Feedback – Building on Drive and Passion

If a business owner fails to grow, how can they expect it of their employees? John Schwartz, David Wall and John Meuller review how they’ve evolved—and how their businesses have, too.

“I got my shop back in 2000. No one wanted to sell to me, so I had to buy everything through distributors. We couldn’t base our store on brands. We had to [draw] everyone in with our service and installation. It took me 10 years to build our reputation. The brand we sell is Perfectionist. If I’m not growing, how can I tell my employees to grow? If I’m not pushing myself—if I’m not reading, learning, investing—how can I tell them to do that? I never come to work in wrinkled clothes. I always get my haircut. I just bought a new property. I have new cars. If you feel like your employees won’t like that [about you], then you’re not taking care of them properly. When I bought my new car, everyone at the shop celebrated. If you take care of your people, then we all celebrate a victory together.” John Schwartz, Perfectionist Auto Sound, Anchorage, Alaska

“I found the same sense of satisfaction in overcoming objections and demoing a car that I get from building a custom install. In 2011, I returned as a store manager to Freeman’s Car Stereo. This was a learning experience about motivating [people] and creating cohesive teams, having your team [members become] stakeholders, setting goals and keeping everyone on track. We talked about our individual performance and we talked about how well our store did compared to other stores. During that period, we really worked and we really moved forward.” David Wall, Freeman’s Car Stereo, NC

“Early on, we relied on new hires having prior training or experience. This proved ineffective because of the bad habits learned prior to coming to work for us. We spent more time trying to rehabilitate people rather than just working on the fundamentals. We starting bringing in quality individuals, learning their strengths and weaknesses and training them using our trusted techniques. They had no prior experience, but they did have drive and passion. This was a monumental positive change. The focus is on facilitating each employee’s success, supporting their continued education and growing their productivity. We’ve had very little turnover since we made the change and can give them a better fundamental education using correct habits. This makes them a part of our dream team.” John Meuller, Laketown Speed and Sound, Draper, Utah