Business Spotlight with Miles Harter from Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations

In this episode of the Success Chronicles, Mike McKay interviewed Miles Harter, CEO and founding family member of Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations. Miles shared the origin story of the company, which began with his family’s involvement in a trash hauling business. Seeing an opportunity in electronics recycling, Miles attended an E-Scrap conference and decided to start the business at the age of 23 with the support of his family. He emphasized that the company’s unique culture and values, deeply rooted in their family legacy, are key differentiators. Miles highlighted the importance of creating an environment where employees feel valued and supported, which has driven the company’s success and innovation in solving customer problems.

Miles also discussed the challenges and learnings he faced as a business owner. He stressed the significance of aligning business operations with core values and continuously seeking ways to add value for customers. He acknowledged that despite initial setbacks, returning to fundamental principles and focusing on innovation have been critical for growth. Miles credited his faith and a commitment to selfless leadership for fostering a strong, engaged team. He advised entrepreneurs to start small, specialize gradually, and maintain a relentless pursuit of excellence while staying true to their values. Miles concluded by underscoring the necessity of hard work, integrity, and the right mindset for long-term success.

Podcast Transcript

Mike McKay: Welcome to the Success Chronicles. I’m Coach Mike, and today I’m here with Miles Harter, CEO and one of the founding family members of Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations. Miles is a father of four, similar to my own family. We’ll talk about your family, your journey, and the people who have helped along the way. So, welcome, Miles Harter. Good morning.

Miles Harter: Good morning, Mike. Thanks for having me.

Mike: It’s great to see you on this sunny Friday morning. Let’s start with the backstory of the company.

Miles: Sure, a bit about the company. I can start from the beginning. We started with my father, sister, and I working at a trash hauling company. Some customers asked about electronics recycling, so we did some research to offer comprehensive solutions and retain our customers. We struggled to find good vendors, so I attended an E-Scrap conference in 2006 and found local prices high and service poor. I saw an opportunity and shared it with my dad and sister. They were supportive, and at 23, we started the business.

Mike: It sounds like entrepreneurship runs in your family, not just with Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations.

Miles: Yes, definitely. We joke about needing more “Harter Management Trainee” programs. I’m the fourth generation of trash haulers. My great-grandfather started it, followed by my grandfather and dad. My dad started at 11, and we were involved in various family businesses. I had a paper route at age four or five, and I joke about having four jobs as a kid: dishes, schoolwork, delivering papers, and a favorite job where I kept 40% of the money, saved 40%, and tithed 10%. It all started young.

Mike: You might need to explain to some people what paper routes are.

Miles: You probably don’t want to know. As a kid, seeing the pile of papers was daunting.

Mike: Tell us more about your company. What sets you apart in the market?

Miles: Our uniqueness lies in our culture and values, passed down through generations. We create an environment where people feel valued and supported. Initially, we had values but didn’t clearly define them. Over time, we focused on understanding our customers, keeping in touch, and asking what’s important to them. We’ve gotten better at this in the last three years, getting back to our core values. Innovating solutions to drive value for our customers is key. We’ve had some setbacks, but we keep pushing forward to be the best at solving our customers’ problems. Our president, Curt, runs day-to-day operations, and I focus on long-term planning and gathering feedback from our teams and customers to create awesome solutions. Three out of four things we try might fail, but we keep ahead to drive the most value.

Mike: Yeah, I think people miss that three out of four comment. They don’t realize how much work it takes to see if something is going to work. We’ve learned you need to give something 90 days to see if it pays off. Everyone wants business to go smoothly without mistakes, but that’s not reality. In the first 30 days of a 90-day plan, people get frantic when things don’t seem to be working. Even if you tell them it takes 90 days, they get frustrated when they don’t see results by day 85. It’s essential to let things play out. You also mentioned that as businesses grow, they can stray from their core values. How do you keep those values alive every day? This cycle Miles is talking about isn’t unique—every business goes through it. So, what do you think is your biggest learning so far as a business owner, CEO, or shareholder?

Miles: You’re always learning every day if you have the right mindset. One of the biggest learnings for us is defining and living our values to build a solid culture, understanding our customers, relentlessly pursuing value, and differentiating ourselves. Success isn’t just about achieving goals but maintaining high standards and adapting to changes. Personally, it’s about more than just making money. As Christian owners, it’s about showing the love of God through our work, prioritizing God, family, and then work. Balancing contentment and the drive to grow and improve is key. We use our business as a tool for greater good, not just for profit.

Mike: Yeah, I mean, kind of woven through your answers is, what I would say is the unique selling proposition that you have. Your competitive advantage is the people you attract, the employees you attract. At the end of the day, anyone can copy the technical, tactical steps of your business, but they can’t replicate your unique team and culture. That’s an unbeatable competitive advantage. As long as you attract and retain your people, your competitors can’t keep up. Leadership is the special sauce.

Miles: I attribute that to God. We aim to lead selflessly, and people can see through selfish leadership. We’re far from perfect, but we have a different perspective. Being fourth generation, we want to make a difference and help people, not just for profit. People notice when you genuinely care, whether it’s taking 10 minutes to talk to someone whose family member is in the hospital or praying with them if they want. These small acts aren’t merely done for competitive advantage but because it’s the right thing to do. When people feel valued, they’re more engaged and aligned with our goals.

Mike: Yes, for some reason, people like you can humbly acknowledge that your beliefs drive the business. That’s what attracts people. It seems hard for entrepreneurs to admit this. There’s no technology, even with today’s science and AI, that replaces the leadership style you set. For those listening, remember, people won’t leave unless they’re mistreated. So, what’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and how did somebody push you through that?

Miles: Biggest challenges? From a business or personal standpoint, our family has faced some medical issues, which are always tough. In the beginning, I was focused on the goal of becoming a billion-dollar company. But over time, I realized it’s about aligning with God’s plan and doing things for the right reasons. That was a big breakthrough for me.

You mentioned challenges to overcome. Up until maybe a year and a half ago, my family’s trash hauling company and Dynamic grew by over 30 percent from when I was 18 to 35. Then, we just quit growing. Part of it was our shrinking industry, but that’s just an excuse. The real issue was getting back to our core values and defining what good we can do with our company. In the last year and a half, we’ve started growing again because we returned to our basics.

I also realized I wasn’t the best person to run the company anymore. Our president is better suited for it, and it takes humility to acknowledge that.

Mike: That’s super smart. You’re doing something most CEOs don’t—considering what’s happening over the next two to three years and choosing strategies accordingly. There’s a business concept called the Law of the Lid, where if growth stops, the owner needs to learn something new.

Miles: John Maxwell’s Law of the Lid.

Mike: That’s right. It’s impressive that you’ve broken through that.

Miles: It’s a reminder to focus on your strengths. I wasn’t strong in day-to-day business management, but I excel in creativity and finding solutions. Our president handles daily operations well, while I focus on innovation. This combination has been successful. When we returned to this approach, things improved significantly.

About two and a half years ago, we had an aha moment. We realized that when we were the fastest-growing company by Inc. Magazine in Wisconsin, I wasn’t doing day-to-day tasks but focusing on creative solutions. Now, we’re scaling this approach. It’s about ensuring growth even if I’m not around. We’re heading in that direction and doing well.

Mike: So what is the next big thing for you and your business in the next one to three years? What’s your number one growth and development opportunity or challenge?

Miles: Yeah, I mean, Jim Collins is popular among consultants. “Good to Great” is one of his notable works. He talks about preserving the core and stimulating progress. For us, it’s about constantly improving the core. I recently visited one of our sites, and the team was incredibly engaged, living our values with high standards. They support each other, address problems immediately, and strive for excellence. This makes me proud.

Preserving the core is crucial. Our team has excelled at the basics in the past few years. Engagement scores, NPS, new accounts, and innovation are all high. We even had to expand our one-page newsletters because there was so much good news to share.

Next, we need to stimulate progress. How do we make this sustainable for everyone in the company? This year’s big goal is engaging everyone from the shoulders up, not just incrementally. Leadership development is also key. We aim to naturally grow leaders and build on that culture.

Innovation is another area of focus. We’re looking at autonomous robotic forklifts, vision systems, and AI. We’re also working on a system no one has successfully implemented yet, which is a big bet but could be huge if it works out. One of our biggest revenue sources on the recycling side came from flat panel processing and ways to make it more efficient. Creating a self-sustaining culture and staying focused are essential.

Mike: Yeah, and along the way, there’s this thing called the natural law of entropy. It’s like dropping red food coloring in water—it spreads out. Similarly, your processes can get a little off track. Someone might try to make a step faster, but it could cause problems elsewhere. Back to basics is crucial, especially with huge innovations. It’s like gravity—unavoidable but keeps you engaged.

Toyota’s tagline was “the relentless pursuit of perfection.” It sounds like you’re on a similar path, always looking for small improvements.

Miles: Our values include relentlessly pursuing excellence. But I like the idea of pursuing perfection. We aim to be the best in the world.

Mike: Toyota doesn’t use that tagline anymore. It’s hard to maintain that level of enthusiasm for 27 years. But it’s essential to remember that as you strive for perfection, entropy is always at play. It’s happening, and it keeps you on your toes, constantly looking for improvements.

Miles: What you want are people who are enthusiastic about the grind. They get excited about it, continually looking for ways to improve. Even the boring aspects are thrilling to them.

Mike: Right. So you’re a CEO who has a president in place. One last question: What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who are still trying to do everything on their own, like being the CEO, president, HR person, finance person, and so on?

Miles: What advice would I give to a small entrepreneur trying to make it basically?

Mike: Yep, trying to get growing.

Miles: This is perfect proof. You don’t have to be brilliant to be successful. Success is measured in many ways. I have a terrible memory and was always average in college.

Mike: You’re doing great.

Miles: The advice I’d give to a small entrepreneur trying to make it is to start small. When people see a company like ours, they think it’s overwhelming, but don’t even think like that. Focus on starting small. My 18-year-old brother is a great example. He works full-time for my dad’s trash hauling company but is also starting an online business on the side with a friend. People often think it’s too big of a task, but it’s not.

You don’t need a perfect plan. Just start doing things. Learn the necessary skills like finance, operations, and sales by working in those roles, even on someone else’s dime. Then, when you hire your first person, hire someone to cover areas where you’re not strong. Keep specializing and splitting labor. Don’t get overwhelmed; start small and scale over time.

One mistake we made was starting small and then spending more too quickly. Follow Jim Collins’ principle: bullet, bullet, cannonball. Start small, figure things out, then go bigger. That advice alone is worth $10 million.

Never stop learning. You might never fully decide what you want to do when you grow up, but always aim to improve. Another very important thing is that values like honesty and integrity are critical. People joke about me being too honest. Like, if someone gives me five cents extra, I’d walk back to return it. For some, it might be a waste of time. But it’s important.

Finally, sometimes you need to bring your life out of balance to find a new balance. When starting a business, you need to hustle. I remember talking to a guy who wanted to start a business but was going fishing on a Friday morning. He failed because he didn’t commit. You need to work hard, be scrappy, and hustle, especially before you have major life commitments like a family.

It’s like a sprint in the beginning to build a strong foundation, which then becomes a marathon. You can’t just part-time your way to success; you have to be committed.

Mike: Yeah. Alright, Miles Harter, amazing stories. Thank you for the time. It’s great to talk to you and hear about your business, growth, and values. Living by your values is key. The fastest way to turn around a company is to ask employees if they feel the company is living up to its core values like honesty and trust. It was great to hear your story. You’ve got a lot of amazing things going on. Thank you for sharing with our listeners. It was great to meet you and have a fantastic weekend.

Miles: My pleasure. Have a wonderful day. God bless you.