Passionate About Business
One of the things I notice about many successful business owners is their amazing passion for their business. Sitting across from Bob (not his real name) at lunch I couldn’t help feel that his passion and ideas were infectious. He was telling us how he began is business, collecting and delivering firewood over 25 years ago. As he spoke he leaned over the deep bowl of Caesar salad in front of him, eyes bright and hands gesturing. Over the years his great enthusiasm and understanding of his industry has built the venture into an extremely profitable business. To this day, he still enjoys the deep satisfaction that comes from a simple job well done… the neatly split and stacked pile of wood ready for winter, the path where the wood was tipped, now clear and clean, and the gratitude and friendship of customers that have been on his books for years.
Meeting Gerry Harvey
Many years ago I was a Product Manager for WordPerfect Pacific in Sydney. Right about this time we were invited to visit the first Harvey Norman Computer Superstore just prior to its opening. As we moved among the fresh new shelving and glittering signs we looked up to see none other than Gerry Harvey himself moving toward us. This unassuming and gentle faced man shone with pride and beamed as he told us his vision for the stores to come. Here was a man with passion, and a genuine interest in the thoughts and ideas of the people who had come to see his store. His passion was vivid and has never left me.
Go the extra mile..
Small business or large, those who are able to infuse what they do with real passion stand out, achieve and inspire others. They are brim full of ideas and are always looking for ways to make their business grow. Bob has been able to take what is an essentially seasonal business, delivering firewood, and has edged out his competitors by achieving sales and deliveries during the off season. How has he done this? Well, I reckon Bob could sell ice to the Eskimos, but his achievement came through developing long term relationships with his customers and understanding and anticipating their needs. By taking a very personalised approach and calling individual customers Bob was able to coordinate summer deliveries. “I’ve just got a load of wood coming past your way today. If you’d like to get ready for winter early, I’ll get the boys to split and stack it in the shed for you.” Bob never goes anywhere without his phone and never misses a call.
When passion fades
Talking to the owner of another business we’ve worked for we found a completely different story. Like Bob she had been running her large stationery supplies store for around 25 years, but unlike Bob her passion for the business was gone. Marianne (not her real name) left it up to staff to open and close the store each day and was often not around to help them manage events. To save money, Marianne stopped advertising as she felt the good standing and current good sales would carry them through. After just 12 months sales had halved, staff were unhappy and a local competitor had picked up on this was now advertising regularly and providing a free delivery service that was gaining them many new customers.
Not all stories are this drastic, many businesses are quite successful - but those businesses that are run with passion are more than successful, they boom! Even during difficult times. I find that we’re very lucky in our business, because we get to meet and share time with many people who are passionate about their business. They may be just starting out and they may have much to do and learn, but they share one thing in common with people like Bob, Gerry Harvey and others such as Richard Branson and Dick Smith and that is their passion and their vision. It’s infectious and uplifting! I often feel that I’ve gained as much if not more from meeting with them.
[...] item about Passionate Business owners reminded me of a day a few months back when a friend was over for a beer and a barbie. While [...]