Lesson #2: “Great companies are built by people who never stop thinking about ways to improve the business.”
Lesson #2: “Great companies are built by people who never stop thinking about ways to improve the business.”
Just as his father had taught him as a young boy herding sheep that it was up to him to figure out how to get done what he needed to, Marriott understood that if he was going to achieve success, it would mean relying on his own judgment and initiative. That is where he spent the next forty years directing his energy.
No matter how bad a situation seemed, Marriott tried as hard as he could to find the opportunity that he knew was there. Even during the Great Depression, when many restaurants were failing, Marriott believed that a low-cost restaurant could succeed against the odds. And, it did.
Even during WWII, when Marriott’s businesses were floundering just like the rest of the worlds’, Marriott turned his efforts to using his skills in whatever shape or form demand took. With experience in the food management industry, Marriott simply shifted his operations and began managing the food in war-production plant cafeterias until the bad times had passed over.
“Change is what puts life in your business and in your life,” said Marriott. “The customer needs change constantly, and your business and you have to change to meet those needs.”
That was the lesson Marriott learned all too well during the winter months with his root beer stand business. His one product, ice-cold root beer, sold great from May through September. “October rolled around and it got cold and rainy in Washington D.C.,” he recalled. “Nobody wanted ice-cold root beer.”
Instead of throwing in the towel, Marriott began to focus on what people did want. What could he sell that would not be affected by the slush and snow on the streets? Food, he decided. Marriott moved indoors and began whipping up Mexican specialties, thanks to his proximity to the Mexican embassy. Marriott’s Hot Shoppes began cooking and selling hot tamales, and chilli, and, of course, root beer. In the end, it proved to be a recipe that worked. “It was a very explosive menu,” said Marriott, “but it worked, and provided the foundation for one of the largest restaurant chains in the eastern United States.”
Marriott’s business had been forced indoors because of the weather, but it was there that it found an even greater niche. And, it was all because Marriott never stopped looking for ways to grow.
From there, Marriott only continued to expand. From restaurants, to airlines, to hotels, to theme parks, to even cruise ships, Marriott was on a never-ending quest for innovation, growth, and expansion.
Lesson 2 Great companies are built by people who never stop thinking about ways to improve the business
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Marriott was born into a household poor enough to know that success is never final. No matter how hard he worked, or how much he wanted something to work, the only thing Marriott could be assured of was that change was going to come. To that end, Marriott learned early on how to use that change to his advantage. He did it by focusing on innovation.
Just as his father had taught him as a young boy herding sheep that it was up to him to figure out how to get done what he needed to, Marriott understood that if he was going to achieve success, it would mean relying on his own judgment and initiative. That is where he spent the next forty years directing his energy.
No matter how bad a situation seemed, Marriott tried as hard as he could to find the opportunity that he knew was there. Even during the Great Depression, when many restaurants were failing, Marriott believed that a low-cost restaurant could succeed against the odds. And, it did.
Even during WWII, when Marriott’s businesses were floundering just like the rest of the worlds’, Marriott turned his efforts to using his skills in whatever shape or form demand took. With experience in the food management industry, Marriott simply shifted his operations and began managing the food in war-production plant cafeterias until the bad times had passed over.
“Change is what puts life in your business and in your life,” said Marriott. “The customer needs change constantly, and your business and you have to change to meet those needs.”
That was the lesson Marriott learned all too well during the winter months with his root beer stand business. His one product, ice-cold root beer, sold great from May through September. “October rolled around and it got cold and rainy in Washington D.C.,” he recalled. “Nobody wanted ice-cold root beer.”
Instead of throwing in the towel, Marriott began to focus on what people did want. What could he sell that would not be affected by the slush and snow on the streets? Food, he decided. Marriott moved indoors and began whipping up Mexican specialties, thanks to his proximity to the Mexican embassy. Marriott’s Hot Shoppes began cooking and selling hot tamales, and chilli, and, of course, root beer. In the end, it proved to be a recipe that worked. “It was a very explosive menu,” said Marriott, “but it worked, and provided the foundation for one of the largest restaurant chains in the eastern United States.”
Marriott’s business had been forced indoors because of the weather, but it was there that it found an even greater niche. And, it was all because Marriott never stopped looking for ways to grow.
From there, Marriott only continued to expand. From restaurants, to airlines, to hotels, to theme parks, to even cruise ships, Marriott was on a never-ending quest for innovation, growth, and expansion.
Lesson 2 Great companies are built by people who never stop thinking about ways to improve the business
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
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 |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
|||
Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
|||
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 |
|||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
|
 | ||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
 | ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 Branding The Product Increase Sales Sample Credit Application Capture More Clients Warning Signs Checklist |
|
 | ||
 |
More PR Resources
Press Release Builder | |
 |
The Top 10 ProBlogger Posts
Best Posts for Bloggers | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
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 and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||