Who is Mick Freeman? Get to Know BEN Colorado’s New CEO & Executive Director

Mick Freeman was recently appointed as new CEO & Executive Director of BEN Colorado, beginning a new chapter of leadership and legacy in the BEN network. If you’ve been to any of our past events, you may already know Mick. Mick has been an integral part of our community since joining as an advisor in 2018. His dedication and expertise have significantly advanced our mission, benefiting numerous BEN entrepreneurs. Beyond serving as a signature program advisor 3 times, Mick’s volunteer legacy with BEN also includes participation in several BEN events, serving on the 2024 Celebration of Entrepreneurship Committee, and drafting a congressional funding request on BEN’s behalf.

Beyond his experience as a BEN volunteer, Mick is a seasoned business leader and social entrepreneur with extensive experience across the nonprofit, private, and public sectors. He has successfully led various organizations, including Boon Market & Supply, where he helped raise over $100 million for education, and Education Funding Partners, an award-winning Benefit Corporation that partnered with Fortune 500 companies to support K-12 public schools. Freeman previously served as President, Outward Bound Wilderness, led multiple K-12 social enterprises, is a multi-dot.com veteran, and held various executive positions at Sprint Corp., showcasing diverse expertise and experiences in startups, scale-ups, strategic planning, operations, marketing, and fundraising.

We are thrilled to have Mick leading the BEN team! To help the BEN community get to know Mick better, we’ve conducted a quick Q&A session:

Q&A with Mick Freeman

BEN: What inspired you to join BEN Colorado, and how has your journey with the organization evolved since 2018?

Mick Freeman: A good friend was a BEN advisor and suggested I become a BEN advisor. I originally joined the Resi (formerly Living as One) Signature program then quickly got hooked, participating in multiple BEN programs with multiple companies as an Advisor, Lead Advisor, then Catalyst Advisor. Once you’ve experienced the power of providing empathetic, supportive, and expert advice and its lifting effect on scale-up entrepreneurs, you’re hooked! We’re all products of mentors and advisors who’ve helped us along our journey, and BEN provides the ultimate way to both pay it back and pay it forward.

BEN: Can you share a particularly memorable experience or achievement during your time as an advisor for BEN?

MF: It was rewarding to help my first Signature company toward a 9-figure exit and to see advisor input play a part creating entrepreneurial success and impact. I would also say it’s not only the formal company sessions where the magic happens, but the relationships that spawn regular communications and outreach when entrepreneurs have strategic issues, business emergencies, or are simply seeking a safe sounding board from the trust built.

BEN: What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for BEN Colorado in the coming years?

MF: I’m bullish on BEN’s future! We are still challenged by a recovering economy where investments are harder to earn, a small (but scrappy) team that is trying to serve far more entrepreneurial demand than our current capacity allows, and a lean budget where efficiency is everything. But the opportunities far outweigh short-term challenges. We have a nationally unique 10-year model successfully supporting scale-up entrepreneurs with rich data and know-how, a track record of impact and exits, and a network of over 500 advisors, entrepreneurs, and partners statewide who comprise the powerful BEN ecosystem.

BEN: How do you plan to leverage your previous experience to benefit BEN?

MF: Over almost three decades, I’ve been blessed with a series of career opportunities that span multiple sectors, stages, and verticals. I’ve experienced the tragedy and triumph of entrepreneurship and its deep good and bad lasting impact on colleagues, friends, and family. This has afforded me a unique lens through which to view business models, markets, leaders, managers, teams, investors, donors, and boards. It’s a privilege to help entrepreneurs avoid landmines, pitfalls, and speed bumps because I’ve “been there, done that” and see problems and solutions over the horizon, then I’ve done important work for people, the economy, and ultimately the planet. The gray hair and scars are well-earned.

BEN: In your opinion, what makes BEN's approach to supporting entrepreneurs unique and effective?

MF: BEN advisors build quick and enduring trust through expertise, compassion, competence, and persistence. Because we are non-fiduciaries with no financial entanglements or “skin in the game” other than wanting to help entrepreneurs thrive, we can provide honest, supportive advice and connections in a timely, impactful manner. This sets us apart from the many valuable but different fee-for-service coaching and mentoring organizations that ultimately are extractive to entrepreneurs in hopes of adding value. Our nonprofit business model puts entrepreneurs first, always.

BEN: What are your immediate priorities as the new CEO, and how do you plan to achieve them?

MF: I’m operating in a three phase mindset. Phase 1: Enact a seamless, energetic leadership transition from my amazing predecessor, Kay Henze. Phase 2: Continue our efforts to create a unified, collaborative statewide entrepreneurial startup and scale-up ecosystem where BEN can be a “one tide that raises all boats” partner and leader. Phase 3: Leverage our 10-year data set and history of impact to expand in new, innovative ways that grow the ecosystem (entrepreneurs, advisors, and partners) with deeper and wider vertical engagement, large-scale sponsors, and nationally recognized initiatives.

We are confident that under Mick's leadership, BEN Colorado will continue to thrive and expand its impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Colorado and beyond. Welcome, Mick!