A month ago, many of you read a LinkedIn post from me that may have shocked you.
I’ve decided to start my own company. To become a consultant, coach, partner, vendor, whatever the hell they, I mean we, are called.
There are a lot of reasons why I chose this path, but I’m going to focus on one specifically right now. I’ve thought about owning my own business my entire life. So why at 44 am I just now doing it?
The truth? I was scared before. Still am. But now I’m going to embrace it and see if all of my career twists and turns really were in the perfect order.
I grew up with two incredible parents in Tescott, Kansas. Population 300 people (give or take). When I think back as far as I can, I remember living in a trailer on a dirt road. In fact, my earliest memory is choking on a hotdog in that trailer and my mom jamming her hand down my throat to save me. At least that’s how I remember it.
I was the typical Gen X kid, playing outside, running around town with my friends while my parents worked day and night. At night, they owned the local bar and grille. That’s where I got my first job in hospitality, bussing tables for quarters to play video games. Calm down, I was 8.
Why is this relevant? I grew up where you get a steady job, live within your means and appreciate what you have without being flashy.
I went to college with one goal (two, if you count playing in the NFL): get a steady entry-level job in a big company and work my way up until I retired. Safe and predictable. So I got a Behavioral Economics Degree and then, after graduation, took the even safer route of accepting the first job offer that came my way.
But in that boring safety, a foundation of boldness was laid that I didn’t realize until recently.
That job? Service Manager at Red Lobster in Salina, Kansas. Big need for Behavioral Economics. I was already a server, bartender, and trainer. But when they offered me $35,000 per year to work 60 hours per week, nights AND weekends and all the fried shrimp I wanted, oh baby!
Red Lobster was owned by Darden Restaurants, the largest restaurant group in the country. Every restaurant was corporate-owned. Every process was defined. Every Monday, a box would arrive from Orlando with specials, recipes, KPIs, marketing collateral and step by step instructions to be successful. Checklists ruled everything: opening, closing, food ordering, food prep, service steps, scheduling.
It was there where I learned the power of systems and efficiency.
I also learned a process called HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) that I have used throughout my career including the DMO world. That framed how I saw business: if you can streamline processes, you can eliminate chaos.
After moving up in management and tiring of nights and weekends, I did the sensible thing and began a new career in hotels. My first role was with an independent franchisee in Topeka. Unlike Darden, they didn’t have money or systems or really any idea of how to run a business. I implemented what I could. But in small business, to make an impact, you have to get creative and resourceful.
That’s where I realized something critical: You can’t think outside the box until you know the dimensions of the box.
Hotels taught me how to balance structure with creativity. Structure gave me the foundation. Creativity let me expand it.
The last decade in the DMO space sharpened everything. The teams and organizations I led thrived because we built systems that worked for us. Some are universal. Some are not. Some people embrace new ways of working. Others fight them. But the organizations that grew? They were the ones willing to think and do things differently, putting aside their egos and that’s how we’ve always done it.
So I guess you could say my 1-2-3 plan of success is:
- Value and implement systems
- Work with bold and driven people
- Get creative and push the boundaries.
If I had started the other way around, I may not have valued systems the way I do but I will always be thankful for what I learned at Red Lobster, and the all-you-can-eat cheddar bay biscuits.
In recent years, especially after the success at Visit Corpus Christi and my work chairing Destinations International’s CDME program, the texts, calls, and emails started coming in almost daily. Friends, peers, and CDME students asking for guidance on problems they were facing.
Those conversations became the best part of my day. So I thought, why not make a career out of it?
I love the tourism and hospitality industry. I love what we get to do for people. Think about it: when I was growing up, my parents didn’t have a lot of money, but they set aside whatever they could for a summer vacation. Sometimes I think they set aside money we didn’t really have. But those trips, Branson, Mount Rushmore, even just a hotel in Kansas City and a Royals game vs a new car, a new furniture set or designer clothes, was a deeply personal decision that they made. And it was made out of love for family and us. And those trips were the best memories of my life.
That’s the same decision families are making today. And then they choose YOUR destination. That’s always been the powerful responsibility of this industry.
If I can help your organization operate more efficiently to give you and your team the margin to do your jobs better, so those families have a better experience, then that’s the work I want to do.
But to do that, we need to be honest. This industry doesn’t just need more strategy decks or culture slogans. It needs alignment. Real alignment. Where strategy, systems, and culture actually reinforce one another.
Too many leaders across all industries come in with one of two plans:
Plan A: Be a super-strategist and build the most comprehensive plan possible, forgetting their people along the way. Employees leave because they don’t feel valued or because the leader makes it about them.
Plan B: Be the players’ coach and only focus on culture, avoiding structure because they’re afraid people will leave. Structure is scary and some high-performers don’t want systems in place because they don’t really want to be team players. The result is chaos.
Alignment is the key. Alignment makes bold strategies possible because the entire team feels part of the solution and believes they can make a difference. And when humans feel valued, they can do more than they thought possible.
That’s the chemistry I’ve been building my entire career, and that’s what Oetting Alchemy is about.
So what is Oetting Alchemy? I’m not a deliverer of binders, I will tell you that much. Unless you need one, then I will definitely get you a binder. OA helps you align your culture, strategy, and systems so they reinforce one another, driving clarity, accountability, and progress.
From here on, I’ll be writing about organizational alignment, strategy, culture, and yes, sometimes just the travel industry at large. If you want to challenge your own thinking, be amused, or maybe even a little scared, then follow along. I’ll be sharing the wild thoughts and observations I’ve held back for years.
I didn’t start Oetting Alchemy to keep playing it safe. I started it to change the way this industry operates. That’s a drastic difference from the safe Brett 25 years ago.
And now, I don’t have to worry about what the mayor thinks.