Not every conversation leaves an imprint. But some, like the one I recently had with Kevin Koym, stay with you.
We recorded it just before Startup Day in Round Rock, where Kevin was preparing to host one of his signature Campfire Networking events. For those unfamiliar, it’s not your average mixer. There’s no pitch deck, no elevator speech. Just entrepreneurs coming together around a metaphorical fire, sharing insights instead of intentions.
Kevin’s been doing this a long time. Long enough to know that five minutes of honest, well-timed insight can change a business’s trajectory. And he’s right. I’ve lived it. We both have.
See, Kevin and I go back 20 years to the early days at the Wizard Academy. Back when my mentor Roy Williams and his wife Pennie drilled into us a simple but profound truth: you can make money, you can make a name, or you can make an impact. Kevin chose impact. That’s why he built Tech Ranch.
But what struck me during this interview wasn’t just Kevin’s track record. It was his origin story. His grandfather lost seven straight cotton crops to hailstorms in Williamson County. What pulled him through wasn’t luck or loans. It was community. That same spirit powers Tech Ranch today.
Because entrepreneurship is hard. And lonely. Even when you have a co-founder. Even when you’re winning. Most people focus on financial capital. Kevin focuses on social capital. That five-minute conversation that opens a door, shifts a belief, helps you breathe again. That’s the real currency.
Tech Ranch started in Austin but has gone global, 22 countries and counting. Kevin calls the entrepreneurs he supports pioneers and revolutionaries. People building a new world, not just a new app.
And through it all, he keeps pointing back to the same idea. Connection drives growth. Not algorithms. Not ads. Human connection.
Toward the end of our conversation, Kevin shared a story about working at Steve Jobs’ startup, Next. Steve was angry then, having just been fired from Apple. But he was also relentless, obsessively focused on vision. What united that team wasn’t just charisma. It was belief. In the mission. In the story. In each other.
That’s the thread. From Steve Jobs’ meditation cushion to Kevin’s campfire in Round Rock, it’s the same principle. Stories build belief, and belief builds businesses.
If you’re an entrepreneur, don’t go it alone. Find your campfire. Share your story. Listen deeply. And build something that matters, not just for profit but for people.
You can connect with Kevin and the Tech Ranch team at TechRanch.com. If you’re ready to scale not just your startup, but your impact, that’s a good place to start.
Let’s keep the fire going.
