Tweet

From Sheep and Sodas to Success: How Marriott Became a Name We Know

Article Overview: With a guiding philosophy of hard work and clean living, Marriott rose from the sheep fields of his father’s farm to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in America’s history. He built one of the fastest-growing and most profitable companies in the difficult food and lodging business. How did he do it?

From Sheep and Sodas to Success: How Marriott Became a Name We Know

With a guiding philosophy of hard work and clean living, Marriott rose from the sheep fields of his father’s farm to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in America’s history. He built one of the fastest-growing and most profitable companies in the difficult food and lodging business. How did he do it?

Management: “If you don’t hire the right kind of people, we can never make anything out of them,” Marriott once said. On the other side of the coin, Marriott also knew that if he did not treat them well, he would never make anything out of even the best people. To that end, he maintained a focus on communication with and respect for his workers.

Innovation: “Cashiers should not be sorting checks during a busy time,” Marriott believed. “I saw one cashier who was terribly busy, holding up a whole line of customers because she was trying to sort her checks. Tills can be done after the busy hour.” Marriott never missed a chance to find ways to improve his business.

Hard Work: Marriott was a strong believer in setting the pace for his business and his employees, and that pace was a fast one. Whether it was working six and a half days a week to get his business off the ground, or visiting each and every one of his Hot Shoppes to carry out inspections, Marriott put his heart and sweat into his business.

Details: “There is not enough follow-up by management on service, planning, getting things done when they should be,” believed Marriott. Whether it was seasoning hamburgers or flipping hash browns, no detail was too small for Marriott to follow through on. It was his attention to detail that let him spot crucial areas for improvement and innovation.

Action: Marriott never stopped seeking perfection. Even if a customer was satisfied with his product, Marriott refused to be, believing there to be always more room for improvement. Despite all the setbacks and challenges, it was Marriott’s eagerness to keep on going that allowed him to stay the course.

Throughout his long and successful career, Marriott strove to stay in touch with his all of his operations, employees, and customers, to achieve high standards, and to set a good example. From his regular interaction with staff to his constant attention to detail, it was the little things that continually set Marriott apart from his competitors. Above all else, nothing was more important than customer, employee, and personal self-satisfaction. And, it was not until the first two were achieved that Marriott could recognize the last and feel happy in his accomplishments.

“In all the years that we have been testing for quality, we have found that there is very little difference between top quality and second and third grade,” said Marriott. “But I have found this - if you take second- and third-grade quality, even though the difference is hardly discernible, you will end up with a second- and third-rate quality product.”

Because Marriott never settled for second quality, he never wound up with a second-rate product.

Related Articles
  Lesson #2: “Great companies are built by people who never stop thinking about ways to improve the business.”
  From Sheep to Sodas: The Early Years of J. Willard Marriott
  Lesson #5: “Success seems to be connected to action.”
  Lesson #3: “No person can get very far in life working 40 hours a week.”
  Leaving the Sheep Behind: Marriott Hits It Big

Article Tags: americas history, believer, business details, cashier, cashiers, eagerness, guiding philosophy, half days, hamburgers, hash browns, hot shoppes, lodging business, marriott, profitable companies, service planning, setbacks, setting the pace, sheep, sodas, successful entrepreneurs



Related Forum Posts
Re: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD...RIGHT NOW!!! - Success = Thinking (Head) + Heart (Feeling / Interest) + Hand (doing/ action). Success - H3 Robert
Re: Success - I study success intently, and would like to share: Here's two excellent and nearly identical success-formulas from a couple of the world's masters. FIRST FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Clear, Definite Purpose 3. Committed Decision 4. Take Action In Faith (Bonus Secret Sauce: 5. Repeat Consistently) I made a video about this, but am not allowed to link it yet. Google "Ryze Success Steps" for it. Oh, and this is Napoleon Hill's (Master Of Success Laws)'s Formula. SECOND FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Understand It Is Already Done (Faith) 3. Relax & Allow It To Unfold (Go about your life calmly) This one is courtesy of Abraham-Hicks (inspiration for the movie The Secret). Hope that helps!
And the speakers for the Nov 1 event - Inspiring speakers will share their stories of launching, living and dreaming. Speakers include: Kathleen Matthews: Executive Vice President Global Communications and Public Affairs, Marriott International, Inc. and former award-winning producer, reporter and news anchor who covered news in Washington, DC for 25 years Mei Xu: Founder and creator of CHESAPEAKE BAY CANDLE and Blissliving Home Julie Lenzer Kirk: President of Path Forward International and author of The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business Jennifer Buddin: Co-founder of "The Little Black Book for every busy woman" Victoria Colligan: Founder of Ladies Who Launch Frances Crespo and Nicolette Pizzitola: Ladies Who Launch Washington, DC Leaders Educational workshops and information gathering Invaluable exchanges, introductions, business contacts and referrals Exclusive discounts, free consultations and access to original products and services Lunch and spa services An opportunity to become a "Featured Lady" on Ladies Who Launch Valuable GIFT BAG guaranteed with pre-registration
Success Strategies - How to get the results you want now? Success Strategies and Action Steps I have used are: The Power of Choice Where you are at this present moment, is exactly perfect from the choices you have made. If you want to be somewhere else, you have to decide clearly what that is (your goal/outcome) and create action steps to achieve this. The Power of Focus The book "The Power of Focus" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt, is one of my treasures in my Entrepreneur Library. If you focus on what you want versus what you do not want, your conscious and sub-conscious mind will direct attention to this. The movie, What the Bleep, Down the Rabbit Hole, explains this in detail about quantum physics and what we create in our lives. The Power of Commitment This is not about commitment to others. The first step is the commitment, your word, you make to yourself. Accountability and responsibility are additional success strategies and ingredients to creating the success, defined by you, that you want. The commitment to others reflects your integrity, your word and the team you work with. Co-workers, clients, yoru family, friends and community. My Success Acronyn in Success Breakthroughs(c) is: S pecific & self-directed U nlimited opportunities & possibilities C reate powerful outcomes C onsistent measureable results E xperience pwoerful transformation S olution and action-oriented S uccessful habits and outcomes Break Through to Powerful LIfestyle & Performance Choices Moira
Re: Books for the Entrepreneur - Here's one of my most recent books The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success By Brian Tracy


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How to Set Sales Goals that Work

A Guide to Franchise Financing

Promoting your company and self with verve

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.