Be Professional

Good Wednesday morning to you. My research for the theme this week has made me so much more excited about all the things that I’ve learned so far. We spoke yesterday about taking ownership of what we do and who we are, how it is a must for an entrepreneur. The idea for today’s post came from a photograph that a business acquaintance of mine took while driving on the highway here in Dallas. This photo doesn’t suggest an entrepreneur who is a stand up, professional, a person who stands out with class.

We all know of the shady people who run a small business — shall we say fly-by-night operations? We all know the person at a job who is always taking a short cut to get a sale, a promotion, a raise. I remember back to the days when I owned a mobile car wash, and detailing business. That is where I started coaching, as I met other people in the same industry. I watched as they took short cuts to just make a few extra dollars. I have to say it bothered me how some people could short-cut their success by cheapening what they were trying to create.

It was at this time that I was able to see the businesses that they were building were just about chasing money. I worked to coach a few of them, but only one man actually worked to make his business success. Brian is still in the mobile wash business and growing still. He was not after the quick buck.

In the Bible it says the love of money is the root of all evil, and that some people, while chasing money, would get greedy. It does not say the money itself is the root of evil but the love of it.

Some people reading this are looking for the money, they are chasing a never-ending trail of more. In my car washing days, I worked for a man, Ty Richardson, who currently has a company called the Quest Group here in Dallas. He was a man worth millions when I met him. The message that I received from Ty was when you start down the road of chasing money, it becomes a never-ending path of wanting more.

As an entrepreneur, the greatest thing you can do with your talent is to not chase money. Instead, create a mission of purpose. When you create a company, charity, or any organization with purpose it serves mankind, that is the ultimate achievement for an entrepreneur.

So to do this we must be professional. When you look at the picture above you see someone who is short-changing his business. I have to ask: would you trust someone like this to do work for you? I have been thinking of this for years, as I watch cars, trucks, both personal and commercial, driving down our highways. They have signs, phone numbers, and personalized license plates on their cars/trucks. Yet they never think of what they are telling you about their businesses by how their vehicle looks, how they drive. See this one showing the condition of the back window? What an advertisement!

How else do you show your professionalism and class? In the book, Onward, you get to see how Howard Shultz built Starbucks with the respect and dignity of those he calls partners. Everyone in the company from the barista all the way up to Howard, the CEO, treat each other the same. Howard worked to make great things available to all those who worked for Starbucks: stock options, 401k, and health benefits. Another great feature that kept me working part time for them was the fact I got a free pound of coffee each week to take home and brew at the house. But that is a level of professionalism by an entrepreneur that set a new standard for other larger companies to meet in our world.

So add professionalism to the planning of your next enterprise. Take the things that you are required by law to follow, and exceed them to set your personal standard. I know Ken Talbert of Debt XS did that. From day one his industry had very few governing laws. So Ken started by making rules for the ways staff treated the customers. He set standards that far exceeded that of the laws and rules when they did finally come out. This made his company the number one debt settlement company in the last decade.

So, what standards are you going to set for your next venture? How are you going to exceed those standards? As Rocker Life Coach we exceed by providing programs for those people who want to start over in life and have limited financial resources. We get them started by building their dreams, and creating a path towards success that includes finding jobs that will provide them income so they can work towards the purpose or dream they have. Some go on to become clients others go with other coaches. Either way they get started with a coach, even with no money.

That is our standard of helping people get started again. So how can we help you to become the entrepreneur you want to be? What’s your dream? How can you use where you are now to get to that dream?

I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach. It’s time for you to live the life you always wanted, to love what you do and those you share life with. Let us help you become a RockStar in your world