Sit-Ins

By Malia Durbano

Music composer, James Bowers came up with a great idea a few years ago and formulated it more – in of all places- Trimble Hot Springs! James and his wife Lily Weisbecker had attended a string quartet concert through Music in the Mountains, which they thoroughly enjoyed. The next night, while they were at Trimble, the cello player from the ensemble also happened to be there.

They began discussing how to make Chamber music more relevant and accessible and how they could strengthen the classical music community. James’ idea was coalescing.

James plays guitar and composes background music for Global National News in Canada. Both he and Lily love classical music and “never tire of listening to it,” she explains. Lily conveniently, has a background in software development.

sitins1Their idea, which is now their new company, is called Sit-Ins. It’s an app that can be downloaded onto a Mac or PC that allows musicians to play with experts. The audio and video allow practicing musicians to play along with professionals. They can play with the whole ensemble or block out which ever parts they want to, and fill in with their own music –similar to karaoke, where the lyrics are filled in by the live singer.

The visual and auditory communication makes learning to play a musical instrument easier and more fun. As Lily explains, “Practicing alone is no fun. Music is a language. People who come from musical families and have somebody to play with really thrive.”

James and Lily recorded 180 songs with professional musicians in Budapest last summer. Each instrument was recorded in isolation, so it can be eliminated, slowed down or speeded up. Currently, they just have string quartets and piano duos, but will branch out into other genres.

They just debuted their product at the Chamber Music America Trade Show in New York City. Lily explains, “It was so exciting! It was very well received as a quality, high-end product. We got the interest of lots of musicians.”

The couple agrees that, “Participating in the SCAPE program made sitins3all the difference in the world. It was an intense four months, but we learned so much.” Lily credits advisors Jim Mackay, Barbara Heinrich, Mark Epstein, John Wolgamott and Jasper Welch for their mentorship, generous consulting time and for being amazing resources.

The most valuable help they got was in carefully defining their target market and then “learning how to reach them as quickly as possible for the least amount of money. This prevented us from making some of the most common mistakes new start-ups make.

Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch

            Garry and Ming Adams created Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch, a luxurious boutique guest ranch, in Cortez.  When Garry purchased the land in the beautiful McElmo Canyon in 2006, the three dwellings on the property were uninhabitable.  Their goal was to stay true to the land’s western heritage and create a working guest ranch.  Guests would stay in comfortable remodeled houses, part take in the raising of livestock, be offered organically raised foods

Read More »
Crossroads Coffee

Coffee is more than a recipe…it’s an art form. Jon Roberts, owner of Crossroads Coffee on 11th and Main, couldn’t agree more. As a latté artist who competed nationally and took third, he’ll tell you, “Slinging coffee is a fantastic way to make a living.” After running the coffee shop at Mercy Regional Hospital for several years, he came down with COVID and wasn’t able to continue working at the hospital. After several months, he

Read More »
Choke Cherry Tree

By Malia Durbano Jenelle Syverson got hired at the Choke Cherry Tree as a temporary employee for the Christmas season of 2003. Still an employee, the opportunity arose for her to purchase the business in January of 2014. She loved the store and the customers, and had learned a great deal, but her Associates Degree in Micro- Computer Support from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, didn’t prepare her for owning a retail business.

Read More »
Cortez Cab

Ed Gilbert saw a niche that needed to be filled and filled it. The existing public transportation system in Cortez was very limited. There was no “on demand private system”, so he started one. He is now approaching his second busy season and the business keeps growing. Gilbert, who had never owned a business, took the Leading Edge for Entrepreneurs class twice – once in Cortez in the fall of 2011 and again in the

Read More »
Soundscapes International

By Malia Durbano Ross Barrable an acoustic sculptor attended the Leading Edge for Entrepreneur’s Class offered by the SBDC in the winter of 2010 because, “I wanted to learn about business and branding and how to market my wind harps.” Barrable doesn’t have a store front and recognizes that most of the sales for his high ticket items come by building relationships with potential clients. Barrable creates, “Contemporary sound sculptures, or wind harps, fabricated out

Read More »
MUNIRevs

by Malia Durbano As the Finance Director for Mountain Village in Telluride, Erin Neer saw gaps in the government accounting system that she thought she could fix. “Technology in government systems hasn’t evolved as quickly as it had in the private sector,” she deduced. Neer believed she could provide these services best from the vantage point of an entrepreneur, so she started her own business, headquartered in Dolores, CO. As the previous owner of Anytime

Read More »
Skip to content