I have learned many things over the twenty years of running my own businesses—in areas as diverse as finances, marketing, leadership of people, and management of the numbers. However, I believe the number one factor in building a successful enterprise is relationships. Tell me how a company consistently treats its people—inside employees, outside vendors, and its customers—and I can predict the longevity of the firm. Simply stated, all business is relationships; therefore, a person will never develop a following until he develops some people skills. In the video below, I teach some key points to remember when working with others. Of course, no one is going to make everyone happy because some are only happy when they are unhappy. 🙂 Nonetheless, people skills are essential when working with the right people to build long-term relationships.

I am thankful for the long-term relationships I have built over the years. In fact, some of them are going on twenty years of successful relationship building, namely, Chris Brady and George Guzzardo. Many others are over a decade, and my goal is to find the right people and serve them for life. At the end of the day, isn’t that the goal of compensated communities—to build lifetime win-win relationships? Like Jim Collins said, “Get the wrong people off the bus; get the right people on the bus; and get the right people in the right seats on the bus. I believe the success of the LIFE business is directly attributable to following Collins’ advice. Here’s the video.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Laurie and I watched a movie recently that had a profound quote paraphrased, “Beginnings are usually scary; endings are typically sad; however, it’s what you do in the middle that matters.”  In the same way, starting the LIFE business was a new beginning for so many, and whenever you start something new, by definition, you terminate something old. Consequently, it was scary for many to step out of their comfort zone; further, it can be sad when a person discovers that some of his friends are not taking the journey with him. Nonetheless, when a person is resolved to change, he sets his sights on the target and courageously moves forward.

In effect, an entrepreneur starting a new business is similar to a baby starting life. Neither the entrepreneur nor the baby understands the rules of the game or how to play successfully. Still, for thousands of years, helpless babies have grown into responsible adults, and scared entrepreneurs have grown into successful business leaders. The following video brought a smile to my face and laughter to my heart as it represents so beautifully the one-year-old LIFE business baby growing into a successful enterprise. Moreover, it represents a baby entrepreneur battling his or her obstacles to become a leader.  Watch the video. Then I will summarize my thoughts afterward.

Did you see the parallels? The baby business or entrepreneur must battle the “dragons of doubt” to even get started. Meanwhile, the “dragons of defeat” will attempt to abort the dream with setbacks early in the journey. Next come the “dragons of despair,” which attempt to convince a person that he is incapable of this achievement. Finally, even if successful up to this point, the “dragons of division” attempt to crack the unity necessary to accomplish greatness. In spite of this, the good news is that with faith, hope, charity, and love, people can stand up to the dragons in life and complete their success journey. With so many wandering in life, even just a few willing to take the journey can make a huge difference. True, it won’t be easy, but, speaking from my own experiences, it has been the most amazing journey of growth and discovery that I could have ever imagined.

In my opinion, entrepreneurship is one of the key ingredients to a thriving society, and my goal is to raise up millions of baby entrepreneurs to help them become successful business owners. The question is: Will you face your dragons as the baby did or surrender to one of the dragons sure to meet you on the journey? Henry David Thoreau said most men lead lives of quiet desperation. This is the sentence for everyone who refuses to face his dragons. On the other hand, a few lead lives of successful significance for standing up to the dragons and claiming their God-given destiny.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward