Lesson #2: Passion is the Key in a Successful Business Recipe
Lesson #2: Passion is the Key in a Successful Business Recipe
Fields’ parents might not have been supportive of her future business efforts, but when she was still a young girl her father gave her some wise words of advice: “Debbi, whatever you do in your life, you’ve got to find something that you absolutely, passionately love.” And what did Fields love doing more than anything else? She thought about it for just a second before she realized what it was. Fields loved to bake chocolate chip cookies. She always had and knew she always would.
“I loved it,” she says. “And I sat there and I thought, ‘You know, I’m good at it. I’m really good at it.” Fields loved the fact that when she shared her cookies with people, she could give them an enjoyable experience. “I could make people smile,” she says. “All they had to do is eat the cookie. That was a magical thing.” Fields knew in an instant that she was getting herself into the right business. In fact, she never even considered it a business. It was simply what she calls, “an extension of me.”
It was that passion that finally convinced a banker to come on board in backing her venture. Fields had approached scores of bankers with her business plan but was turned down by all of them. Finally, she found one who saw something in her business idea that went beyond the cookies. Fields made her presentation, gave the banker her business plan, and let him sample her cookies. “Debbi,” he said, “I absolutely love your product. I think your cookies are great. And I absolutely love your passion.”
In growing her business, Fields was determined to bring on board only those people who shared her passion for cookies. To make sure she was hiring people who were going to love their jobs as much as she did, Fields began auditioning all of her employees. People who wanted to work for Mrs. Fields were not just going to sit through the regular interview process.
Fields would first make them try her cookies. “The reason I wanted to find out about what they thought about the cookies was because if they would take a bit and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I love these,’ I knew I would never have to teach them how to sell,” says Fields, “because if it came from the heart, that was passion, that was love, and that was something I never had to teach them.” Needless to say, the girl who refused a cookie for fear of developing acne did not get the job.
Fields would then send her prospects into the street with trays of cookies, and told them that if any customers came into the store mentioning their name, they would be hired. Fields knew that those people who were uncomfortable out in public with their trays would never convey the passion they needed to sell her product.
Finally, Fields would make her prospects sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her in the middle of the store. “That’s how I found the best cookie people in the world,” says Fields, “because if they would sing and belt out ‘Happy Birthday,’ I knew that smiles were going to be created, laughter, fun times; and we were going to have a relationship.” Her formula was a success, and as a result, Fields never wrote a customer service manual “because customer service comes from the heart.”
Lesson 2 Passion is the Key in a Successful Business Recipe
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“You have to have passion when you’re finding a recipe for a career,” says Fields. “If you love what you are doing, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
Fields’ parents might not have been supportive of her future business efforts, but when she was still a young girl her father gave her some wise words of advice: “Debbi, whatever you do in your life, you’ve got to find something that you absolutely, passionately love.” And what did Fields love doing more than anything else? She thought about it for just a second before she realized what it was. Fields loved to bake chocolate chip cookies. She always had and knew she always would.
“I loved it,” she says. “And I sat there and I thought, ‘You know, I’m good at it. I’m really good at it.” Fields loved the fact that when she shared her cookies with people, she could give them an enjoyable experience. “I could make people smile,” she says. “All they had to do is eat the cookie. That was a magical thing.” Fields knew in an instant that she was getting herself into the right business. In fact, she never even considered it a business. It was simply what she calls, “an extension of me.”
It was that passion that finally convinced a banker to come on board in backing her venture. Fields had approached scores of bankers with her business plan but was turned down by all of them. Finally, she found one who saw something in her business idea that went beyond the cookies. Fields made her presentation, gave the banker her business plan, and let him sample her cookies. “Debbi,” he said, “I absolutely love your product. I think your cookies are great. And I absolutely love your passion.”
In growing her business, Fields was determined to bring on board only those people who shared her passion for cookies. To make sure she was hiring people who were going to love their jobs as much as she did, Fields began auditioning all of her employees. People who wanted to work for Mrs. Fields were not just going to sit through the regular interview process.
Fields would first make them try her cookies. “The reason I wanted to find out about what they thought about the cookies was because if they would take a bit and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I love these,’ I knew I would never have to teach them how to sell,” says Fields, “because if it came from the heart, that was passion, that was love, and that was something I never had to teach them.” Needless to say, the girl who refused a cookie for fear of developing acne did not get the job.
Fields would then send her prospects into the street with trays of cookies, and told them that if any customers came into the store mentioning their name, they would be hired. Fields knew that those people who were uncomfortable out in public with their trays would never convey the passion they needed to sell her product.
Finally, Fields would make her prospects sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her in the middle of the store. “That’s how I found the best cookie people in the world,” says Fields, “because if they would sing and belt out ‘Happy Birthday,’ I knew that smiles were going to be created, laughter, fun times; and we were going to have a relationship.” Her formula was a success, and as a result, Fields never wrote a customer service manual “because customer service comes from the heart.”
Lesson 2 Passion is the Key in a Successful Business Recipe
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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