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The Heart Is The Engine Behind Small Business Owner Success

Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Video / By Randy Cantrell

When a business owner tells me, “Sometimes, I speak from my heart,” then my radar sounds a warning. Well, not a warning as much as an alert. It gets my attention.

live long and prosper — “Live long and prosper.”

You can’t separate your head from your heart so stop all this foolishness of something either being head or heart. It’s not an either/or proposition. It’s always an AND deal. What are you, a Vulcan? Nope. You’re human.

Sheryl Sandberg has a new book coming out today called Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy. She’s #2 at Facebook. Worth billions. But her world got rocked and her heart got broken a couple of years ago when her husband died suddenly leaving her with a 2-year-old daughter. To raise alone.

In spite of her resources she needed to find her way back to life without her beloved husband. She not only needed to speak from her heart, but she needed to hear from her heart. Facebook isn’t such a small business, but my work focuses on small business (it’s what I love). Proof I suppose that the heart isn’t just the engine behind small business owner success, but ALL business owner success.

Today’s video is just 10 minutes long and I hope it inspires you to find your way through whatever challenges and opportunities you’ve got. Live long and proper!

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People In Your Life Matter: The Difference Maker

Entrepreneurship, On Being Extraordinary, Video / By Randy Cantrell

You see it in all sorts of places and spaces. I’m a hockey fan. I’ve seen it prominently in the last week or so.

The Dallas Stars re-hired head coach Ken Hitchcock, their 1999 Stanley Cup winning coach. Hitch was most recently fired from the St. Louis Blues in a move he said was very emotional for him. He left St. Louis feeling burned out, thinking he’d never coach again. He lived just minutes away from a local golf course where he’d sometimes go hit balls. During that 10-minute drive he’d get multiple phone calls from coaches around the country wanting his help. Some wanted technical help, others needed emotional support. By the time Hitch got off the phone he was so fueled by the conversations that he said he no longer wanted to hit a golf ball.

Then a 3-day trip to a leadership symposium in New York City added more fuel to the fire Hitch was beginning to feel to go back into coaching. Armed with new and fresh ideas, all the connecting with people who needed his help added value to his life. He confessed that he gained more from these conversations than any of the people who called him. Hitch seemed somewhat surprised by how quickly his fire to coach had been rekindled by people he was serving — who in turn had served him.

Last night the Boston Bruins won game 5 of a “must win” game against the Ottawa Senators. Rookie Bruins’ player, Sean Kuraly stepped up last night scoring twice to bring home the win. In a post game interview he gave credit to his teammates, particularly the veteran players who were “chirping” in his ear during the entire game (which went into double overtime) giving him encouragement. His performance was their performance. Their performance was his performance.

People matter. Particularly the people you allow into your life, and the people who allow you into theirs. Be mindful of your own life and performance by being mindful of who you surround yourself with. This podcast – and my work – is focused on higher human performance, yours! It’s not so much about tactics or techniques. It’s about all of us being human and helping each other while we allow ourselves to be helped by others.

It’s good enough for a Stanley Cup winning hockey coach. It’s good enough for an NHL rookie who can score 2 goals in a clutch game. It’s good enough for YOU.

To find out more about the Bula Network Owners’ Alliance – an exclusive peer advisory group for small business owners – click here.

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If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by clicking Review on iTunes. It’ll help the show rank better in iTunes.

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What Should You Do If You Work For An Autocrat?

Leadership, Video / By Randy Cantrell

Too many people work for autocrats. And we’ve got too many autocrats. There should be an open season on them to reduce their population, but sadly that’s against the law. Unless the autocrat comes to herself or himself…nothing will improve it. Here’s my advice to you if you find yourself working for an autocrat.

autocrat (a definition): someone who insists on complete obedience from others; an imperious or domineering person

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Be In The Moment

Communication, Leadership, On Being Extraordinary, Personal Development, Video / By Randy Cantrell

During my years of running luxury retailing companies I was constantly urging employees to “be present” and “be in the moment” with shoppers and customers. How can you deliver remarkable customer experiences if you’re not paying close attention to the customer? You can’t. But neither can you deliver a remarkable experience to employees, friends or family without it.

Randy

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My Grandson, Soccer And Paralyzing Fear

Personal Development, Video / By Randy Cantrell

Max is my oldest grandson. A few years ago he thought he’d like to give soccer a try. He thought wrong. I recorded the story of his fear and some lessons I learned back in April 2011. I’m posting it here today because fear is a timeless subject.

For a good long while Max’s dad and I both tried – together and independently – to get him to join the other kids on the field. This kid’s fear was real and it was working furiously to keep him off the field. He simply couldn’t withstand it even though he saw all the other kids enjoying chasing the ball all over the field.

Regardless of our age, fear is a powerful force that gets in our way. Max’s encounter on a spring Saturday a few years ago taught me some things.

Randy

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Taking Advantage Of The Disgruntled Customer

Entrepreneurship, Leadership, On Being Extraordinary, Serving Existing Customers Better, Video / By Randy Cantrell

Do you know how much it costs to get a new customer? Figure that out. Then, take a new look at your customer recovery/retention practices. You may find that the money you think you’re saving is costing you valued customers.

Another video that I recorded 5 years ago for the retailing space focuses on a supreme opportunity every company has in turning around disgruntled customers. It’s a fast path to greater customer loyalty.

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling software, tires, cars or ebooks. The magic is still in taking care of customers. My business philosophy is still valid.

Always

Randy

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