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BIG X / EXCELSIOR HENDERSON
other and their siblings while growing up, they said. "Growing up on a family farm, you work very closely with your parents and brothers and sisters. You learn to fight and yell at each other. All the brothers would do that and then be laughing and going off and having fun two seconds later," Dan said.
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Although they do not always agree on the vision for the motorcycle, they maintain a very professional relationship in the office. ( Except for the casual dress culture. They strictly dress in Excelsior-Henderson apparel). " Your egos are checked at the door and no one gets their ego bruised too easily. We all have pretty thick skin," Dan said.
Growing up in a family business, I know that when we all gather, conversation always turns towards work. "Does this happen with Dan and Dave," I asked? Of course as farmers they grew up working together and talking family business. As a matter of fact Dan said, "often times the family gatherings give Dave and I our best quality time together to really talk about things without being interrupted".
So now that Dan and Dave had a good grip on their legal papers, had a solid idea of the bike they wanted to build and a little funding, what was next? Working from the basement, they put together a handwritten business plan. Dan had experience in drawing up business plans and forecasts through working in strategic analysis at Honeywell and starting his business. Dave had experience through intrapreneurship at the truck leasing firm. He started a business unit for the corporation and grew it from five employees to sixty. So they were both experienced in setting up business plans and working the plan.( Plan your work and work your plan I was always told.) By the time they finished their plan, it was a hefty eighty pages!