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Once upon a time (about 1920), there was a man named G.W. Brown. He worked for a man named Carnes, who owned a small general store in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Carnes was not a particularly progressive business owner, and Brown found that his ideas for improving the store fell on deaf ears.
In secret, he purchased the piece of land across the street and hired a contractor to build what would become his own business: G.W. Brown's 3-in-1--Convenience, Groceries, Gas. Mr. Brown had five sons who worked in the family business. When G.W. Brown was ready to retire, one of the sons, Buster Brown, took over the business.
As Buster Brown continued to operate the business, it grew and grew to the point that it occupied almost an entire city block.
Buster Brown and his wife Verna had a daughter, Shirley, who worked in the store. As she grew older she met a man named Frank Shay who was stationed at the nearby Army base. They married, and Frank began to work in his wife's family business. A couple of years later, they had a son they named Tom. In time, Shirley and Frank branched out to own their own business. The son grew up to work in the business alongside his parents.
Now the picture was complete: four generations owning and operating a family business. Through the years, there were several traits that remained consistent--innovative management, great staffs, wonderful relationships with customers, and unique marketing techniques. Perhaps the most important lesson taught by the elder generations was that, in every aspect of the business, it was the customer who was most important. |
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Today, that fourth-generation business owner is an author, columnist, business coach and speaker. With over 25 years of frontline experience in management and ownership of small business, Tom Shay shares and teaches from experience--not from theory! Today, that business, Profits Plus--as demonstrated by this website--is uniquely niched in the field of small business. As before, it is all about you! If you are wanting Tom Shay to address your group, you can view that part of our website by clicking on the green "Meeting Planners" oval in the upper-right-hand corner. In addition, we welcome your telephone call. The majority of the site provides tools for small businesses. We provide the tools necessary for small businesses to be successful; not just by working harder and working longer hours but rather by providing tools by which people can make intelligent decisions about the many aspects of their businesses. How about getting more business from your existing customers? What about staff turnover, which costs time and money to resolve? As a manufacturer, wholesaler or vendor to small businesses, are you challenged in your effort to get closer to your customers? Surely, you are disappointed when you are asked, "So, what is your price for a box of...?" At Profits Plus we go to great measures to ensure that those who hear our message have every opportunity to utilize the information. For example, as a seminar follow-up, each attendee received by mail our uniquely created postcard containing reminders of what they heard and what they said they specifically planned to do to improve their business. Just like the three generations before him in the family business, Tom expresses a great interest in his "customers." Success is measured only by the achievements of those who are the participants.
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| * Certified Speaking Professional. An earned designation awarded by the National Speakers Association and achieved by fewer than 7 per-cent of professional speakers worldwide. |
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