Advice to a Contractor

Business Advice for a New Small Business Contractor from Matt Michel

Difference Makers

Every industry has people who made a difference, who nudged the industry, altering the course, and changing things for those who follow.  Often, those who benefit from the difference makers are unaware of their contributions.  At the Service Roundtable we assembled a list of 25 difference makers in plumbing and HVAC.  Two parts of this list were previously published, the not the final group.  Here, the entire list is included.  You may not like our list.  You may not like everyone on our list.  If so, tell me who else you would include.

Ron Smith

The biggest difference maker in the HVAC industry is Ron Smith.  Period.  Ron literally created the residential service agreement.  He was the first contractor to bring a national focus on the residential service and replacement side of the business.  He hired the first retail salesperson in the industry.  He was one of the first contractors in his region to integrate his company.  He was the first to hire women technicians.  He started the Service America franchise system, which was HVAC’s first franchise and first independent contractor group.  He taught more contractors about marketing with his Dominant Market Share program than anyone in the industry.  He was COO of Service Experts, transitioning it through the acquisition by Lennox.  He brought the HVAC industry Tom McCart, Charlie Greer, Ruth King, Al Roach, and others.  John Young worked for him.  He’s in the Contracting Business Hall of Fame and is a Service Roundtable Servant Leader.

Frank Blau

Ron’s peer on the plumbing side is Frank Blau.  Frank taught thousands of plumbing contractors how to make a profit.  He beat the difference between mark-up and margin into the heads of tradesman who didn’t know business.  He created the first flat rate system in the trades and was the first to utilize hand-held digital pricing tools (i.e., the old Sharp Wizard, which has less computing power than today’s low end digital camera).  He helped contractors understand their numbers and built up their esteem so they understood their worth to society and were able to charge what they were truly worth.  Frank was also the first guy to recognize the potential in the yellow pages, taking out full page ads before they cost an arm and a leg.  In many ways, we have Frank to thank for the whole yellow pages explosion in the trades (gee, thanks Frank).  Frank showed us how to turn a union shop into a profit machine and how to win the loyalty of employees to the company over the union.  Frank was also a co-founder of Contractors 2000, which later became Nexstar.  He is a Service Roundtable Servant Leader.

Dan Holohan

If you’re work in the hydonics market, you are familiar with Dan Holohan.  Dan is the hydronics rock star.  He has a cult like following that’s reminiscent of Steve Jobs, Apple, and Harley all rolled into one.  Dan is the focal point for this segment of the industry, giving it a voice, and even a sense of identity.  The “dead men” imagery Dan created after reading old steam heating engineering books (written by “dead men”), gives the hydronics practitioners a bad boy flavor, hydronics contractors have adopted.  Dan brought this about, largely by writing.  Starting with The Lost Art of Steam Heating, Dan has produced a steady stream of excellent and highly influential books and columns. 

Doc Rusk

One of the original industry evangelists for business professionalism was Doc Rusk.  Doc wrote numerous columns and spoke frequently, helping to mold an entire generation of contracting professionals from technicians-acting-as-owners.

George Brazil

One of the best known contractor brands in plumbing is George Brazil.  George revolutionized the plumbing industry by creating a multi-location operation that spanned the west coast and ventured inland.  George plastered the side of his large panel vans with an image of the All-American plumber, dressed in all-white.  He made a science out of studying the yellow pages in the highly competitive California market to position and promote his company.  George and Frank Blau co-founded Contractors 2000, which became NexStar.

Jim McDermott

When Jim McDermott took over Contracting Business Magazine, the trade press was technical.  Jim added a business focus to Contracting Business, which added one to the industry.  More significant was the work Jim performed behind the scenes.  He took an “industry first” approach and encouraging contractors, distributors, and manufacturers to work together for the good of the industry.  More recently, Jim helped with the launch of HVACR Business Magazine.

Samuel Oscar Blanc

Sam Blanc created the drain cleaning industry.  He invented the first power auger and sold the machines during the Great Depression for $250 each.  Before Blanc, drains were cleared by digging up the pipes.  His company, Roto-Rooter, became the trades first franchise operation and first contractor group.

Charlie Greer

Most people know Charlie Greer for his sales training, Tec Daddy DVD training program, and Slacker’s Guide.  Charlie has had more influence in the industry than most realize.  Charlie helped form the Contractor Success Group, the service trade’s first business alliance and precursor to Service Experts and International Service Leadership.  Charlie recruited the majority of CSG’s initial members.  Later, Charlie helped kick-start the consolidation movement when he was approached by investors at a PHCC show about the consolidation concept.  Charlie connected the investor group with the contractors who became the foundation group for American Residential Service, the first consolidator for the service trades.  Charlie is a Service Roundtable Servant Leader and the first recipient of the Tom McCart Consultant of the Year Award.

Dominick Guarino

While Dominick Guarino was Editor-in-Chief at Contracting Business, he helped create HVAC Comfortech, the HVAC industry’s premier residential/light commercial conference and trade show (Comfortech is joined by PlumbTech and HydronicsTech this year to become Mechanical Systems Week).  Later, Dom was president of Residential Excellence Alliance, the leading alternative group for contractors seeking to remain independent during consolidation.  When Dominick founded the National Comfort Institute, he became the industry’s leading evangelist for taking a holistic comfort “system” approach, rather than focusing on boxes.  It’s hard to imagine now, but 15 years ago, few contractors paid attention to the duct system or even knew how to measure static pressure.

Jackie Rainwater

Ron Smith may have created the residential service agreement, but Jackie Rainwater was the biggest advocate of the service agreement, which he only refers to as a maintenance agreement.  Jackie spread the message about the benefits to more contractors than anyone else.  He was an early innovator in contractor pricing practices, flexing some prices up and others down to maximize the bottom line.  He is a member of the Contracting Business Hall of Fame.

Wallace Lee

Wallace Lee virtually created the design/build approach to commercial contracting.  His business innovations allowed commercial contractors to make a profit on commercial new construction, not by wielding the sharpest pencil, but by delivering a creative value proposition.  Wallace was a National Chairman of ACCA and member of the Contracting Business Hall of Fame.

Jeff Forker

The late Jeff Forker was the most influential person in the HVAC industry.  Although he was Publisher of Contracting Business Magazine, Jeff’s influence exceeded his positional authority.  He brought the industry together in a way that no one can or does today.  He brought conflicting parties from across the channel together and used the force of his personality to resolve problem and bring about consensus.   An example is NATE.  Initially, ACCA and RSES both had their own certification program.  It was the direct result of Forker’s influence that both associations gave up their programs and backed NATE.  Without Forker, NATE probably would not have survived.  Jeff was a Service Roundtable Servant Leader.

Jim Abrams

A Missouri contractor, Jim Abrams changed the industry in numerous ways.  He was the founder of the Contractor Success Group, which was the first independent business alliance and helped prompt Frank Blau and George Brazil’s creation of Contractors 2000.  Abrams took a core group of CSG contractors and entered the consolidation movement with Service Experts, before eventually selling his ownership.  Later, he formed VenVest, which formed AirTime 500, Plumbing Success International, and similar groups in electric and roofing.  From PSI contractors, the Ben Franklin plumbing franchise was formed.  From AirTime, the One Hour Air franchise was created.  The BuyMax buying group was created.  Eventually, Abrams sold AirTime, PSI, Ben Franklin, One Hour, and BuyMax to Direct Energy, giving the British utility the largest utility presence in the contracting world.

Brendan Reid

Brendan Reid brought building science into the HVAC industry with Retrotec and the Comfort Institute.  Before Brendan, contractors gave some thought, but little else to the building envelope, which was the sole province of the building scientists.  Brendan helped contractors see the house as a system and was ahead of the curve on building energy and performance contracting.

Jim Kimmons

Jim Kimmons may not have been the first to bring flat rate to the HVAC industry (that goes to Frank Blau), but he made it mainstream.  He wrote an article about flat rate for Contracting Business Magazine that caused the phone to ring so much he quit his day job and became a full time flat rate publisher.  Later, he joined Callahan Roach and we know the current evolution of this original system by the Callahan Roach Products & Publications name today.  Because of Kimmons’ efforts, tens of thousands of contractors were able to turn a corner and start becoming retail contractors.  Few people have done as much as Jim to generate wealth in the HVAC industry.

Jim Norris

At one point in time, Jim Norris personally knew more contractors in the HVAC industry than anyone else.  He saved ACCA (the first time it was saved), returning it to fiscal soundness and raised the organization’s profile within the industry and on Capitol Hill.  Norris raised significant funds for ACCA’s PAC and used the funds to strategically influence legislation, which he considered one of the organization’s most important roles.  It’s not surprising that contractor influence in Washington reached its pinnacle under Norris.  Upon leaving ACCA, Norris took the helm at GroupMAC, one of the early consolidators.  When he retired from GroupMAC, he joined Excellence Alliance, an alliance formed to give contractors an alternative to selling to a consolidator, before retiring.  No one who knew him, ever doubted Norris’ commitment to contractors.

John Keeler

One of the early proponents of best practices and operational excellence, John Keeler was one of the industry’s first business and management trainers.  In a day before the Internet and organizations like the Service Roundtable, thousands of contractors benefitted from Keeler’s manuals and collections of contractor collateral, called “Keeler’s Unique Methods.”

Tom McCart

The first person to sell $1 million in residential retail sales was Tom McCart.  When Tom did it, the average system cost a fraction of today’s prices.  Moreover, Tom sold $1 million in a one season market where he had to generate many of his own leads.  Tom was introduced to the industry by Ron Smith and became a top industry sales trainer after Ron sold Modern Air and launched Service America.  Tom is a Service Roundtable Servant Leader and member of the Contracting Business Hall of Fame.

Vicki La Plant

In the early 80s, Lennox Industries started a revolutionary new program to partner with their dealers and select key dealers for special training.  The “Dealer Marketing Advisor” program was created by Vicki La Plant.  It not only improved the performance of hundreds of contractors, but brought dozens of top contractors to the industry.  After leaving Lennox, La Plant continued to help contractors as a consultant and trainer.  She was instrumental in the formation of the Joseph Groh Foundation, which helps people in the trade who suffer life altering events.  Vicki and her husband, John are each Service Roundtable Servant Leaders.

Harold Goodman

One of the most visionary contractors in the history of the HVAC industry was Harold Goodman.  Goodman specialized in tract home and apartment equipment installations in the robust Houston market.  Competing in this price competitive market, he recognized the potential for no-frills products that came without incentive trips, advertising programs, or anything else that added to costs.  Goodman started manufacturing flex duct and registers, then bought Janitrol, relocating the tooling to Houston.  When Goodman couldn’t find distribution, he built his own.  Eventually, the Goodman brand became HVAC’s top selling line of unitary equipment.

John Young

Another Ron Smith employee was marketing savant, John Young.  Young was Ron’s sales manager at Modern Air.  He later collaborated with Jim Abrams to found the Contractor Success Group, which spawned Service Experts and was eventually sold to Lennox.  Young and Abrams got together again to form AirTime 500, Clean Indoor Air, Plumbing Success International, and other companies under the Clockworks umbrella that were sold to Direct Energy.  Greater than his role in forming contractor alliances, Young is best known for his three-page winter replacement direct mail letter.  This letter, more than any other, persuaded a generation of contractors about the effectiveness of direct mail.

Maurice Maio

Another contractor known for marketing, but on the plumbing side, is Maurice Maio.  Maio returned to San Diego from college to take over the family plumbing business.  While it was a stretch to call the two-truck operation a business, Maio would soon make it one, eventually becoming one of the nation’s largest residential service contractors before selling to a consolidator.  A student of the industry, Maio adopted many of the practices developed by George Brazil, Frank Blau, and Mike Diamond and refined them.  He packaged his systems as Maio Marketing Systems and began training contractors from across the country on ways to market their companies.  He created his own flat rate system, which he offered to the industry.  Maio consistently raised the marketing bar for plumbing contractors.

Preston Bond

At Honeywell, Preston Bond created a commercial full coverage maintenance agreement and sales process, transforming commercial service work.  He was instrumental in the creation of the LINC franchise system, HVAC’s oldest continually operating franchise system.  Bond is a member of the Contracting Business Hall of Fame.

Earl King

Another individual to impact commercial service was Earl King who created the United Service Alliance (USA), the first business alliance for commercial contractors.   USA was a national force until sold to GroupMAC.  Throughout his career, King has always been willing to help contractors create and offer commercial maintenance programs.  He continues to be a featured columnist in the trade magazines and is a member of the Contracting Business Hall of Fame.

Tom Mutz

A financial genius, Tom Mutz created a contracting empire under the Unique Indoor Comfort brand.  Mutz would legally partner with contractors, taking a financial stake in their businesses in return for helping them become more successful.  He was one of the first contractors to successful execute a multi-market strategy under common branding.  Mutz showed how contractors could band together to achieve economies of scale and help each other with financial benchmarking.

(c) 2013 Matt Michel

What I Learned From Branding Gal

The speaker was a nationally recognized branding expert, being promoted by a national business magazine.  The room was packed.  It was standing room only.  And the start was inauspicious.

"Here's a warning," the speaker said, "If you're offended by foul language you should leave."

Huh?

In a few minutes it became clear.  Branding gal's schtick was to be as offensive as possible.  She dropped more F-bombs than a gansta rapper.  She wasn't branding gal, she was effing branding gal.

Effing branding gal berated the audience for the stupidity of making a status update by phone while she was speaking (and this was after she opened by stressing that she wanted people to use her hash tag when tweeting).  Effing branding gal picked case studies that appeared designed to offend (e.g., a travel website pushing lesbianism, a sex toy company, etc.).

Effing branding gal wasn't just offensive, she was arrogantly offensive.  Branding gal told us that she "had it all figured out."  None of us did despite, as she noted, spending decades on the job.  Only effing branding gal had it all figured out.

I considered the presentation unprofessional.  It tainted my view of the publication sponsoring the conference (and no, it's not a publication I write for).  Nevertheless, I stayed in the room hoping to learn something, though I confess that after a few minutes I was only half-listening.  I was more absorbed reading football blogs on the iPad.  Gotta love, "Out Kick The Coverage."

Eventually, I had enough and walked out.  Surprisingly (to me), I wasn't part of an exodus.  Everyone else stayed.  Everyone else seemed to be entertained.  I didn't get it.  Effing branding gal didn't have much of substance to offer.  In fact, if she wasn't offensive she wouldn't have had anything at all.

That was it.  Effing branding gal didn't have much to offer, but what she did was unique, different.  In a world of sameness, different sells, even if different isn't very good.  Think how powerful your company brand could become if you were both good and different?

How are you going to be different?

(c) 2013 Matt Michel

Different Business Systems

Different Business Systems

  If you have attended business and/or sales seminars, you have no-doubt heard the presenter talking about how the better companies have very well thought out and efficient systems in place to run their companies.  I happen to fully agree with that assessment, and am always looking for examples of any type of businesses that in fact have superior systems.  Recently, I dealt with a company whose business system really stood out for me.  We now have Guardianship of my four year old Grandson Jack, and we noticed he had some issues with his teeth.  As a result, we found a highly recommended Dentist that specialized in working with children to check him out.

  (The Greeting) Upon entering the office, the first thing that struck me was how clean and tidy it was.  On one wall were 3 Play Station Video Games that Jack spotted right off, and was very quickly playing.  This freed me up to deal with the office staff, who were very professional and friendly when I handed them the paperwork they had E-Mailed my wife earlier on for us to fill out before we showed up for the appointment.  It had everything that was needed on it, including what the Insurance Company would cover.  This very simple and easy thing to do cut a ton of time off what can be a time consuming and stressful process, and in a 3 minutes or so I was done.

(The Inspection) The Dental Hygienist came out and took Digital Pictures of Jacks teeth, and then asked if she could clean them, which I agreed to.  She also went over what the Dentist would be looking for when he came in for his examination after the cleaning, just like a CSR would do for a customer on the phone making an appointment. 

(The Diagnosis)  The Dentist then came in and checked Jacks teeth, and we were ready for what needed to be done.

(The Presentation)  Jack and I were then asked to go to a special seating area which had a Flat Screen TV on the wall which was showing a kids video for Jack to look at.  Its sole purpose was to keep him occupied so he would leave us alone while we talked.  In just a few minutes the Dentist came back to get me, and we moved over to a stand-up work area and Flat Screen TV, which showed what the Digital Pictures revealed, and he pointed out what had to be done.

(The Close)  We then went over a printed out Invoice for the work to be completed, which consisted of a series of Flat Rate priced line items that had no doubt been started by the office staff during the Dentists examination, and then quickly completed upon learning what he found.  It turns out Jacks problems were the result of going to bed with a bottle of milk every night as a baby resulting in multiple pockets of erosion in the base of many of his teeth, which is referred to as "Bottle Rot".   It was really very serious problem for Jack, and required a lot of work to repair.  I also learned that he would have some of these teeth until he was 12, so we had to do something about them now.

Like many customers, I was not at all prepared for the cost of the work to be done, as it was many thousands of dollars.  Also like them, I had to make a choice.  I could say no, and pay-up for what had been done so far and go elsewhere for another opinion and price, or bite the bullet and go forward with this company.  For me, the choice was an easy one, as I was very impressed with this companies operation as soon as I stepped in the door, and by the time of the bill presentation I was confident that everyone in the building was a competent professional, and would do a great job.  This was very important to me, as it turned out the work to be done requires an Anesthesiologist to put Jack under for 3 hours, and be there during the entire one time procedure.  Obviously it was a very big deal to have our little guy worked on like that, and I wanted to make sure everything was going to be done properly and safely for his sake.  My Wife and I will also be there during the entire procedure, and will be very relieved when it is completed.  So I signed the agreement, thanked the Dentist who then went on to another patient, and the close was completed.

(Additional Explanation and Information)  Another staff person then very carefully went over the steps that the Anesthesiologist would go through during the procedure, as she could see I was a little concerned about this part of it.  She made absolutely sure that I knew just what to expect during the process, which really helped to lessen my anxiety.   She then gave me 2 dates that would work for the Anesthesiologist so I could have more of a chance to deal with any scheduling conflicts after talking with my Wife, and I was good to go.

So there it is, every step of a system that was well thought out and designed to make doing business with this company as efficient and time saving, easy to deal with, and comfortable as possible.  What was also very apparent to me, was how the Dentists time was focused on just doing his job which generated the company's income, and only took about 15 minutes out of the 60 minute appointment.  Too this end, I never heard him say one word to the staff about what to do, it was just done.  I feel he was truly following the classic E-Myth Revisited philosophy of empowering others to do their jobs via systems, which is something every business owner should be striving to do. 

I realize that going to a Dentist's office is not the same as sending a Tech out to a customer's job-site, but having first rate business systems will allow any type of business to operate more efficiently, while making larger profits.  They also make everything easier and better for your companies' owner, management, and employees; what a concept.

Just my thoughts,

Gene B

44 Links From 2011

Below is a series of links to articles and columns I wrote in 2011 that were published by others and available online.  I've written more than these, but not all of them are available on the Internet (e.g., Southern PHC Magazine, some issues of Contracting Canada, etc.).  Even so, I found 44 links.  Most are articles and columns.  A few were interviews I gave or features.  Still, this is nearly one per week. No wonder I'm always chasing a deadline.

1.       Social Media: It's Where Your Customers Are (1.1.11)

2.       Behind the Magic 8-Ball (1.1.11)

3.       Purge Your Organizational Negative Energy (1.1.11)

4.       Are You Leveraging the Referral Potential of Your Email Marketing? (1.5.11)

5.       Do You Cut Off the Ham in Your Company? (1.19.11)

6.       Why Aren’t You Cross Marketing? (2.2.11)

7.       Ten Ways to Protect Your Company’s Online Reputation (2.16.11)

8.       Simple ideas to jump start your marketing (3.1.11)

9.       Leaving Money on the Table (3.1.11)

10.   Profiting from Chaos (3.1.11)

11.   Free Stuff from the Contracting Business Website (Part I) (3.2.11)

12.   Free Stuff from the Contracting Business Website (Part II) (3.16.22)

13.   How to Create or Update a Service Agreement (3.18.11)

14.   Magnetic marketing: make your magnet stand out (4.1.11)

15.   Free Stuff from the Contracting Business Website (Part III) (4.6.11)

16.   The Service Roundtable takes first place in the Business Services category at 2010 HVAC Comfortech Show (4.14.11)

17.   Free Stuff from the Contracting Business Website—Part IV (4.20.11)

18.   Generate a flood of add-on sales (5.1.11)

19.   Scratching the ISH Itch (5.1.11)

20.   The Buzz About QR Codes (5.4.11)

21.   The Heat is On (6.1.11)

22.   Entrepreneur Interview: Matt Michele of Service Roundtable (6.6.11)

23.   Summer Season Marketing (6.15.11)

24.   Brandwashing (6.24.11)

25.   Do you believe in plumbing marketing myths? (7.1.11)

26.   Do You Own a Business, Job, or Is This Just a Hobby? (7.1.11)

27.   Are Odors Hurting Your Repeat Business? (7.5.11)

28.   Cause and Effect (7.5.11)

29.   Advice To Homeowners about Licensed Insured Contractors (7.9.11)

30.   Are We Headed for a Double Dip? (7.20.11)

31.   Plumbing marketing myths – Part 2 (8.1.11)

32.   Should You Attend HVAC Comfortech 2011? (8.3.11)

33.   10 Steps To Get the Economy Booming (9.1.11)

34.   Six Ways to Tap Into the Positive Power of Groups (9.7.11)

35.   Preparing a Marketing Calendar (9.21.11)

36.   The Power of Free (10.5.11)

37.   Best practices for employees who pick up product from distribution. (10.12.11)

38.   Embarrassed by the Brand (10.19.11)

39.   She's Baaaack… The Return of Big Yellow (11.1.11)

40.   The ‘Best-of’ Matt Michel (11.10.11)

41.   December Marketing Tactics (12.7.11)

42.   Fear is the Mind Killer (12.9.11)

43.   EPA Rules Will Create Opportunities For HVAC Contractors (12.21.11)

44.   Faces of Roundpeg: Matt and the Gift of Words (12.24.11)

(c) 2011 Matt Michel

What makes one Company or Team better than another?

We all know of companies that are superior to others; and a tremendous amount of time, effort and money is expended daily by lesser businesses trying to find out what makes them so. For many years now, I have spent a great deal of time thinking and talking about this; and I believe I may have come up with a good example. In the San Francisco Bay Area, we have two professional football teams, the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers. The past few years have been dismal for both of them, as they just could not find their way back to their glory days of the past. However, this season both teams brought on new head coaches, as well as making a few changes with their assistant coaches, and saw their fortunes change as well.

There is no doubt you must have talented players on any team for it to be a good one, and both teams had plenty of good players who were receiving substantial amounts of money to perform but were not doing so consistently. However, as has been proven many times in sports, government, and business, just throwing money at something without insuring it works well is not always enough. Both teams did acquire some new players before the season started, however their squad’s talent levels were pretty much unchanged from last year, so that was not a big issue in their progress either. I believe the big difference for them this year is the new and different coaching, training, and positive attitude adjustment they are now receiving, plain and simple.

So what was the end result of this transformation? With the Raiders, after changing head coaches 9 times over the past 16 years, they seem to have finally found a head coach and assistants the players respect and will play for, as well as gaining a new winning attitude. As a result, they are currently in a real dogfight in their division, as apposed to dragging up the rear. As for the 49ers, they also brought in a new head coach along with some assistant coaches, which has resulted in changing the culture of the entire team. Last year the team was 6 and 10, and just did not have “It”. So far this year, they are 10 and 2, and have clinched their division. I do not believe they are the best team in the league, as the Packers and Saints seem to have that honor. However, they are certainly heading in the right direction.

It is reported one of the first things the new Head Coach Jim Harbaugh did, was take Alex Smith, the much beleaguered 49er quarterback for the past 7 years under his wing, and let him know he believed in him, told him he was his quarterback, and empowered him to lead the team. Apparently, this was what he needed, as he has blossomed into the now seventh rated quarterback in the league. What’s more, the entire team has followed suit, and are now proving they have a ton of “It”, every time they play.

So just what is ‘It”, anyway? I submit it is having a total belief in themselves and their ability, and that they will succeed in whatever they attempt to do; no matter the obstacles. To me, successful companies in business mirror top sports teams by having the same superior leadership qualities in their owners, managers, supervisors, and/or lead personal. They also create and manage efficient systems to run their operations, and employ ongoing training programs to insure those systems are followed to the letter. They always reinforce the positive, and dismiss the negative. In addition, they show solid leadership by being consistent in everything they do, while setting good examples for the people around them. One of their big “secrets”, is believing in finding and hiring the best people they can, and then putting them in positions that will work best for them and the team. Of course, they will not tolerate malcontents and slackers, and get rid of them before they destroy the positive chemistry that has been established through hours of sacrifice and hard work by the rest of the team.

Having these characteristics and assets, and being able to then build a great team or business with them, is obviously not a common thing for most of us humans to have and accomplish, or everyone could do it. I believe in order to take advantage of them; you must have a well thought out game plan, which is then followed to the letter. In addition, you need to park your ego at the door, and learn how to empower others to do their jobs. Finally, you must work on your own weaknesses and shortcomings, until you become proficient enough to become a true leader of anything.

As far as determining who are leaders and winners goes, they are not all the same. For instance, in professional football, you have had very aggressive and vocal coaches like Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay packers, who would not hesitate to get in the players faces when a mistake was made. Then you can have someone like the Dallas Cowboys great Tom Landry, who would stand quietly on the sidelines in his famous Stetson Fedora hat with his arms crossed, showing little or no emotion. Whenever a player on his team made a mistake, instead of screaming and yelling, he responded by simply giving them a very disapproving and withering look, which made them wish they would never do that again.

There was also “The Genus” Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers, who helped build a series of teams that won 5 Super Bowls over a period of 13 years. He had a great sense of humor, and also did not holler, rant, and rave. However, everyone knew he was in charge, and they had best listen to, and follow him, if they ever wanted to succeed. All of these great coaches and leaders had another thing in common, they believed in creating systems to run their teams. The Packers Lombardi had the famous “Packer Sweep”; a running play that most opposing teams just could not stop even though they knew it was coming.

This simple running play dominated pro football for almost 10 years, and was unique to the Packers only. It worked by having the Tackle Forrest Gregg, and Guards Jerry Kramer Fuzzy Thurston, pull out in perfect sync to set-up a wall of beef for the great running backs Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor to run behind while gaining chunks of yardage. Hornung said of the ”Packer Sweep”; “It worked because "It made everybody work as a team, as it gave everybody enough responsibility that you took it upon yourself to do the best you could. And it became the best play in football."

Landry’s team ran the “Flex Defense”, along with many other different innovations while he was the coach of the Cowboys for some 29 years, and at one time had a winning record for 20 years in a row.

49er coach Bill Walsh created the “West Coast Offence” in the 80s, which is still being used today. One of Walsh’s many innovations was scripting the first 25 plays before the start of the game. He said that his reasoning for having systems and then rehearsing them so much before playing the game was, “Your ability to make good judgments is much easier on Thursday night, than during the heat of the game”. Just like in business, planning and preparation will always succeed over just winging it, and then hoping for the best.

All of these men also had the ability and vision to find players and coaches that would work well within their particular systems. Walsh for instance, selected a quarterback from Notre Dame named Joe Montana. Although he was a great athlete, he was not selected until the 82^nd spot in the draft, which meant that some of the other teams and coaches did not think of him as a superstar. In fact, when he first came out, some of the “experts” suggested that he had skinny legs, and an average arm. However, Walsh knew Montana was exactly what he needed for his new “West Coast Offense”, which he later proved by leading the team to four Super Bowl wins.

Montana was also a very calm player, so much so he became known as “Joe Cool”, as he just never panicked no matter how stressful the situation. The other big thing Joe possessed was “It”, and as their leader, he transferred those gifts to the rest of the team every time they took the field. Just as the leader of a successful company does every time they put the key in the front door to start the day’s business.

Just my thoughts,

Gene B

Business Secrets of the Aggie 100

A group of successful entrepreneurs who grew and prospered in 2009 and 2010 share the keys to success.  Pay attention.

"Give first and receive later."

Bernie B. Bernard, James M. Brooks

B&B Laboratories

"The people you surround yourself with are critical - they should be hard-working, passionate aobu the business you are in, and ideally, smarter than you."

William Sims

Accent Wire, Ltd.

"Never be scared to take a risk.  It is those risks that often push you to the next level and thos risks, successful or not, that teach you the most."

Jackie Lackey

Encore Visions

"Consider your employees one of your most important assets.  A happy employee results in a happy customer."

Kimberly Smart Willmott

Pentecom, LLC

"Never accept that there is not a better way.  With the speed at which information and technology move in today's world, if something is being done 'the same way it always has been,' then there is probably a great opportunity to improve it.  Often it is not the idea for improvement that leads to a strong business, but the drive to change people's way of thinking to accept that improvement."

Ryan Sitton, Jennifer Sitton

Pinnacle Asset Integrity Services

"Take care of your employees as they are hard to find."

Alvin Adamcik

MI Cable Company

"If you don't always do what's in the customer's best interests, someone else will."

Phil Miner

Miner Central Texas Ltd.

"Realize that you'll reach a point when your company's success is despite your efforts and not because of them.  Eventually, you must modestly step aside from your daily role, empower your team and make the business about them - it's not about you anymore."

Gary Peterson

gap intelligence

"Establish your company with a clear vision, mission and values... People will commit to something greater than themselves if it is clear and they believe in it.  Ultimately, people drive your success."

Stefan LeRow

Capstone Mechanical

"You are never going to grow if you don't take a chance."

Phil Miner

Miner North Texas Ltd

"In business, grow or die."

Donald G. Valentine

John Moore Services, Inc.

"Growth can consumer massive amounts of cash, even when your income statement is showing a healthy profit."

William Sims

Accent Wire, Ltd.

"Don't let 'conventional wisdom' limit your options.  Many success stories are the result of people doing what they're not supposed to be able to do."

Ed Muniz

MEI Technologies, Inc.

"Live by the Golden Rule and always ask yourself:  'How would I want them to treat me?'  It is a small world in business relationships and the things you do come back to haunt you sooner than you might expect."

Larry Teverbaugh

K2Share, LLC

"Do not allow other people to influence you with their own negativity.  If you believe in yourself enough to do something great, then do it.  You do not need anyone's approval to make that something a reality."

Trey Jones

Lone Star Land Design

"Hire character and train skill."

Taseer Badar

True View Realty Partners Two, L.P.

"If you wait for the perfect time to begin something new you will be waiting your entire life.  There is no 'perfect time' to change the direction of your life.  Instead of waiting - commit, persevere, and enjoy the experience."

Kyle D. Barrington

Zajonc Corp

"Seek out a mentor and then become a mentor to someone."

Todd Sorrel, Gordon Sorrel

Select Premium Services, Inc.

"Remember to do the right thing at all costs; it will pay off in the long run, even if it's more expensive in the short term."

Ryan Kobermann, Beth Kobermann

ESN Health

"Constantly work to broaden your knowledge about your industry and business in general."

William Sims

Accent Wire, Ltd.

"Choose well when you choose a business partner; take the time to get to know them well.  You will need to trust them as well as depend on them.  It's better to pass up a great business opportunity than to go into business with someone who you can't fully trust."

Todd Smith, Scott Holder

Texas Quail Farms L.P.

"You can buy office supplies anywhere but people like buying from people they trust.  At Tejas, we believe that personal relationships still matter and as long as we can be a trusted advisor to our clients we can compete with anyone."

Stephen M. Fraga, Lupe Fraga

Tejas Office Products, Inc.

"Hire future leaders that are smarter than you.  Cast for them a clear vision of what the future could be and should be.  Develop in them the moral courage to always do what is right no matter what, even when it's hard.  Empower them to exercise initiative and to develop plans to shape your vision.  Finally, give them the authority to execute those plans and make your vision a reality."

Lee Sechrist

Synergy Creations Group, LLC

"Surround yourself with good people and then give them the tools they need to be successful."

Jeff McDougall, Jeff Durrant

PivotPoint Solutions

"Say what you'll do and do what you say.  A successful business is built on a foundation of honesty and integrity.  A great reputation supported by this foundation may take years to build but can be lost in one day."

Michael Martin

Rio Queen, Inc.

"A lot of people have ideas, but few have the courage and belief in themselves to do something about them.  If you aren't willing to invest in yourself, don't expect anyone else to do so."

Joanne Vest

Schedule 2 Drive, L.P.

The Aggie 100 are the 100 fastest growing businesses over the past two years owned, founded, or managed by Texas A&M graduates.  Service Nation, Inc., which operates the Service Roundtable, Retail Contractor Coalition, and the Service Nation Alliance, was fortunate enough to be achieve #43 in the 2011 Aggie 100.  Dr. Richard Lester, Executive Director of the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship with the Mays Business School graciously allowed me to share these quotes, excerpted from "Aggie Legacy of Leadership."