I regularly speak at conferences, seminars, corporate events, schools and universities. I teach powerful business concepts, support these principles with inspiring stories from remarkable entrepreneurs, and show participants how apply these practices in their own organizations. I always try to do more than just give a great speech. My goal is to motivate audience members to make positive changes in their attitudes and behavior that will improve their careers and lives. Here are some of my favorite topics:

The Keys to Entrepreneurial Success

In this presentation, I teach the key practices for building a successful new business. I draw from the hundreds of interviews I have conducted with thriving entrepreneurs across the country. When these key practices are applied in new and growing ventures, the probability for success goes up dramatically. When these factors are absent, the chance of failure is high. Participants learn how to evaluate the viability of their business ideas, reduce the inherent risks involved, plan their development strategy, and improve their chances for successfully launching a new venture.

Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Corporation

Entrepreneurial leadership is very different from traditional corporate management. In this presentation, I compare and contrast the two leadership styles and teach participants how to apply entrepreneurial leadership in their organizations. As the founder and former director of the Institute for New Enterprise in the Gore School of Business, I discuss how W.L. Gore and Associates has become one of the most innovative, multi-billion dollar corporations in the world. I also present other examples of large companies that behave like small entrepreneurial firms. The key practices I teach help participants apply entrepreneurial practices to improve the competitive advantage of their company.

Creating Winning Products and Services

The environment for business continues to become more complex. The economy is changing constantly, new products abound, distribution channels are plentiful and competition is fierce. Successful leaders apply shorter-term planning that is opportunity driven. They continue to amend a “portfolio of products and services” based on feedback from customers, tactics of competitors, new technology and missing pieces in the marketplace. This tendency to diversify provides multiple streams of revenue and increases the chance for long-term sustainability. In this presentation, I show participants three effective approaches for creating new products and services that are used by highly successful entrepreneurs.

Providing Phenomenal Customer Service

Customers have expectations when they patronize a business. When these expectations are met, they are satisfied, but not always loyal. To win long-term loyalty, you need to exceed customers’ expectations, giving them more than they expect. When people receive service beyond their wildest imagination, they rave about it, tell all their friends, come back again and again, and even feel guilty if they support a competitor’s business. This presentation shows participants how to create customer service systems that perpetuate mind-boggling service with every customer who patronizes the business, regardless of who serves them. Audience members learn that “The Service is in the System!”

Improving Team and Company Performance

Job ambiguity is rampant in most companies. Research shows that leaders and their team members seldom agree on the key priorities for effective performance. In this presentation, I show participants how to create “profiles of success” that clearly define what exceptional performance means for any job. With this approach, leaders and their team members agree in advance on what being a hero means in the organization. Team members then have a clear path to becoming outstanding performers. This team leadership strategy is the most effective I have ever seen applied in organizations.