Episode #12: What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur

Transcript

On this episode of Simply Brilliant, I'd like to talk to you a little bit about what makes an entrepreneur and how it relates to problems in the field and who you might want to have on your team as it relates to a large event that we're doing right now, today, Super Bowl Sunday.

Let's just start off by saying that this is our third year working with one of the large, German multinational companies, I think, they're sponsors of the Super Bowl and have been every year. And it's a real honor and privilege to transport all of their VIPs, their press, their employees and so on for the Super Bowl. And we also have done things for them at the All Star game and we're doing that again in Toronto next month, or actually later this month.

But nonetheless, you know, the best laid plans, and we do a ton of preparation and planning for these events, required us to have about half a dozen vehicles on location in San Francisco and we used a combination of our own fleet from the California area and a variety of affiliate networks that we've done a ton of business with and quality control and so on. And at the end of the day we're only as good as our vehicles and our mechanical reliability and a brand new Mercedes Benz sprinter van went down, and it went down at the absolute wrong time. You couldn't have possibly imagined worse timing for it, and so we were here now scratching our heads, we're scrambling. And so the point in this discussion here is, as much as you plan, you always have to be prepared and you need to stay rational and focused during stressful situations and figure out, you know, what to do.

And I can tell you that as this emergency unfolded, we as a team came together and we thought about this really thoroughly. We contacted Mercedes Benz Roadside Assistance immediately. They told us it was going to be several hours until the vehicle was able to be towed, and so we started calling around for local mechanics to see if we could get somebody. Unfortunately in the area, being the Super Bowl weekend, every mechanic was busy and sold out and there were no tow companies and so on and so forth. So we continued to try to be resourceful and this is where having a deep relationship and a network really comes in handy.

I contacted the builder of our custom vehicles, who had since semi-retired from the organization, he was down in New Orleans. I have to say, thank you so much, Kenny. Via text during Mardi Gras he responded back to me, which is unbelievable, and he gave me some insight. And he said, "Look, I think based on what you're telling me, I think it's the starter battery that has gone bad. It's based underneath the floorboard of the driver's seat so as you try to jump the vehicle and it's not starting, that's the wrong battery. So what you need to do is take some screws and so on and get the floorboard out and then get the battery down there." And this may be obvious to some of you that are mechanically inclined, or are mechanics, or own these vehicles but I'm none of that other than owner of these vehicles.

So as he was telling me all of this from Mardi Gras via text, I'm calling around and trying to get my chauffeur, Zoltan, who did a terrific job, thank you Zoltan, the tools. And he can't quite get them and we're trying to get him to an ATM because he doesn't have that much money. And so long story short, I contact an auto store. The poor person who answered the phone, I'm forever grateful to LC. He answered the phone, I explained to him what we need, he said that there's really nothing that they can do. I asked him if he takes a lunch break and when is it, and is he mechanically inclined?

And so we just started to develop this dialogue and wouldn't you know it, I was able to persuade him and this is really the problem solver and the entrepreneur and the never say no, and the never succumb to failure. You just keep persevering, you roll with whatever punches. So, wouldn't you know it, I managed to convince LC to take his lunch break, go to Zoltan and the vehicle, figure out what tools he needs to take a look at the starter battery. He went back to his shop, he got whatever tools he needed, he went back to the vehicle, he got the starter battery out, they tested it there on location. It looked like it was dead, so they took it back to the O'Reilly shop, they tested it there, sure enough that battery was dead. They needed to buy a new battery but they wouldn't accept a credit card over the phone so LC, he and I discussed it, he charged it out as if we were a client, put it into the vehicle, it worked. Zoltan used his credit card, bought the battery. Now our vehicle starts, we tested the alternator to make sure everything was okay.

And long story short, the problem was averted, the vehicle's back on the road. It was fantastic but I would think in about 99% of the cases, this vehicle would have been out of commission while this was happening. The tow company, Mercedes Benz Roadside Assistance, showed up. They were going to take it to the Mercedes dealer in San Francisco. They were swamped, they probably wouldn't be able to see it until Monday or Tuesday, so this vehicle would have been out of commission, our client would have been gravely disappointed and so on. And as a result of being resourceful and never quitting, and just being responsible and communicating with a network, and figuring out what was wrong, and solving problems, and just going and going and going and it's the core attributes of an entrepreneur, we were able to get the vehicle back on the road. We lost about half an hour to an hour, not exactly what we wanted to do. But the point is we saved the day.

And so as you contemplate being an entrepreneur, do you have what this takes? Do you have that ability to rise to the challenge and never yield and convince people to do things that they wouldn't otherwise do? And to have deep relationships that are going to answer their texts while they're on vacation in Mardi Gras? And do you have the dedication and devotion to the client and their success that you're just going to keep this happening through the stress and the emotion? And if so then entrepreneurship is something that you should really consider because there's few people that can actually get this done.

My team calls me "Richard the Magician" as a result of this. The client, I think, is very pleased that we were able to get this vehicle up and running. And at the end of the day, as you plan your large scale corporate events, or weddings, or anything else that requires a team, who do you want in the trenches with you, who is going to be your go-to? And what the event manager that we have worked with, Kurt, has said on this is, "Listen, shit happens. It happens to every single person. The question is how do you respond to it? How do you deal with it? How do you overcome it? How do you solve the problem?" And so this is just one little example of things that happen to us on a daily basis and how we, here at Brilliant, respond to it and how we're relentless and we don't quit and how we believe we can always solve the problem. And even though adversity, and as Kurt said "shit happens" happens to us, we remain committed and resolved to satisfy the client and ultimately produce high quality work.

So I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Simply Brilliant. I hope you enjoy the Super Bowl tonight and I'd encourage you to subscribe and share this with anybody that you think would be interested. And we really thank you for your time and your feedback. So, we appreciate you very much. Thank you so much and enjoy the Super Bowl.

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