Hear from the ISO 9000 standards expert, who now owns 10 companies across a variety of sectors. He spends his time travelling. It is a mystery.
The man I met tries to be discreet so I won’t reveal his name. He was a random encounter and we struck up a conversation that led to another lunch date.
He began to tell me his story as we sat down for lunch at an organic food marketplace.
ISO 9000 is an international standard in quality management systems.
He was the lead auditor and author of the ISO 9000 standard.
ISO 9000 is a global standard for business quality management. It has been adopted by major brands and companies around the globe. It is a standard that allows all parties to be certain that a manufacturing facility located in another country will produce the exact product they have contracted without needing to travel to that plant to inspect it. It is known that the plant will meet the standards if it has been certified ISO 9000 or ISO 9001.
ISO 9000 is built on eight quality management principles. This standard has been adopted by companies from the aerospace, chemical, automotive and aerospace industries, including GM, Chrysler, Boeing and General Electric.
He said that he applied the ISO 9000 quality management principles to each of the ten businesses that he runs today. He owned a skateboard and BMX shop, a network pawn shops and a consulting company. A musical instrument store, a business selling internet, a real-estate development and management company, a firearms store and a retail store were some of his businesses. Online seafood products, a surfing shop, and a display store.
Although it might seem like these ten companies are taking up all of their time, the truth is quite different. The man sails around the globe with his family and wife in one of his sailboats: the “Zephyr” (or the “Whispering eye”)
I was told this by him about business and life. As if you were speaking the exact words that you spoke to me, imagine everything that follows.
You wouldn’t be impressed if you looked at just one of my businesses. This business could provide income for a modest and decent lifestyle for a small family. This is a small but steady operation that’s well-focused and profitable.
It is simple and basic in its own right. Young, crazy brats who are starting a company need something more prominent and frenetic. My businesses don’t have to be hectic, but they do help a certain type of person by providing a quality solution time after time.
Multiply one profitable small business by ten to create a multi-million-dollar portfolio.
Avoid forming a relationship with anyone if you can. You will need to share the cake more often if you have more partners. You will need to fight harder for your view to prevail the more partners you have. It will take longer to implement anything if you have more partners. Co-founding is overrated.
Learn skills on your own and you can then get hired by the right people (see below).
We are in a small marketplace. We are not in San Francisco or New York. The smaller markets have a two- to three year lead on the larger ones, as I have seen. It doesn’t matter what is selling in big cities; it won’t be available in smaller markets. It will still sell well after two to three years.
You can find out what’s selling and open your first store in your local market.
My employees can be transferred between business lines. Each one of them can be used in a variety of business areas. The counter girl is responsible for online marketing via social networks between clients and clients.
Each business has a manager who is issued a bankcard and trained in ISO 9000 principles. They also have full control over their businesses. My incentive program ensures that my employees are motivated and work hard if the business is performing well. They must sell enough products to be able buy stock of the latest fashion products in order to order them.
I’m looking for independent, responsible people who can fully take over the management of their business. Because I know my employees are hard workers, I don’t need to push them. This allows me to travel as much and as often as I want.
Ah! And we often have parties. We have fun, share our ideas, and give awards to high-performing businesses.
This is my mission statement for all of my companies. It is simple:
We offer our clients quality products and value-added services.
Business success does not necessarily mean that you have to make a difference in the world. It is about meeting a need, no matter how large or small, well and securely over time.
You can sell something. It should be a quality product. Then, sell it at a fair price. Make sure the breakeven point is achievable for you, the owner. It should be a service. If so, ensure that it adds value.
I tried to keep eye contact with him as he spoke to us. I was frantically writing down Evernote notes and trying to keep my eyes open while he talked to me. We say our goodbyes and finish our meal. Thank goodness, I remembered to leave that note I wanted you to read.
One day, maybe I will sail around the globe in one of my sailboats along with my family, while also running ten businesses. However, I will continue to write about people who do.
