1191 - Deeply Understanding the Basics of Business with John Gardiner

May 11, 2022

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In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the author of The 3 Secrets of Business Success, John Gardiner.

John shares that he didn’t actually mean to write his book from the very beginning. He began by writing some business articles for LinkedIn with the intention of helping his followers or maybe even business students with his plethora of knowledge. He wrote some 24 articles before he realized he had the makings of a book. He decided to sell the information he’d written as an affordable book – both to get the word out and build authority and to help his readers and followers.

John explains that he began selling sunglasses as a franchisee in the 90’s. His small shops did very well, bringing in well over a million dollars annually. He shares that this was a time where retail flourished – but as the web and computer technology developed, John read the writing on the wall. This is what led him to start some IT businesses just as the age of the internet was beginning. He had one of these companies do well while the other crashed and burned (all of which he details in chapter three of his book). No matter how you slice it, John has extensive experience as a business owner.

Josh and John explore the fundamentals of business. You wouldn’t run out onto a football field if you didn’t know the basics of the game, and the same concept applies to business. You have to deeply understand the basics before you go into business. This is one of the biggest mistakes inexperienced entrepreneurs make and it’s also one of the easiest to avoid. This is why John wrote his book, he says.

Your business goal, ultimately, is to achieve specific financial goals. Your personal reasons for going into business aren’t going to be the same reasons that the business exists. However, you can’t enter a sales or marketing conversation with your financial goals sitting in the back of your mind as the primary motivation. Always set the actual true purpose of your business at the forefront, because ultimately, your business functions to serve and solve problems. Always approach sales conversations with a culture of deep service and generosity; you don’t want to ‘sell’ to them, you simply want to foster the know, like, and trust process. John details this and more in his book, which is aimed at beginner business owners who want to deeply learn the basics of business.

Want to learn more? Check out John’s website at https://www.3secretsofbusiness.com/.

Check out John’s book, The 3 Secrets of Business Success at https://www.3secretsofbusiness.com/product/the-3-secrets-of-business-success-book/1?cs=true&cst=custom.

Check out The 3 Secrets of Business Success on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-3-secrets-of-business-success/.

Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!