I listened to an interview with Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks Coffee. He is a humble man, and claims not to be the smartest or most talented person he knows. What business does he consider himself to be in? The people business. The most important thing to Schultz is to build asense of community within each of his stores, and have that passed on to the customers.
What about your business? Are you in the people business, too? No matter what product or service you provide, making and keeping relationships will bring you success. With my internet business, I am constantly building and molding my relationships with other people, whether they are my mentees, clients, or other entrepreneurs.
One thing that touches me from hearing Howard Schultz' story is how he was deeply affected by how he grew up during the 1950's and 1960's. When his father was injured at work in 1960, there was no health insurance or worker's compensation program in place in the United States. The family knew they were finished financially when his father could no longer work. Because of this, Schultz opened his stores and provided profit sharing and medical coverage to all employees, even if they only worked part-time.
Success leaves clues, and this man's story has plenty of them.
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