THANKS for doing that
A podcast CELEBRATING people and ideas that make this world a better place by exploring the things we do, the reasons we do them, and why IT MATTERS.
THANKS for doing that
Big Impact, Small Chair: The Art of Business Stewardship with Andrew Hendrickson
“A sustainable business doesn’t just serve the owner—it serves the community, provides jobs, and builds something that can last for generations.”
In this episode of Thanks for Doing That, host Heather Winchell sits down with Andrew Hendrickson, founder of Small Chair Consulting, to talk about stewarding businesses well, empowering leaders, and building companies that truly make a difference. Andrew shares the story behind his company’s unique name (hint: it involves The Lord of the Rings), unpacks the 90-day business framework, and discusses the biggest challenges entrepreneurs are facing in 2025. Whether you’re running a company or just dreaming about one, this conversation is full of wisdom, encouragement, and practical tools for making your vision a reality.
What You’ll Learn:
• Why Small Chair is more than just a consulting business—it’s a philosophy.
• The difference between a formula and a framework in business strategy.
• How the 90-day approach helps businesses stay focused and grow.
• The power of casting vision and helping teams align with it.
• Why being scrappy is a key skill for entrepreneurs in 2025.
• The emotional side of business decisions—why letting go can be hard but necessary.
• Essential books and resources for leaders and entrepreneurs.
Resources & Mentions:
• The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
• Alpinecho (Andrew’s Shoutout)
Catch more of the story @thanks.for.doing.that.podcast!
Hey there you are listening to. Thanks for doing that. A ah, podcast celebrating people and ideas that make this world a better place. I am Heather Winch, your host and chief enthusiast and I'm on a mission to bring you conversations that encourage, inspire and delight. So stay tuned for another episode where we explore the things we do, the reasons we do them, and why it matters. Hello and welcome back. Today I am joined by Andrew Hendrickson of Small Chair Consulting. And you might recognize his name because he was mentioned on a previous episode as one of the shout outs from Courtney Kendall of Every Little Seed. Andrew founded Small Chair in order to come alongside business owners as they seek to build, run and scale great companies through practical tools. He leverages his personal expertise to help businesses see their vision brought to life. Andrew, thank you so much for joining me today. I would love to start this conversation with just some insight into what life looks like for you right now.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah, Heather, thanks for having me. I appreciate the opportunity. life is fun and maybe a bit spontaneous right now. Haley and I have two boys and they're 10 and 7 years old. And that means that we have a full energy house. We're juggling homework and legos and sports and music and chores pretty, pretty regularly right now. So our weeks may look similar week to week, but our days are not the same.
>> Heather Winchell:I so understand that. I have four boys and two of them are around those ages and all those words you listed definitely capture the flavor of our home right now as well.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeahah. It is fun. Its fun though. Not knowing necessarily what to expect brings a great spirit of adventure to our house.
>> Heather Winchell:Good for you. Thats a great attitude, Andrew. I like to have a pulse on the expectations so good for you. Well, I am really excited to talk about Small Chair. Like I said, it was previously mentioned as the shout out on one of my prior episodes and I just, I really love what you're doing and I would like to hear more about the meaning behind the name Small Chair.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Absolutely. This is one of my favorite things to be able to explain because it gives me the opportunity to talk about the business from a very non intrusive way and it puts people maybe off guard because it's a huge nerd reference. It's an obscure reference to the Lord of the Rings actually.
>> Heather Winchell:cool.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:In the Return of the King, the country of Gondor does not have a king and the people who are taking care of the country are the stewards. And rather than sit in the king's throne that has laid empty for years, the Stewards sit in a small chair at the bottom of the dais. And that imagery really struck me because that's what I'm trying to do with businesses. I'm not trying to come in and sit on the throne. Im not trying to come in and change everything or reroute the company. My goal is to come alongside these business owners and help them steward their company well. And then secondarily for me personally, from a faith perspective, I'm also stewarding small chair for the one who actually owns it.
>> Heather Winchell:Very cool. I love that. Is the Lord of the Rings a book that you've read multiple times or just once?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Oh, multiple times, yeah.
>> Heather Winchell:Nice. So I have to say I saw the movies before I read the book, but I did start reading the book. I didnt finish, but maybe someday I will. I have a feeling that with four boys, I probably will. It might be like a family read aloud or something.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah. Highly recommend the audiobooks. Thats what were doing with our boys right now. We just finished, the Fellowship of the Ring and theyre loving it. We just sit down, occasionally at dinner time and listen to that or, you know, when we're on a road trip, put that on and it's been a lot of fun.
>> Heather Winchell:Oh, very cool. Yeah, audiobooks is definitely the way to go. So, Andrew, what do you find most rewarding about coming alongside others to see their vision move forward and then I guess, conversely, what is most challenging?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I think the most rewarding thing that I get to see is when I'm walking through something with a business leader and they have their ah ha moment. Right. See, seeing that implementing a framework and taking a new approach to their business actually works. Leaders always have a vision for their company. There's always something in their head that some reason that they want the company to succeed, something they're trying to accomplish, but they don't always know how to communicate that. And so I love being able to see the pieces click into place when they can learn how to communicate that to their team.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah, that is so empowering. It is really cool to watch people be empowered.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Absolutely. And I think on the other side, the challenging part is it changes hard. People naturally like to do things the way that they've always done it because that's, comfortable and known. Whether or not it's the most efficient or best way to do things is another story. But my job is to show them that their hard work that they're putting in now to make some changes is going to pay off in the future. So similar to the way that they have to learn how to cast their vision for their company. I have to cast a vision for the business leaders so that they can come along in that path.
>> Heather Winchell:How much of that, Andrew, would you say is helping people get an initial vision and how much of that is kind of like coming alongside them throughout the process in coaching?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah. I think that the heavy lift on the front end is really being able to verbalize and get out of their head the vision that resides there. because I think there's, theres a difficulty, at least when I was running a business, I found a difficulty in communicating what was inside my head in a way that was meaningful to the rest of the company. And so being able to verbalize and then visualize that vision for the rest of the people, helps not only the leader understand better what theyre trying to accomplish, but also brings people along in a way that is really m meaningful.
>> Heather Winchell:M Yeah. And then of course its one thing to establish that vision to get it out of your head, but then its another to stay true to it and keep coming back to it and not lose heart. So I imagine that thats s a significant element as well.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah. And thats s where the continued coaching comes into play. Right. Because left to our own devices we will stray from that because we'get caught up in the tyranny of the urgent and the important things get left behind.
>> Heather Winchell:Mm Oh, I can imagine. So I know that part of your consulting specializes in a particular operating system called 90. I'd love to hear more about that.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah, 90 is a great system. It's the namesake is 90 days. Right. So you're essentially breaking your business up into 90 day chunks 1/4 at a time that are adding up to reach a yearly goal, which adds up to reach a three year, a five year, a ten year goal. but you're, you're taking it one bite size piece at a time. I think it's been. There's multiple approaches that have shown that 90 days is about what we can hold in our, in our brains and in our, our to do lists. And, and so being able to just break the business down into that and revisit our big goals every 90 days is really important to be able to drive the business forward to those end goals.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah, that makes sense to me. So is there a certain. So with that every 90 days is there like a reevaluating and then kind of red declaring goals for the new quarter or does the 90 process have that built in or Are you just committed to every 90 days, assessing that on behalf of your clients?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:It's both. So you know, individuals can run their, their system on 90 regardless of whether they're working with me or another coach. But's it's built in to be reassessing and ree evaluating those goals. They use the Steven Covey term rocks.
>> Heather Winchell:Oay.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I'NOT sure if you're familiar with rocks, but it's, these are the big goals that if they don't get done, the year is not going to go as planned. And it's, it's funny, this past year is the first time I've really understood the term rocks. Up till now it's just been this ambiguous term of. Yeah, they call them rocks. Right. That's an EOS thing. It's not. It really is, a Stephen Covey illustration where if you're trying to fit everything you need to do into a year and you think of the year as a vase, a glass vase. Right. And you've got rocks, pebbles, sand and water. You have to start with the rocks if you're gonna fit everything in. If you start with the sand, the little things, the tasks that just sort of, you know, the grit that gets in your every day everyday work, you're never going to get all of those big things done that are truly driving the business forward. And so that's rocks. And that helped me a little bit.
>> Heather Winchell:Okay. Yeah. I feel like now that you're kind of unpacking that that's a pretty pervasive illustration and culture put the big rocks in first. Is that referring to the same rocks?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Exactly.
>> Heather Winchell:Okay.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Exactly.
>> Heather Winchell:Cool. And I know that he has some books out there. Is that from a particular book, do you know?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I'm not sure which particular book that came from. I know that eos, the Entrepreneurs Operating System is one of the books that really sort of brought it more popularity. They called their quarterly goals rocks as well, and so does 90. And there are many frameworks that you can use, many different tools. And I think what I try and tell people is the most important thing is that you are using a framework, using a tool to run the business on. Because if youre not using an intentional system, what you have is an unintentional systemeah. At the end of the day, your business is perfectly designed to give you the results that you get. So if you don't like those results, maybe look at the framework.
>> Heather Winchell:How often when you're working with people, do they want you to give them a formula? Versus a framework. Because a formula kind of drives towards very specific results, whereas a framework sets you up and gives you the principles you need to drive towards results. Do you see the distinction and would you say that feels like a problem for some people?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Absolutely. I think that the illustration that works best here is do you want to treat a symptom or a cause? I look at it as sort of building a house. Right. You dont start with the trim, the window trim, you start with a paint. You start with a good foundation. And so the good foundation is really nailing down your vision. Why do you do what you do? Whats the thing that differentiates you from your competitors? Who are you trying to help? Who was a high value customer? and then you get to these things and they all drive the results at the end of the day that people want when they start.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah, that's helpful. So in your opinion Andrew, what are the top challenges for entrepreneurs in 2025?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I've been thinking about this one for the last couple days. I think that probably uncertainty is a top challenge right now. I think we're seeing things in the business world over the last few years have changed from a really high money flow situation where you can get cheap money or really easy investment in a company for not a lot of real results. And I think weve moved into a space where borrowing is more expensive and investment is harder to come by. And so I think that the biggest challenge for business owners is going to be how could we be more scrappy? How can we do more with less? How can we drive all the efficiency that we can find and how do we leverage that into a profitable business that is going to be attractive to others?
>> Heather Winchell:I really like that word scrappy. I feel like it carries this connotation of grit and moxie and determination and just a willingness and a humility really. I feel like scrappy captures all of that. So I like that word.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah, absolutely. And I think you have to be scrappy. I mean 6% of Americans own a business and so we're in a very small minority and we have to make our way.
>> Heather Winchell:You, I know that you've had the opportunity to come alongside businesses and I know this might feel self serving, but I would actually really just love to hear how. Have you seen consulting turn it around for a business?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I think the success stories really here are driven by the leaders of the businesses actually implementing things, which I think is a huge piece of it. I have had the opportunity to see businesses really thrive after Implementing some of these frameworks that really solidify why the business exists. And I've had the privilege of seeing sometimes 300% growth over several years, in a manufacturing company. I had the opportunity to work with a small company that was able to take a hard look at everything that they were selling and realized that their main products were not ones that they were focusing on as much and the products that they were focused on more, not bringing in as much as they should have been. And so being able to take a look at the unit margins and see, yeah, if we cut this over here, it hurts because we like that product. But down the road, eight or nine months later you're going to see we may sell less, but we're actually more profitable now than we were before.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah, man. Andrew, it strikes me that these conversations that you have with business owners, they are strategic, they are looking at business related things. But I imagine it feels personal like with what you just said about a company assessing products that maybe they care about and they have vision for and then ultimately having to leave them behind as they move forward. I can imagine that's a dynamic space for you to operate in, navigating the emotions and the strategy and all of that.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah, absolutely. I think it's definitely a space where coming into the conversation with a lot of empathy is really important because you know, I've been in a spot before where I'm running a business and someone tells me something and I can tell you being asked to cut something that you are passionate about, that was really hard. But when you can take a gentle approach to showing why people can understand like there's a purpose behind this, its not just that Andrew is not any fun, that's really rewarding.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah, I can imagine. It also feels really important to have a way to establish trust and rapport with your clients. And I think empathy is certainly a reality that invites trust when you show empathy, good listening, things like that. But would you agree, would you say that trust building and rapport building is kind of the first step of consulting?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Absolute. Absolutely. And that's another part of the reason we start at Vision M, because unless I can understand where someone is coming from and what they're trying to accomplish and how they hope to get there, there's no use in me trying to be understood by that.
>> Heather Winchell:Right. I know that in a couple of the examples you gave, you mentioned physical products that people are maybe selling. Do you work with businesses that do intellectual property or that work in spaces of ideas and services, or do you Primarily work with products.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I run the whole gamut. I've worked with everyone from manufacturing to retail to physical therapy. Company that also had an online subscriber program. So the fun part about building out a framework is that there are pieces that are custom, but that framework is the same for everybody.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah. And that is the really helpful thing about a framework versus a formula.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Right? Exactly.
>> Heather Winchell:Okay, so I know that we've talked about some tools that are specifically business related, but is there any non business related advice that you would give to people that you think will actually help them in their business?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:This is another good question. All these questions are so good. Thanks. Yeah, thank you. It's given me a lot to think about. I think what I came down to was in business and in life, it's really important to know yourself m. And how you were meant to be and the things that make you tick and the pieces that are put in place that make you unique offering to everything that you do. So I think my advice would be, you know, always be learning. Always be learning about yourself and about what makes you tick and about what you bring to the table. Because that, that unique package is yours. Right. And the, the more that you know yourself, the more you'll be able to work inside of your strengths and the more you'll want to be able to equip others and encourage them to do the same.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah, actually that is so helpful, Andrew. One of my previous guests was a man named Jim Dodgegin and he works as a career coach. And I really just loved that the premise of his work is not necessarily to help people land their next job, but actually to help them understand themselves. And the things you just spoke to, what unique strengths do they have? How do they work best on a team or independently or a little bit of both, things like that. And I just, I've had the opportunity to kind of engage the process of learning some of those specific dynamics of how I show up to the world and the strengths that I bring. And it's actually just been really. Yeah. Really fulfilling, really rewarding and really clarifying, I think. So I would agree with you that understanding your uniqueness and really the way that you show up differently than others, that's a real strength in any business, I would think.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah. And the clarifying piece I think is so huge there because for me, realizing that the pieces of work and life that I just found very frustrating and I wanted to be able to attain but I couldn't, were less things that I was uncapable of doing but more in the way that I am put together. Right. This is, it's not a bad thing that I, love to be able to see different ideas and move from project to project. To be able to help things move forward and not just be in one spot for my career. And that's okay for everybody else as well.
>> Heather Winchell:So are there any books or resources that you would recommend to anyone looking to build, run or scale a great company?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:So I put down two. I think there's so many that you could look at. One of my favorites. And this goes back to how do you approach a conversation? But Crucial Conversations is an incredible resource for knowing how to communicate with people, knowing how to, mitigate conflict, knowing how the way that you say things to employees or customers, how that makes them feel and how they want to be in that conversation with you. That was a huge book for me. And then the Infinite Game by Simon Sinek I think is a, really, really cool look at business because I think that a lot of times we look at business for what I'm going to accomplish in this short term. Right. What am I going to do while I'm here for the people that are here, either until I sell the business or until I retire? And if you can reframe your mindset to look at this as there's not a finish line. Right. in business, in life, like you are building something for someone that's going to persist and if you can do it with that mindset, you not only compete to win, but you understand that the game goes on.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah, yeah. And with that, you know, like we talked about earlier, really important to, to dial in, into what's happening in the short term, to kind of reevaluate and refresh goals and things like that. But I think it is so helpful to have that long game perspective. It reminds me of another conversation I had really early in season one of the podcast that was with a man that helped build what they call a legacy company. It's a company that they want to be around in the next, they say, thousand years, which I can't even get my mind around. But what a cool vision. Right? And it sounds like that's what you're speaking to.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Absolutely, absolutely. I think that what we're building now has the potential to reach two, three, four generations down the road if we build it with that intentionality now.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah. Which is so cool because honestly, I think that in an age where things get really big really quickly and then maybe disappear overnight, there is just something so grounding about building businesses that can withstand and pass down through generations of a family or community or something like that.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Yeah, absolutely. And I think it ties back to the entire reason, I'm in business is the ability that business has that many other spaces don't. To impact the community. Right'a? Visible signpost in the community. You can give back to this community that you're in. You can bring jobs in. So community impact, building out jobs. There are people depend on businesses to be able to provide for their families, to be able to, you know, live where they live and do the things that they want to do. And if you can build a sustainable business, like that's what it provides.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah. I love that. I love that. Andrew. It's really funny because this morning I was telling my husband that I had this interview today and, and I was just cheering with him a little bit about what small chair does and I showed him your website and he was like, man, I don't even know what business I'm going to build, but I want to work with Andrew. I think what he was feeling was the vision you're trying to create and what we just spoke to and the power of creating a business that isn't just profitable to you, but is profitable to the community that does something good and beautiful in the world. And so, yeah, I think that's really cool.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:and that's why I love small business too. Right. Because it's a lot harder to, as a business leader, take a huge salary and put down your people for as little as you can give them when, when you see them every day. And I think that we have the opportunity as business leaders to change the narrative around business and capitalism is bad. It really is not. It comes down to the people who are running it.
>> Heather Winchell:Right.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:And if your focus is on how you can serve other people with your business, then you've got that sort of North Star to follow.
>> Heather Winchell:Well, this has been, I think, a really helpful conversation. Like I said, I think for people that don't even have a business, there's a lot to take away. But I like to end my show with a few one questions. So are you up for that?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Absolutely.
>> Heather Winchell:Okay. So Andrew, what is your favorite way to spend a Saturday?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I think this one I have to really like. I've got so many ways that I would love to spend Saturday, but I love to read. Contrary to maybe what I said earlier, I'm a terrible business book reader. It's. It's hard for me to sit down and just read a business Book, but I will read, you know, science fiction and fantasy and fiction books all day long. So I would love, love to sit down and read a book. And then we're a huge gaming family. We love to sit down and play board games. My boys are super into Zelda right now and I've played games my, my whole life. And so if I could spend a Saturday reading and playing games with folks, I think that would be, that'd be pretty ideal.
>> Heather Winchell:Oh, man, that sounds so fun. I think that our families have a lot of shared interest with, especially with Zelda. My boys are very into Zelda, so. Yeah. And honestly, I don't fault you for not wanting to spend a Saturday reading business books. I don't think anybody wants to do that.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I know some people that are really great about it and they just, they just love just digging into the newest business book and I love hearing from them's what's important to know.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah. Yeah. Good people to know. What are some of the top played songs year over year for you?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I had a really hard time coming up with individual songs. I looked at my wrapped playlist from 2024 and some of the top artists. I guess my music tastes are very eclectic. Grew up playing in the orchestra and I love everything from classical to metal. so Beluga Lagoon was one of my top artists last year. It's a Scottish singer, songwriter, and just great music to have on, at any time. Elbow is a really great band, that I was introduced to last year that's. They have some really good, good just rock music, local Denver right here. Joel Anset is, is a great chill, like while you're working.
>> Heather Winchell:Okay.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:To be encouraged. Kind of, kind of song set. And then for Hire and Unleash, the Archers are a couple of heavier bands that if I need to plug in and get something done, I just put that on in the background and it's, it's really good.
>> Heather Winchell:Okay, cool. You know what? I don't know if I've heard of any of those bands, so I'm going to have to check them out. That's fun. And listener, you can't see this because this is audio, but as I'm talking to Andrew, there are three guitars, at least three that I can see hanging behind him. You're a musician, correct?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Correct. Yep, yep. Mostly. Mostly a bass player. I've been playing bass for 25 years now and I also play, some guitar. I picked up the electric last year and so that's been a fun learning process for me.
>> Heather Winchell:Cool. Okay, so if you could become proficient at a hobby that you don't currently have, what would it be?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:This is another really good question. I wrote down archery hunting. I like to hunt and so I've been hunting since I was 12, but mostly rifle hunting. Hunting is something that I would love to pick up, but I think it takes a lot more time than I have been able to put into it. So that's on my list for someday.
>> Heather Winchell:Well, Andrew, now I'd like to invite you to give your own shout out. Who would you want to tell? Thanks for doing that and why?
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I would love to shout out, my friends over at Alpine EO M. This is a, company based here in northern Colorado that has responsibly sourced and wonderfully puny outdoor themed goods. Big fan of their stickers and their hats and everything is designed by our friends here locally and I guess said sourced responsibly. So these are things that you can feel good about putting on your car, putting on your cooler, wearing aroundmm.
>> Heather Winchell:Funny you should mention Alpine Echo because I was in REI the other day getting some shoes for my son and while we were standing in the checkout I was bruising some of the things that they have there and there were several things that I immediately gravitated towards and they were all Alpine Echo. So yeah, if you're hearing this, check out your REI because you just might find some of their goods there. Well, Andrew, so the thing I like to do to end the show is to share with you a haiku that I have written to just capture why I wanted to have you on and as an expression of my gratitude. So I'd like to share that with you now. Thanks for doing that stewardship with acumen help from the small chair.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:I love it. O that's really cool. Thank you. Thank you so much.
>> Heather Winchell:You're so welcome. And actually there were a couple of people that I ran this by and they were like, what is acumen? So listener, if you don't know, it's just the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions in a particular domain. So it just feels like a really fitting word for Andrew given the way he can maneuver small business. So yeah.
>> Andrew Hendrickson:Well thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Thank you for the opportunity to come on. It's been really wonderful chatting.
>> Heather Winchell:Yeah. And thank you Andrew. Thanks for doing that. Is presented to you by Theiary a place for beholding and becoming. And thank you for joining us for todays episode. Before you go, I have a couple of invitations if you found it meaningful. Could I invite you to take 2 minutes to rate and review the show? I also invite you to help me create an upcoming episode of thanks for doing that by nominating someone or suggesting a topic. Let's link arms to call out the good and the beautiful that we see around us, because I really believe that finding delight in our divided and difficult world could make all the difference.