Gunnar Harris

Founder, SMB Strategic Advisor, FPAP

Adventure Traveler, Practical Philosopher

Notable Achievements

Traveled to all 50 U.S. states and 5/7 continents
Built, lived in, traveled, and worked from a camper van with my dog for 2 years
- Trekked 100 miles through the Scotland Highlands
- Walked down, across, back, and then back up the Grand Canyon
- Walked across the country of Liechtenstein
- Completed the Art Loeb Trail in North Carolina
Summitted Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador (20,549’)
Successful Summits:
- 9 Colorado 14ers (some summited more than once and a few during winter months)
- Mount Toubkal, Africa
- Mount Fuji, Japan
- Cumbre Ruco Pichincha in Ecuador
- Mount Cayambe, Ecuador
- Mount Whitney, California
- Humphreys Peak (Highest point in Arizona)
- Mount Bachelor
- Mount Adams
- South Sister
- and more.
Built and operated multiple businesses including an Accounting, Bookkeeping and Advising Firm for Small & Medium Businesses and a BJJ & Martial Arts Academy
Tokyo, Paris, Zurich, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Oslo, Reykjavik, Quito, Guatemala City, Medellin, Mexico City, Glasgow, London, Marrakesh, and more. Trained Jiu-Jitsu in most of them.
Earned a BJJ Purple Belt, trained Jiu Jitsu in 22 different states and 14 different countries
Link to interview
Created educational content used by 300,000+ business owners
- Became a Certified Wilderness First Responder
- Obtained my FPAP Certification
- Started a remote, location-independent business
- Opened a martial arts gym
- Became a manager for a Fortune 500 company
- Became a Fractional Controller & CFO
- Became a Strategic Advisor for SMEs
- Created a YouTube channel with over 300,000 views

View Accomplishments →

Work

Founder of Essentially Intentional, LLC and Strategic Advisor to Fort Collins businesses.

My work sits at the intersection of strategy, operations, and financial systems.

Outside of business, I spend time in physical training, travel, and long-term pursuits that require discipline, adaptability, and judgment.

I work directly within businesses to bring clarity, alignment, and better decision-making into how the businesses operate—connecting strategy, operations, and financial systems into a cohesive whole.

My goal is simple:

Make local businesses more effective and more human—less bureaucratic, more aligned, and better able to operate with intention.

View Strategic Advisory →

View Work →

View Approach →

View Essentially Intentional →

Community & Philosophy

How I think about living, working, and organizing my life.

This is the framework I use to guide how I live, make decisions, and choose how to spend my time.

It is not theoretical—it is something I try to apply in practice across work, relationships, and personal pursuits.

This shows up through:

My local SMB Strategic Advisory
Involvement in local organizations and community
My family and relationships
Physical training, reading, and long-term development
Adventure travel & exploration

The focus is not just on outcomes, but on how those outcomes are achieved—and the kind of person, community, and organization that develops in the process.

View My Philosophy Page →

Adventure Travel & Exploration

Travel and outdoor pursuits have been a consistent part of how I live and develop.

This includes everything from multi-day backpacking trips and mountaineering to living on the road and training in and exploring different countries.

It’s less about checking boxes and more about putting myself in environments that require effort, attention, judgment, and adaptability.

My goal is to expand my capabilities and perspective of the world.

View Travel & Adventure Page →

Integration

The same ideas show up across how I work, how I think, and how I spend my time.

In business, that means helping organizations operate with clarity, alignment, and better decision-making.

In adventure travel, it shows up in more uncertain environments—where adaptability, resource management, risk awareness, and decision-making under pressure matter.

My natural inclinations toward adaptability, resilience, efficiency, decision-making, and resource and risk management are shaped and tested in both environments.

Whether in the business world or in the field, the challenge is similar:

navigating uncertainty and complexity
navigating ambiguity and trade-offs
making decisions by applying principles with judgment based on the reality of the situation
balancing planning and focus with adaptability

It’s not separate tracks—it’s one way of operating applied in different environments.

Proper strategy—both in business and in life—involves balancing: