<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Desert Founders Magazine]]></title><description><![CDATA[Desert Founders tells entrepreneur stories that inspire to dream big and persuade to do good.]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 21:35:07 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.desertfounders.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Life On The Edge: The Story of Cliffside Restaurant in St. George, Utah]]></title><description><![CDATA[The story of Cliffside Restaurant is one of two best friends who've stuck together through fifty years of entrepreneurial ups and downs. They've never stopped believing in each other, in their faith, and in a brighter future. They turned a dilapidated, abandoned building they found on Craigslist into one of the best dining experiences in Utah. And knowing how they got there only adds to the experience. It started with a pink hotel.  It was 1980, and Tom and Dorothy Heers were accompanying...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/life-on-the-edge-the-story-of-cliffside-restaurant-in-saint-george-utah</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a80cadf0184b89c47f96167</guid><category><![CDATA[Local Spotlight]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:43:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_fcf89bc3c34a450cadbb8bd697ea6697~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_984,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Desert Founders </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Co-Founding TruFru | An Interview With Taz Murray]]></title><description><![CDATA[TruFru is a beloved snack brand now sold in every major retailer you can think of - Costco, Walmart, Walgreens, Maverik, and more. But there was a time when the only place TruFru had any shelf space was in the mind of Taz Murray. And his first attempt at creating the healthy, delicious treat he'd always dreamed of creating didn't get the reception he'd hoped for. For over a decade, Taz Murray carried a desire to create something both healthy and indulgent. A delicious treat that truly let you...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/co-founding-trufru-an-interview-with-taz-murray</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7489f0f845350cb2a80739</guid><category><![CDATA[Founders]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:08:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_5d457342bcf14c849ad39fbe4de94285~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_941,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Desert Founders </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Builder of People | Nick Greer, Co-Founder of Built Bar]]></title><description><![CDATA[What do you think people will say about you when you die? What do you hope they’ll say? What would you like your loved ones, children, or grandchildren to remember most about you? For Nick Greer, Co-founder of BUILT, the answer might be a little different than you’d expect. (Or exactly what you’d expect, if you know him well enough.) “If anything is ever said about what I’m doing today — he’s a dumb chocolate guy, or he built a CPG brand, or BUILT is brought up — then I absolutely failed,”...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/nick-greer-built-bar</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3eba20c900dddc2f389a54</guid><category><![CDATA[Founders]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:43:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_f37ffd12ae9348f8a672b4b5a8de4ac4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Still Trying to Get It Right: The Story of Del Parson, A Lifetime of Striving, &#38; The Famous Portrait He Almost Tossed In The Fire]]></title><description><![CDATA[The world renown artist who almost tossed his most iconic painting in a fire before the world could see it. ]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/still-trying-to-get-it-right-the-story-of-del-parson-a-lifetime-of-striving-the-famous-portrait</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a054a8aff1c06f8d4a4c9ed</guid><category><![CDATA[Local Spotlight]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 16:42:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_77db7ca9e0724c51aecad3660f1433b3~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Desert Founders </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Gets Passed Down: Founder of SkyWest Airlines, Ralph Atkin &#38; Joe Atkin Talk Family]]></title><description><![CDATA[Two generations of builders sit down together for an interview and land on the same conclusion: the most important thing either of them ever built has nothing to do with a company.]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/what-gets-passed-down-skywest-airlines-founder-ralph-atkin-and-son-cio-of-pv3-enterprises-joe-atk</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fbde5e99e4923e7ff5c313</guid><category><![CDATA[Founders]]></category><category><![CDATA[Local Spotlight]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 02:32:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_88a6290744de443d858e2b645461a9cf~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_941,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Desert Founders </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Keep Getting Up: The Story of Chris Studdert, Co-Founder of Blue Coolers]]></title><description><![CDATA[He's lost a ranch, a tech company, and a salary more than once. He's also built something real every single time he found his footing again. And somehow he's come out of it all with his faith intact, a stronger marriage, and a perspective on business and life that anyone can learn from. If you want to know what entrepreneurship actually looks like when it's lived in full — the real version, not the polished one — this is that story.]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/the-guy-who-keeps-getting-up-the-story-of-chris-studdert</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e02956cee1d9a6a673df13</guid><category><![CDATA[Founders]]></category><category><![CDATA[Local Spotlight]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:07:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_d7f9080d13ff41dba8e9ed0e2d17e6c1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Desert Founders </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Truth About Creativity: Why You Need To Be Both An Innovator &#38; A Self-Starter]]></title><description><![CDATA[Having great ideas isn't enough. Working hard isn’t enough. The ones who actually build something lasting are those who learn to do both — at the same time. Every entrepreneur has met both of these people. The first one lights up every room they walk into. They've got three new business ideas before breakfast and will tell you about all of them with an energy that makes you want to grab a whiteboard and map out a business plan on the spot. They're creative, visionary, optimistic, and ready...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/the-truth-about-creativity-why-you-need-to-be-both-an-innovator-a-self-starter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d6e81e89f9e676eca23523</guid><category><![CDATA[On Work & Life]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 21:17:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_4cd1f2cc4b9b4362bbc8ed2984a09e40~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_630,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Boredom: The Competitive Advantage We’re Too Busy To Claim]]></title><description><![CDATA[It doesn’t cost anything. It doesn’t require a subscription. And almost nobody is using it. Here is a question worth sitting with for a moment. When was the last time you were truly, completely, uncomfortably bored? Not relaxing. Not resting with a show on in the background. Not listening to something on a walk or scrolling through something while you waited in line. Actually bored — with nothing in your ears, nothing in your hands, and nothing demanding your attention. Just you, and your own...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/boredom-the-competitive-advantage-we-re-too-busy-to-claim</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d955574414bcfe458b686e</guid><category><![CDATA[On Work & Life]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 20:17:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_63ba406cb29e4795a2edaeb87f901d46~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Art of the Pivot: How Many Companies You Know Almost Became Something Completely Different]]></title><description><![CDATA[The plan you started with is not always the plan that saves you. Sometimes the pivot isn't the detour. It's the destination. Here is something nobody tells you when you're building a business: the original idea is rarely the one that works. Not because the original idea was bad. But because the market, the timing, the customer, the world — none of it holds still long enough to cooperate with your plan. The founders who build lasting things aren't necessarily the ones with the best original...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/the-art-of-the-pivot-how-many-companies-you-know-almost-became-something-completely-different</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d6df3f4424ffa457c2db75</guid><category><![CDATA[From The Field]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 23:08:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_b99f886518f145d18ba1efca6623260f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_888,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building While the Bills Are Still Due: The Unglamorous Truth About Starting a Business in the Middle of Real Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nobody talks about the founder who built their company between the hours of 9 PM and midnight, with a sleeping kid down the hall and a credit card balance they’re pretending not to think about. They should. The version of entrepreneurship that gets told most often looks something like this: person has idea, person quits job, person builds company, person succeeds. Clean. Linear. Inspiring. The version that actually happens most often looks something like this: person has idea, person cannot...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/building-while-the-bills-are-still-due-the-unglamorous-truth-about-starting-a-business-in-the-middl</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d69d627bb51eb62b59b555</guid><category><![CDATA[On Work & Life]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:36:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_92a7fbda98f247e28bd0964a979bffd4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Label on Your Shirt Isn’t Your Identity: A Note on Ego, Entrepreneurship, and How The Most Successful People Treat Others]]></title><description><![CDATA[Stephen R. Covey once wrote something that should stop every ambitious person cold. It still does. Stephen R. Covey, in his lesser-known but quietly devastating work Spiritual Roots of Human Communication, wrote this: “When we borrow our strength from the label on our shirt, sweater, shoes, or dress; from our association with a club, an ‘in’ group; from our position of influence, power, and prestige; from our car, beautiful house, or other status symbols and trappings; or from our good looks,...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/the-label-on-your-shirt-isn-t-your-identity-a-note-on-ego-entrepreneurship-and-how-the-most-succe</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d66bd37bb51eb62b59a10b</guid><category><![CDATA[On Work & Life]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:38:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_03af543974c24fdb8d26d3b731291469~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_852,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[$10 Billion or Bust: Scale STG's Audacious Mission "Inject $10 Billion Into Our Local Community Through Scaleable Startups" by 2035]]></title><description><![CDATA[A small but determined group of founders in St. George has launched one of the most ambitious economic development initiatives in Southern Utah’s history. Their goal: $10 billion in scalable companies by 2035. Their motivation: keeping the next generation from having to leave. It started with pizza. Not a boardroom. Not a venture capital pitch. Not a government grant or a ribbon-cutting ceremony with a mayor and a pair of oversized scissors. Just pizza, a borrowed event space, and a handful...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/ten-billion-dollars-or-bust-the-audacious-mission-of-scale-stg-to-turn-southern-utah-into-the-next</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d5dd0fdea6fa9cd9574230</guid><category><![CDATA[Local Spotlight]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 05:40:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3eef6569009a6ae6096c290165a36537.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_667,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[#1 in America: What Southern Utah's Stunning WalletHub Ranking Really Means for Entrepreneurs]]></title><description><![CDATA[St. George took the top spot. Cedar City took third. Washington City took fourth. Three of the top five small cities in America to start a business are forty-five minutes apart in the Utah desert. Here's the story behind the numbers. The spreadsheet doesn't lie — but it doesn't tell the whole story either. In April 2025, financial wellness company WalletHub published its annual ranking of the best and worst small cities in America to start a business. The methodology was rigorous: more than...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/the-southern-startup-state</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d3ab0711b9dfb4baa4d5fc</guid><category><![CDATA[Local Spotlight]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:52:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_f969292eee96454a809852d2a18531b7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Magic of "Plussing": Disney's Success Method]]></title><description><![CDATA[Walt Disney had a simple rule that changed the way people experience joy: Always be plussing. It meant that no idea, no process, no customer moment was ever “done.” Every part of Disneyland — from the smell of popcorn on Main Street to the music that plays while you wait in line — was designed to feel just a little bit better than last time. Walt never stopped asking one question: “How can we make this better?” That question built a kingdom. The Berm and the Bigger Vision Long before...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/always-be-plussing-the-magic-of-constant-improvemen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d19603f7044e6cf7ae524e</guid><category><![CDATA[From The Field]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:01:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_71bd6ac098ba4271bcd8342693d5de6b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Brand Is Your Best Salesperson]]></title><description><![CDATA[Walk into any grocery store, scroll through Amazon, or even browse the aisles at a local Utah hardware shop. You’ll see the same thing happening everywhere: people aren’t really being sold anymore—they’re choosing. Think about it. Nobody’s standing in front of you convincing you to buy Coca-Cola over Pepsi, or Nike over Adidas. You already know what you’re going to grab before you even hit the shelf. That’s not salesmanship. That’s branding. As Al Ries and Laura Ries wrote in The 22 Immutable...]]></description><link>https://www.desertfounders.com/post/your-brand-is-your-best-salesperson</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d1938a535e7bcd269da98c</guid><category><![CDATA[From The Field]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 22:51:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6fee9e_8116e35ba12d45e9a8690a3da5c6348c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ezra Vaoifi</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>