Love life, engage in it, give it all youve got. Love it with a passion, because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it.
Maya Angelou, American Poet
What motivates you in your personal life? What is it about your job or business that gets you going? Do you work to live or live to work? Is there someonea boss or former bosswhose words of encouragement echo in your head every time you need a boost? Maybe its a motivational writer or speaker whose words ring true and keep you focused on your goals. Better yet, maybe its Mom or Dad or your wife, husband, or kids whose encouragement keeps the fire burning in you.
We all have some inner well from which we draw the passion for what we do. Especially in the custom installation business, where the target is constantly moving, profits are always shrinking, and clients are hard to please, it takes something more than just a paycheck to get through the day. Almost every dealer that Ive met in this business loves his or her chosen field. Very few have entered this business to get rich or because somebody made them do it.
Its the thrill of the gear and the love of the music or video experience that brought most of us to this business. But its also the leaders in the industry who keep us motivated when times get tough and pump us up about the new stuff thats coming just around the corner. Its these leaders who provide us not only with the opportunity to succeed, but with words of encouragement and pats on the back that keep us selling and installing.
In that spirit, Residential Systems has added a new feature, called Passion for the Business, which provides a forum for our industrys most passionate leaders to tell us more about what they love about this business and why they have remained so committed to it over the years. Last month we asked SpeakerCraft president Jeremy Burkhardt to kickstart this series and I he definitely struck a chord with what he wrote.
In his article, Burkhardt acknowledged that it was his grandmother who taught him to be passionate about everything that he does in his life saying to him, If you cheat yourself out of a good and happy life, then you have not accomplished anything. So get to work and have fun doing it. From this early inspiration, Burkhardt vowed to remain passionate in all of his endeavors, adding in his own words, If youre not having fun, or if you dont get excited every day that you get out of bed, then quit your job and go do something else that you are passionate about. Life is just sitting there waiting for you to enjoy.
This month Burkhardt passes the baton to another legendary leader in our industry, Sam Runco of Runco International. Anyone who has ever listened to Runco address a room full of dealers has felt the energy that one man can infuse into his listeners. Even if you had never seen a video projector or plasma TV in your life, you would be convinced to pay top dollar for one after experiencing a Sam Runco improvised presentation. Some people are simply good sales people, but with Runco, Burkhardt, and the rest of the exclusive group of custom industry leaders who will write for us, its much more than salesmanship. What shines through from all of them is a true love for what they do and a sincere desire to help their dealer partners thrill their clients.
Think about who in this business has inspired you the most and e-mail or call to tell us about them. Wed love to share that persons passion with everyone else.
