Spoke last Friday to a couple of thousand tanning salon owners. Ninety percent “Mom & Pops.” I love such groups! (KFC and Hilton property owners recently. Community bankers coming soon.) That is, “my” salon owners’ futures are … entirely in their own hands! “Dramatic Difference” is theirs for the taking! (That was the title of my talk.) “Experiences” that invariably “Wow!” “Excellence” as a daily Aspiration & Practice! Staff that are Nurtured & Challenged and who thus aim to Grow & Flourish … and serve the customer about 1,000 miles past “exceeds expectations.”
Hard work? No! Insanely hard work! And Energy! And Passion! And Daring! And Will! And Imagination! (And a little bit of luck doesn’t hurt.) A lack of money is rarely the issue. Sure you’d like a premier address or an uncle who owns a bank (or at least robbed one); but the dough is probably yours if you first create a gem-of-local-renown in your current “B” space.
Middle managers from “prestigious companies”? [Motto: “Nice ideas, Tom, but here are the 17 immutable reasons why we can’t do any of ’em!”] Or 1,000 owner-entrepreneurs? [Motto: “I gotta start on some of this stuff today! Right now! You damn well better be right!”] Give me the self-directed “owners” … it ain’t a close race!