Published by Meg Ronspies, Marketing Coordinator
“Don’t be boring. Remember that the first thing people buy is people.” Normally seated amongst four other “sharks,” Robert Herjavec shared with attendees of the 2016 Excell Conference some entrepreneurial advice last month. Excell conferences are an opportunity to network with the advisor profession’s top thought leaders in practice management and give attendees the opportunity to share ideas and new best practices.
Currently, Herjavec is a tech mogul. He runs a company of about 300 people and has an estimated gross income of 150 million.
On May 26, he concentrated his speech on two topics: focus and how to add value to your business today.
“There’s a saying in my industry,” he said, “whatever you did more than three years ago, nobody cares about now.”
Being a part of a fast-paced industry like technology is similar to being a part of the financial industry. Herjavec noted he has a granite plaque in his office stating “everyday somebody wakes up with the sole intention of kicking your ass.” This serves as his daily motivation and a constant reminder to continue working.
Herjavec stressed the need to make a good first impression. The “sharks” on Shark Tank typically make up their mind in a minute to a minute and a half. It truly is how someone comes in and presents themselves and “how they make you feel.”
CEO and Founder of our firm, Ron Carson, had the pleasure of introducing Herjavec and being quoted by him various times.
Carson said, “Failure is the only way to figure out what’s not working.” Herjavec restated this quote and said that is the case many times on Shark Tank; sometimes getting a “no” is just one step closer to a yes.
He also stated his favorite thing Carson said was “the future is clay.” When you hear growth, the average person hears risk. You have the ability to create whatever you want. Although the average person sees quicksand, the future can be molded like clay. We just have to learn how to train ourselves to see clearly and not wait until an opportunity presents itself; think toward the future.
