5 Key Takeaways from Celebrating 30 Years in Business
This year, we’re celebrating a huge milestone- 30 Years of helping our clients sell, coach and hire better. In 1993, we decided to start our own training and development company – it was a bold move back then. In this video, I share 5 things that have helped us grow and serve others in these 30 years in the hopes they will be helpful to others on their journey. A big shout-out to all the wonderful people and clients who have made the past 30 years extraordinary. We look forward to the next 30!
– Founder Tony Cole
Transcript:
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining me for a couple of minutes today. 30 years ago, in January of 1993, Linda and I decided to start our own little training and development company. Over those 30 years, I’ve learned some, and changed a lot. I’m going to share five thoughts with you that have helped us grow and serve others.
Number one: have faith. Early on, when I was reading in the Bible, I read, whoever loses their life for my sake shall have life and have it everlasting. So I closed the Bible, and I committed myself and promised that I would never look back, never doubt, and never worry. I was confident that we were not being led down a path to fail.
Number two, there’s no way to have success alone. Our first clients, Mark, Tim, and Jeff, and our first big corporate clients, Great American Life, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and USI Insurance launched us and gave us a great start that led to other business and relationships.
Three: Expecting an overcoming setbacks is critical. In 1998, our son Anthony had a cardiac arrest. The next 24 months he was in various comatose stages. But the big turning point wasn’t a miracle recovery like you see in Hollywood, but rather Linda’s willingness to come into my office one day and ask me, are you ever going to work again? See, she understood that it’s not about falling. It’s about getting back up and moving forward.
Number four: relationships are everything. Our entire business today can be traced to relationships that we once helped with when they were with a company, and then they hired us again or took us to another company or introduced us to our next big opportunity.
And number five: work towards the best version of yourself. When I spent time at the United States Military Academy at West Point, I was an XXL. I bought this shirt. I thought I was in good shape and healthy, but eventually cancer found me in my prostate, right eye, small intestine and eventually my liver. I also discovered a meningioma that compressed 90% of my spinal cord. That would have led to paralysis. My point being is this I thought I was in extraordinary shape, but there was a variance between who I was and the very best version of myself physically. it’s important to close those gaps, because I believe we are called to be the best version of ourselves. Nobody gets launched thinking, I’m going to be average.
So we have to work towards the best version of ourselves. Spiritually, mentally, physically, and certainly from a professional world. Be the very best you can be in your business. To close that gap, you have to do two things. I believe you have to do two things. Number one, be honest with yourself about the current assessment and where you really are. And two, be willing to do whatever it takes to close the gap. Not too long ago, I shot a video and I had this hat, different shirt, but this hat got lots of fun Interesting comments about the hat. Yes. You see it up there in the background. It’s one of my favorites. I got it down in Texas.
So I want to close with this. Just have a little fun, because I want to say thank you to all of you for a tremendous 30 years. God bless you all and keep you.
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