QuikTrip & Better Business

Do you have a preferred place you buy your gasoline? Most likely you pull up to the cheapest station you come across on your way home. There is one station I have found that has been able to create a following. Recently QuikTrip fueling stations have been springing up around the valley like rabbits. If you have never been to one, I would honestly recommend it. You will immediately understand why there are different.

Besides selling gas for what is usually the lowest price on the block, QuikTrip has created a business culture that is unlike any gas station. The follow the basic rules of consistency. All the stores are set up the same, offer the same products, and have the same customer service. You walk into any of the QT stores and the first thing you'll hear is "Hey! How is it going?" It doesn't matter if there are 50 people in line, or the clerk is cleaning the floor, they take the time to greet you. Matter of fact, they also tell you to "have a nice day" every time you leave. Its amazing.

The store is always clean, and very well lit. No shady clerks behind the counter. There are always very well stocked, and offer a variety of snacks and drinks. (They have an excellent beer selection). I don't usually pick up food from a convenient store, but from what I've seen they are also reasonably priced. QT has even incorporated the "cold stone creamery" tactic of choices. Every QuikTrip promotes to experiment with the fountain machine and "mix it up!"

Quik Trip is truly a great business, with an excellent culture. Many of the simple principles of customer service that QT follows could be played in any business. They actually make me feel good about buying gas. QT has also been ranked number 20 of the top 100 Best Companies To Work For in America in 2007. They're all open 24hrs, 365 days a year and no store is franchised. They have been ranked 28nd on the Forbes List of Privately Held Companies.

If you haven't been, I urge you to check out the QuikTrip experience.

Emergenetics

You may think you know yourself, but do you know how that affects your business? Lucky for you a company called Emergenetics has developed a test that shows you your thought process with graphical representation. Not only that, but its go in depth on your behavior style as well. A few of the Club Entrepreneur founders had the chance to take this test and talk with the founder of Emergentics. The results were awesome!

Emergenetics gives you information you never knew you needed. Through a 100 question test they map our your entire thought process and your strengths and weaknesses in your behavior all in a single profile. The test only takes about an hour, and the information is priceless. They break down your brain into four preferences:

Analytical - reasoning ability, logical analysis, and financial calculations
Conceptual - often searches for new ways to solve problems, excited by change
Structural - likes guidelines, methodical progress, and organization
Social - interest in getting along with people, reliance, sensitivity

The pie graph breaks down into percentages of how much you think in each category. Typically anything over 23% is considered a proffered thought process. The test also shows a bar graph of aggressiveness (compared to general population) of each category. For instance you could be very analytically but have a low aggressiveness in that category. Third, the test produces representation of your behaviors:

Expressiveness - Ranging from quiet to gregarious
Assertiveness - Ranging from peace keeper to driving/telling
Flexibility - Ranging from prefering Defined Situations to Putting Others Before Yourself

From that information you can find out how you behave in most situations. It was amazing how spot-on the results were. All just from a few questions over the internet.

Peter McLaughlin, the founder, took us through our results thoroughly, he even predicted what type of car each of us would like to drive just by looking at our profiles! The results print out on one sheet of paper with the all the graphs. From that sheet alone you could derive picture perfect conclusions about a persons personality.

As we found, most Entrepreneurs have high Conceptual (all of us were well above 40%) and high Social (25%+) thought processes. Myself and my partner Toby has almost identical thought processes. We even had a unique set - Toby and I are tri-model, we have at least 23% in Conceptual, Social, and Analytical. The one thing all of us were missing was a high structure percentage. I guess you can't be everything. But as you know, you have to surround yourself with people who know what you don't - thats how business gets done.

I would highly recommend everyone take this test. Your results come with a booklet that explains how to interpret the result so you can learn everything you need to know about yourself. You can finally see what you're missing and how to leverage yourself - which could come in handy with negotiations or even customer interaction. We'll soon be offering the Emergenetics program through Club Entrepreneur. Members will get a discount on the price, so keep an eye out for that offer!

Adrenaline Junkie

I didn't get my nap today. I've been very busy with business initiatives. The entire day was spent discussing and finalizing packages for Club Entrepreneur members and licensees. Its not everyday that you get to be part of a growing organization thats officially going national. I also spent a great deal of time this weekend reading books and working out some of the opportunities for my business, RPM'S.

The surprising thing is, even with all the exciting things going on in my life I don't seem to be as excitable anymore. Almost as if I have a high tolerance for adrenaline. Being a part of Club Entrepreneur is one of the most amazing opportunities I've ever had. The people I've met through it alone are priceless, and they're my friends! Working on my business, RPM'S, has brought a lot of light into my life as well. The people I've met and the things we will accomplish are on a grand scale.

Most people my age still have no idea what direction their lives are going. And if we were to trade places I'm sure their heads would explode from the shear intricacies of it all. Yet, I just go about my days rarely feeling the rushes of excitement that I used to when I first started. There are moments, but not nearly as many. And I don't lose as much sleep as I used to either. This might be because I've matured a bit with the life-style I've chosen. I'm able to handle the stresses better, and focus more on the goals, etc. But I'm not sure I'm happy about that.

The rushes of excitement, and loss of sleep (maybe unhealthy) were what kept me going. And I'm still going, but feel like I need more pick-me-ups than usual. Its not doubt, and its not fear, its just... too normal. I wrote before about getting reenergized by reading books, creating vision boards, and posting goals. But I've done that. I practice it. Its a part of my life. Its like I need another "hit" - a piece of the next big thing. I'm in a constant "go go go" mode, and thats now become the norm. Nothing seems to surprise me anymore, disappointments only become opportunities, and I sleep well at night.

I'm going to finish building these businesses (Club Entrepreneur, and RPM'S). They will be GREAT, and possibly change the world. However, I'm also on the lookout for the next opportunity. I need it, a bit of change in my life, something new to get the blood flowing even faster. Bring it on... I want more.

"How to Pitch Press"

An interesting story I came across. A video about how entrepreneurs should approach journalist.

Pitch Press

Unfortunately I can't embed it. Enjoy!

Entrepreneurs

This weekend has brought forth an interesting question. A question many have tried to answer through a series of books. A question that many have assumed they know the answer. A question that may not have a direct answer. It poses threats to true believers, and most would ignore it. What makes an Entrepreneur?

I do not want to try to answer this question. But would like to reflect on it, in hopes to push you to reflect on any assumptions you may have.

Entrepreneurs "are people who imagine things as they might be, not as they are, and have the drive to change the world." - Anita Roddick, Financial Times

An Entrepreneur "turns he most trivial condition into an exceptional opportunity. The Entrepreneur is the visionary in us. The dreamer... The imagination that sparks the fire of the future. The catalyst for change." - Michael Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited

Many would suggest that an Entrepreneur is a person who loves change and creation of the new. Some would suggest, and myself included, that a true Entrepreneur works on his business, not in it. An Entrepreneur doesn't need to be a part of their own system for the business to run profitably. But there is a gentle slap in the face when one assumes this. There are those that create, make new things, create new brands, change the world and consumer perception but need to be in the business for it to function. This is most apparent in the Entertainment industry.

My friend Corey brought this subject up when he ran the idea by me of a few entertainers he would like to cast in the movie he's producing. Some entertainers have created a whole new brand in their field, like Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Jay-Z, and Dane Cook. Borat is a new humor unlike that previously viewed in American mainstream comedy. Jay-Z changed the face of Hip-Hop along with many other rap artist; Biggie Smalls, 2-Pac, and Ludacris. Dane Cook has developed a new hard-hitting animated comedy sketch. His recent tour is designed unlike any I've seen before and he has even created an emblem for himself.

These people have created brands, changed the way consumers perceived the market. They can quickly adapt to consumer wants, and develop new products. However, without them in the biz, their brands would not exist. Does this mean their not Entrepreneurs? Does this mean they can't share the space of Michael Gerber, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates? What about Oprah? She's the first African American Billionaire. But if she disappeared tomorrow, would her brand disappear with her? With Oprah gone, how long with O-Magazine Last? The above mentioned have created brands outside themselves. Jay-Z made a majority of his money outside of music, but he also created Roc-a-fella Records. Ludacris also created Disturbing Tha Peace, a record label of his own. Is this the act of an Entrepreneur, or simply an entrepreneurial act?

A friend of mine, Marshall Beck an entertainer in the metal community of Arizona, is well known by many and even ridiculed by New Times. He can tell you its a rough business, and without quick adaptability and creativity of new revenues streams you can go down quick. He claims (and I support him) that entertainers definitely have to be entrepreneurial. Otherwise they wouldn't succeed.

So I leave it up to you to decide. We all have an Entrepreneur inside us... But are only the true Entrepreneurs those who do not work in their systems? Can we consider entertainers and those that need to be in the biz Entrepreneurs or simply entrepreneurial?