About Colby Leachman: Entrepreneur, Business Leader, and Founder of Full Swell Consulting
Colby Leachman is an entrepreneur, investor, business leader, and the founder of Full Swell Consulting. His approach to entrepreneurship, startup growth, and leadership is rooted in resilience, disciplined execution, thoughtful strategy, and a commitment to creating meaningful impact. From his childhood in North Carolina to his career in enterprise technology, startup consulting, and emerging industries, Colby Leachman’s experiences have shaped a practical and people-centered approach to business leadership.
Colby Leachman’s Early Life in Charlotte, North Carolina
Colby Leachman was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and raised primarily by his mother, Lori Leachman. For much of his childhood, she was a single parent who worked relentlessly to provide stability, opportunity, and love for her children. When Colby was 11 years old, his mother married his stepfather, Peter Lange. However, the foundation of Colby Leachman’s character had already been shaped during those formative early years. Watching his mother balance ambition, resilience, responsibility, and deep care left a lasting imprint on his values and outlook.
From a young age, Colby learned the meaning of hard work and determination. His mother often juggled multiple jobs, sacrificing her own comfort to ensure that her children had what they needed. Her example instilled perseverance, gratitude, and a strong sense of personal responsibility. She emphasized not only financial security but also education, personal growth, and the importance of pursuing meaningful goals. Her unwavering belief in her children’s potential gave Colby Leachman the confidence to think ambitiously, embrace challenges, and pursue excellence throughout his personal and professional life.
Learning Resilience and Personal Responsibility
Resilience became another defining lesson in Colby Leachman’s childhood. He watched his mother meet challenges with composure and determination rather than complaint. Her ability to navigate adversity with strength and optimism inspired him to approach obstacles with a similar mindset. Those early experiences cultivated a lifelong commitment to growth, self-improvement, and personal accountability.
Colby learned that setbacks were not final outcomes. Instead, they were opportunities to learn, adapt, and improve. Each hurdle became a steppingstone that taught patience, perseverance, and the importance of maintaining perspective. This mindset also fostered a deep appreciation for the journey itself rather than only the destination. Colby Leachman began to see challenges as essential parts of personal development, capable of strengthening character, expanding perspective, and improving decision-making.
In professional settings, that resilience would later translate into innovation and creativity. Colby developed an ability to approach problems with an open mind, take calculated risks, and explore unconventional solutions. His adaptability allowed him to operate effectively in dynamic environments and turn potential failures into opportunities through determination, resourcefulness, and disciplined execution.
Childhood Competition, Basketball, and Imagination
As a child, Colby Leachman spent much of his time outdoors inventing games and competitions, particularly around basketball. With a basketball hoop available, Colby would imagine complete professional matchups and play both sides of contests such as the Chicago Bulls versus the Orlando Magic. He shot for each team, created his own commentary, and played solo rounds of H.O.R.S.E. Competition did not require an opponent when his imagination was strong enough to create one.
He also loved sledding and go-karting. Growing up in North Carolina, where significant snowfall was relatively uncommon, winter storms felt almost mythical. Whenever snow arrived, Colby searched for any hill he could find, determined to maximize every run and every fleeting moment of excitement. These outdoor adventures were more than childhood recreation. They were formative experiences that helped shape Colby Leachman’s creativity, competitive drive, and willingness to experiment. Time spent outdoors encouraged healthy competition, movement, problem-solving, and confidence through trial and error. Whether he was imagining himself as Michael Jordan on the basketball court or picturing the roar of a crowd while racing toward a finish line, Colby was doing more than playing. He was rehearsing ambition. Missed shots and scraped knees became reasons to try again. Long periods of practice fostered discipline, patience, focus, and resilience. These qualities would later become central to Colby Leachman’s approach to entrepreneurship, business development, and leadership.
Video Games, LEGO, and Systems Thinking
Indoors, Colby Leachman’s imagination found different outlets. Video games such as James Bond titles, Mario Party, and NBA Street Vol. 2 were childhood staples. He also built an extensive LEGO collection. Rather than simply assembling predesigned sets, Colby created elaborate worlds that included fortresses, ships, and interconnected systems.
These creations reflected an early fascination with structure, strategy, and design. Over time, those interests evolved into a deeper appreciation for storytelling, analytical thinking, and problem-solving. Video games became exercises in strategy and narrative development, while increasingly complex LEGO projects required planning, creativity, patience, and precision.
For Colby Leachman, play quietly became preparation. These childhood interests helped develop the analytical and creative mindset he would later apply to technology startups, sales organizations, consulting strategies, and business systems.
Christchurch School and a Passion for Soccer
Colby Leachman attended Christchurch School in Virginia, where soccer became a central part of his identity. After earning a starting varsity position as a freshman, Colby quickly recognized his passion for the game. He played wherever the team needed him, rotating between central defense and central midfield. During his senior year, the team captured a state championship, securing its first soccer title in many years. At a school long recognized for competitive athletics, the victory held special significance.
The experience strengthened Colby Leachman’s belief in teamwork, preparation, discipline, communication, and collective effort. It also reinforced the understanding that individual talent matters most when it contributes to a shared goal. Soccer taught him that successful teams depend on trust, role clarity, accountability, and consistency. These principles would later influence the way he approached business development teams, startup leadership, and organizational growth.
Early Work Experience in Durham
After high school, Colby Leachman worked in landscaping in Durham, North Carolina. The job required early mornings, physical endurance, teamwork, and meticulous attention to detail under intense summer heat. Workdays often began at 5:30 a.m., reinforcing the reality that meaningful results rarely come without sustained effort.
Beyond the physical demands, landscaping taught Colby discipline, consistency, and pride in taking a project from beginning to completion. It also gave him a greater appreciation for the people behind demanding work that is often overlooked. The responsibility and resilience developed during those early mornings became foundational to Colby Leachman’s professional life. The experience reinforced a principle that would follow him into technology, startups, sales, and consulting: worthwhile outcomes are built through preparation, repetition, and disciplined execution.
Colby Leachman’s Career at Oracle
Colby Leachman’s first major corporate role came at Oracle Corporation, where he developed a structured approach to enterprise sales, business development, and team leadership. Through training in the Sandler sales methodology, Colby learned the value of understanding client needs, asking thoughtful questions, identifying underlying challenges, and building trust before recommending solutions. He began as an individual contributor and later advanced into leadership, managing a team of 12 Business Development Representatives.
This experience gave Colby Leachman practical insight into recruiting, coaching, performance management, sales operations, and organizational development. It also demonstrated how clearly defined systems can improve both individual performance and company-wide results.
Building a Business Development Office in Los Angeles
One of Colby Leachman’s most formative professional experiences was helping open the company’s first Business Development office in Los Angeles. Establishing processes from the ground up and helping cultivate a high-performance culture reinforced his belief in the power of well-designed systems. Within a large and highly structured organization, Colby saw firsthand how clear frameworks, consistent coaching, and measurable expectations could scale business results while also supporting the growth of the individuals working within the system.
The experience strengthened a principle that continues to guide his approach to leadership and consulting: sustainable success requires strategy, discipline, adaptability, and a genuine investment in people.
Entrepreneurship, Technology Startups, and Emerging Industries
Following his experience in enterprise technology, Colby Leachman continued building expertise across business development, technology startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging industries. His professional interests expanded into areas where technology, regulation, business strategy, and social impact intersect. Working in rapidly evolving sectors strengthened his ability to evaluate changing markets, design scalable commercial systems, and help teams translate ambitious ideas into executable strategies.
Colby Leachman’s entrepreneurial perspective is built on the belief that successful businesses require more than a compelling product. They also need strong leadership, an effective go-to-market strategy, operational discipline, customer alignment, and systems capable of supporting sustainable growth. His experience in both established companies and startup environments gives him a balanced understanding of structure and adaptability. Large organizations demonstrated the value of repeatable processes, while startups reinforced the importance of speed, creativity, and informed risk-taking.
Founder of Full Swell Consulting
Today, Colby Leachman is the founder of Full Swell Consulting, a strategic consulting firm focused on helping founders, leadership teams, and emerging businesses navigate growth. Through Full Swell Consulting, Colby draws on his experience in enterprise technology, sales leadership, business development, startup strategy, and emerging industries. His work is centered on creating scalable organizations that can pursue commercial success while maintaining a clear sense of purpose.
Colby Leachman helps businesses evaluate their market opportunities, improve go-to-market execution, strengthen organizational systems, and align growth strategies with long-term objectives. His consulting philosophy reflects a central belief: profit, purpose, sustainability, and positive social impact should not be treated as competing priorities. With the right strategy and operating systems, businesses can pursue growth while also creating lasting value for customers, employees, investors, and communities.
Learn more about the firm’s approach, industries, and consulting services on the Full Swell Consulting website.
Leadership Through Systems and Intentional Design
Across his career, Colby Leachman has developed a deep appreciation for strong systems. He recognizes that sustainable success is rarely the result of motivation alone. It is usually created by combining clear objectives, thoughtful processes, defined responsibilities, reliable feedback, and consistent execution.
This systems-oriented approach influences the way Colby evaluates companies and leadership teams. Rather than treating each challenge as an isolated problem, he looks for the processes, incentives, communication patterns, and organizational structures that may be contributing to it. By addressing root causes rather than surface-level symptoms, leaders can build organizations that are more adaptable, accountable, and prepared for long-term growth.
For Colby Leachman, effective systems should not diminish creativity. They should create the stability and clarity needed for creativity to thrive.
Parenthood and a Deeper Sense of Purpose
Becoming a parent has introduced new dimensions of patience, adaptability, empathy, and responsibility into Colby Leachman’s life. He considers parenthood one of the most profound and rewarding experiences of his journey. It has deepened his appreciation for his own parents and reshaped how he approaches relationships, priorities, and long-term responsibility.
Each day presents new challenges and opportunities to learn. Parenthood has reinforced the importance of selflessness, presence, intentional growth, and leading by example. The experience has also strengthened Colby’s understanding that meaningful leadership is not limited to business. Leadership begins with the way people show up for their families, honor their commitments, and create stability for those who depend on them.
Surfing, Nature, and Personal Growth
Outside of work, Colby Leachman’s interests reflect the same intentionality and growth mindset that define his professional life. Movement, competition, and continual learning are not simply hobbies for Colby. They are disciplines that sharpen perspective, strengthen character, and provide balance. Surfing, in particular, offers Colby Leachman a powerful connection to nature while demanding humility, patience, adaptability, and presence.
The ocean is both a teacher and an equalizer. It provides a constant reminder that progress requires preparation and resilience, but also respect for forces that cannot be controlled. Surfing demands an ability to read changing conditions, commit at the right moment, and recover quickly when circumstances do not unfold as expected. These lessons closely reflect the realities of entrepreneurship and leadership.
Soccer, Teamwork, and Accountability
Soccer continues to be a meaningful outlet for Colby Leachman. The game offers structure, strategy, communication, and collaboration while reinforcing lessons about accountability, preparation, and collective success.
Whether leading or supporting, Colby values the understanding that strong teams are built on trust and shared purpose. Individual contributors must understand their roles, communicate effectively, and remain committed to the broader objective. These principles apply as clearly to startups and business organizations as they do to sports. High-performing teams require preparation, honest feedback, disciplined execution, and a willingness to prioritize collective success over individual recognition.
Reading and Lifelong Learning
As an avid reader, Colby Leachman is equally committed to intellectual growth. Books provide opportunities to expand understanding, develop empathy, and strengthen systems thinking. Through history, biography, philosophy, business, and contemporary thought, Colby continually refines his worldview. He seeks ideas that challenge assumptions, encourage reflection, and improve decision-making. This commitment to lifelong learning supports his ability to evaluate emerging technologies, understand changing markets, and adapt business strategies as new information becomes available.
Together, reading, athletics, surfing, and entrepreneurship provide Colby Leachman with a balanced foundation of physical discipline, intellectual curiosity, collaborative spirit, and continual growth.
The Values Guiding Colby Leachman’s Journey
Across every stage of Colby Leachman’s journey, several themes have remained consistent:
Curiosity and continual learning
Competition and disciplined preparation
Resilience in the face of setbacks
Teamwork and personal accountability
Creativity supported by strong systems
Purpose-driven leadership
Sustainable and responsible business growth
Watching his mother navigate life as a single parent instilled resilience and empathy. Athletics reinforced teamwork, discipline, and accountability. His professional experiences strengthened his belief in thoughtful frameworks and intentional organizational design. Parenthood deepened his sense of purpose and responsibility.
Together, these experiences have shaped Colby Leachman’s approach to entrepreneurship, consulting, leadership, and personal growth.
Colby Leachman’s Commitment to Meaningful Impact
Ultimately, Colby Leachman’s story reflects a commitment to growth, thoughtful leadership, and meaningful impact. He approaches challenges with the understanding that lasting success is rarely accidental. It is generally the result of preparation, effort, reflection, adaptability, and intention. His dedication to personal and professional development is evident in his continued pursuit of knowledge. Colby invests time in understanding emerging industries, business trends, technology, and new approaches to organizational growth. Staying informed allows him to anticipate change, question assumptions, and adapt strategies as markets evolve. This proactive approach is particularly important in startup environments, where conditions can change quickly and decisions must often be made with incomplete information.
Colby Leachman also places a strong emphasis on mentorship. He believes in helping others recognize their strengths, build confidence, and develop the systems necessary to achieve their goals. By sharing his experience and perspective, he seeks to help founders, professionals, and emerging leaders navigate their own paths with greater clarity and resilience. For Colby, a meaningful legacy is not measured only by individual accomplishments. It is also reflected in the opportunities created, the organizations strengthened, and the positive influence a person has on those around them.
To learn more about Colby Leachman, visit ColbyLeachman.com, explore his insights on entrepreneurship, or learn about his work as the founder of Full Swell Consulting.
Enterprise Technology, Payments, and Cannabis Startups
Colby Leachman’s professional experience extends across enterprise technology, payment systems, cannabis retail, and other highly regulated markets. His work at companies including Oracle and Square gave him firsthand experience scaling commercial teams, developing go-to-market systems, and helping businesses translate complex technology into practical customer solutions.
Colby later applied that experience to the rapidly evolving cannabis industry, supporting the implementation and expansion of cannabis technology and retail systems nationwide. Working at the intersection of payments, regulation, operations, and emerging markets strengthened his ability to connect innovation with disciplined execution.
Cannabis Justice Reform and Responsible Growth
In addition to his business and consulting work, Colby Leachman is an advocate for cannabis justice reform. He has spoken against the continued incarceration of individuals for cannabis-related offenses while legal cannabis businesses and markets continue to expand.
His perspective is that commercial growth should not leave social justice behind. Through his advocacy and professional work, Colby supports responsible cannabis policy, equitable market participation, and reforms that address the lasting consequences of cannabis criminalization.
Athletic Performance, Coaching, and Mindset
Colby Leachman’s connection to soccer extends beyond his experience as a competitive athlete. As a YMCA soccer coach, he has also had the opportunity to support younger players while reinforcing the importance of discipline, teamwork, confidence, and resilience.
For Colby, physical wellness and professional performance are closely connected. Athletics, coaching, and competition continue to influence how he approaches leadership, personal development, and organizational success.
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