Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/183615
Ste President's Profile after the season started, paid cash and learned a great lesson that has served him well for many years: be personally responsible for the result you are seeking. By age 10, Bob was cutting grass for several neighbors with an antique push mower. He used his earnings to purchase a 3HP power lawn mower with a 24" blade to enable him to mow more yards faster and take on more customers. That same year Bob substituted for the neighborhood paperboy to earn extra money while his friend was on vacation. Suddenly the friend's family moved away and Bob asked the newspaper manager for the route. While Bob wasn't technically old enough to get the route, the manager agreed, knowing Bob knew the route and the customers. The extra income allowed him to purchase a new bicycle with three large baskets – and you guessed it, Bob asked for more territory and doubled the size of his route and income. Proud of his business accomplishments, Bob's Dad gave him a book to read called "The Blue Vase". This book was usually used as a training tool for adult salesmen. In essence it says that the common denominator of success for all those who have ever achieved success is that they are willing to do the things that most people don't like to do. "Most people" are seeking pleasing methods or pleasing environments and most of all, are looking for things they "like to do". Successful people seek pleasing results and are willing to do the things necessary to achieve those results. Isn't that the essence of what all entrepreneurs must do? Entrepreneurs almost never come up with a great plan that just works. There are many challenges and obstacles to overcome. Fortunately, Bob continued to learn these lessons as an adolescent. Take, for example, the dilemma he faced at 16 years old when he wanted his own car. Bob took a construction job as a carpenter's helper (summer) and worked Saturdays during the school year in a 26 October 2013 presidents bob helms.indd 2 department store. He continued to mow lawns and did other odd jobs for neighbors, then paid cash for a 14-year old car that carried him through his high school years. At 18, he found another "need to fill". Bob's small town had virtually no entertainment for teenage kids. He and his girlfriend liked to dance to live music, but had to drive over 20 miles to do so. Bob decided to start his own entertainment company. It appeared that such a venture required contacts, knowledge and skills that he did not have so he began to contact entertainment promoters around the state. This "research" also became a good excuse for Bob and his girlfriend to attend a number of concerts and entertainment events where they could dance and also learn more about the business. He soon met Ted Hall, President of Hit Attractions in Charlotte, NC, a regional promoter of concerts and entertainment. He contracted with Ted to handle booking the talent of known entertainers. Ted suggested taking on an experienced partner for a year to learn the business and mitigate the risk of failing due to inexperience. This worked. Over the next four years, Bob expanded into two locations and earned a profit on every event except one. From that experience he learned to manage seven people, secure a business license and permits, research a business before entering the arena, seek expert help in unfamiliar areas and to deliver a product or service that your customers really want to buy. In the process of promoting concerts and entertainment events Bob found another "unfulfilled need." He opened a store called Music Unlimited. The business struggled in the beginning – a competitor had been in the business for decades and was well established. But once the high school and college crowd discovered Bob's policy of acquiring new hit recordings within 24 hours of release and providing a student friendly atmosphere they could enjoy, the business boomed. BestDriverJOBS www.bestdriverjobs.com 9/9/13 10:20 AM