Former CEO Dan Huish on Success in Business
If there’s anyone who’s an expert on starting successful businesses, it’s Dan Huish. In 1985, Dan Huish started his first business venture, Huish Detergents, Inc, which ultimately grew to a company that brought in over a billion dollars in revenue each year and was comprised of over 2300 employees. Dan Huish is also the owner of Huish Outdoors, a sporting goods company, and Wapika Ranch, a Wyoming-based cattle ranching operation. For those just getting started in the creation of a new business, large or small, Dan Huish offers the following tips.
Distinguish yourself. The key for any business is to be easily distinguishable from the competition. Dan Huish ensured that Huish Detergents would stand out from the crowd by making it the first detergent company to utilize full vertical integration practices. Figure out how to do what you do well, and figure out how to do it differently, and you’ll already be a step ahead of your competitors.
Delegate and collaborate. It’s nearly impossible for one person to have all of the knowledge and personal qualities to run a business singlehandedly. Dan Huish highly recommends delegating tasks to the people who do them best. For example, you’re not a financial whiz but have a great idea and impeccable people skills, partner with someone who can do the behind the scenes number crunching while you present the public face of the business.
Be patient. Dan Huish saw incredible growth and success for Huish Detergents, but that growth and success happened over the course of over twenty years. Very few businesses rise to the top overnight; it takes hard work, dedication, and perseverance to take a company from humble beginnings to the top of the pile. If you go into a business with the perspective that you will be literally be raising it from infancy, you’ll be far more likely to succeed than if you expect it to produce huge profit margins overnight.
Dan Huish has had considerable success in the business world over the course of his career. His first company, Huish Detergents, Inc, was grown from the ground up into an enterprise encompassing plants in four states, over two thousand employees, and revenues of over a billion dollars each year. Dan Huish has acquired four sports gear companies through Huish Outdoors. And more recently, Dan Huish has carved out a name for himself in the ranching business as the owner of Wapika Ranch in Wyoming. Dan Huish has learned a considerable amount of the little things that lead to business success, and shares them now.
Be honest. In recent years, distrust has grown in both the financial and business realms. For for Dan Huish, forming trust between a business and a customer or client has always been the top priority. After all, those who use your services or products are the reason you succeed! To that end, always follow through on promises of quality.
Network. People skills are a crucial part of business, according to Dan Huish. It’s never too early to start building the list of who you know. That said, it’s highly important to not only get to know people for the purpose of having them as business contacts. Rather, Dan Huish has found that the best form of networking is one in which you truly get to know people from all walks of life, who may also be interested in working with you on a business level.
Think long-term. Dan Huish has found that the longest term investments are always the best ones. While many business owners seek immediate gratification and quick returns, Dan Huish has found that this mentality often leads to the cutting of corners. Instead, think about long term goals, and how to reach them in sustainable ways. Dan Huish patiently cultivated Huish Detergents for over twenty years before selling the company, and doubts that he would have seen such returns on his investments if he had not built it on such a strong foundation to begin with.
