One of the first times I ever met or talked to Randy Rose of Rose Hearing Healthcare Centers, he said that to me. I remember it so vividly – even to this day. It must have been something I needed to hear at the time, although, as it has been almost a decade, I can’t remember the reason why. I guess he was right – things did work out.
I’m a sucker for one-liners and concise words of wisdom. Perhaps that comes from my former mentor Pierce Lowrey. He was the king of inspirational posters on the wall. My favorite might be, “If a customer asks you to do something, you either find a way to do it, or lose a customer.” Not sure why that particular one stuck with me but there is some truth in it. And sometimes it’s OK to lose a customer – after all, “everything always works out.”
I really enjoyed reading through the profiles for this month’s Men in Business. We featured more than 50 local businessmen and I always look forward to gleaning bits of info about their pathways to success. I have to admit that, as I get older, there’s not a lot that surprises me. After almost 20 years putting this magazine out every month, I know what the secret to success is: hard work, day after day. Or, as Ryan Lockhart, owner of group46 put it, “Simple things done consistently over time create extraordinary results.”
Doug Hoover of Stone Restore shared this business tip: “You’ll never be late if you’re early.” The way I remember it is, “Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.” Same message, different verbiage.
Jeff Rehling, the new director of the Institute for Business and Innovation at Hilton Head Preparatory School, shared this advice from his dad: “Everyone says you have to earn a person’s respect. That’s not true. Everyone is born with respect. It’s yours to lose.” Amen, Jeff, amen! Check out his article on page 104.
As the summer winds down and the temperature remains in the high 90s, I hope you take some time to enjoy this issue – and perhaps learn something from the entrepreneurs featured within.
Cheers to all the men in our community doing good things!