over 15 years. Running a small business is incredibly difficult. Especially a business that relies on government permits, seasonal changes, and transient employment.

Despite starting with just local rock and ice climbs around our home base in Colorado Springs we now have a concession in Rocky Mountain National Park and several other National Parks and Forests around Colorado, Washington, and Alaska.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I honestly was getting unemployment from a former employer. I used that to basically gain the experience and certifications. I bootstrapped everything else and slowly accumulated equipment. Designed the website myself (which was really a big mistake). We still pretty much bootstrap everything although that may have to change as we look at more capital heavy developments like providing lodging and transportation for clients.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

Most recently we have been at a crossroads. Some bigger contracts have given us the ability to majorly expand our payroll and pursue other big opportunities we couldn’t have previously.

The more you own though the more it ends up owning you and there have been several setbacks. We tried to hire someone to redesign the website and they couldn’t get it done and have yet to return our money. That cascaded into cash flow issues since marketing for the season was hinging on that and that pushed back everything else. We’ll survive but it’s frustrating to feel like big things are on the horizon and basically get the rug pulled out from under you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coclimbing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coloradoclimbingcompany/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coloradoclimbingcompany/
• Twitter: https://x.com/CO_Climbing
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRj6MH52-GFePEvTD8FsmSw
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/the-colorado-climbing-company-colorado-springs