Copying Success: How Orfalea Turned Paper into Power

“Keep your nose in the window long enough, and they are going to let you in.” That is Orfalea’s advice to up and coming entrepreneurs; he got in and he has not looked back since. But how did his hyperactive dyslexic who flunked two grades in school turn his condition into a recipe for success?

Employees: “You have to nurture your people,” says Orfalea. It was a lesson the entrepreneur learned in the 1970’s, when he first began hiring people to work for Kinko’s as cashiers. “At that moment, I realized my name was on the receipts and invoices. That's my money,” he says. “Well, how do you treat people who are touching your money? You kiss their fingers. Happy fingers equal happy employees and that means more money. That didn't mean I was mellow. I had the velvet glove and the steel fist. And sometimes I used the steel fist. But you can tell how good a company is by looking in the employee's eyes.”

Expansion: Orfalea decided early on that he did not want to go the franchise route in taking Kinko’s national. Again, he chose to value people and establish partnerships with others instead of seemingly adversarial relationships with franchisees. By focusing on the appropriate structure for expansion and choosing to go his own route, Orfalea turned Kinko’s into an international success.

Effectiveness: “I get bored easily, and that is a great motivator,” says Orfalea. “I think everybody should have dyslexia and ADD.” Critics suggested that Orfalea’s medical conditions would render him incapable of running a business, but Orfalea became only more motivated and focused on getting more done with less. “If I find a great idea, I work on it at the beginning, then bring in other people to make things work,” he says. “Actually, I've always been good at getting out of work.” He chose effectiveness over efficiency and it paid off.

Opportunity: “You can either complain or look for opportunity in every problem,” says Orfalea. “I prefer opportunity.” Orfalea could have given in to his conditions and accepted himself as others saw him – slow and incompetent. He chose, however, to fight that image, and to use his disadvantages to his advantage. “Trust what you see, rather than what you hear,” he says. “And don't take life so seriously – just enjoy it.”

Rejuvenation: “It seems counter-intuitive in our work-obsessed society, but longer vacations are good,” says Orfalea, “for the employer, the coworker, and the economy.” Few CEOs today encourage their colleagues to take long vacations, but then Orfalea is not your typical CEO. Orfalea understands the importance of rejuvenation as a means to boost productivity. He also knows that some of the biggest breakthroughs come when people are out exploring the world instead of the inside of a boardroom.

Today, Kinko’s enjoys revenues in excess of $2 billion and employs more than 20,000 people around the world. Despite barely being able to read or spell, Orfalea managed to create one of the most successful office and print services companies in the world.



Copying Success: How Orfalea Turned Paper into Power

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