Infusionsoft’s ICON14 conference for small business success kicked off Wednesday morning at Phoenix Convention Center with opening remarks from the CEO of Infusionsoft, Clate Mask. Mask fired up the audience with his energy, passion and insight on how to make a small business prosper.
“It means something to be a business owner, and it’s something to be proud of,” Mask stated.
Mask also offered his three key actions to small business success:
- Drive success in your business and think bigger
- Share with others. Generosity
- Spread the word
“We don’t care about big business. We are totally committed to small business,” Mask said.
Mask then passed the baton to Simon Sinek, author of “Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action,” and “Leaders Eat Last,” who is known for his inspirational work and how to teach people to inspire others.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/qp0HIF3SfI4[/youtube]
Sinek began his talk with some storytelling and enthralled the audience with his powerful story about a trip to Afghanistan with the military that went bad and forever changed his life. He talked about how the act of teamwork and trust were the reasons soldiers survived and began to pair that experience to building a team and how one runs their business. Sinek posed the question to the room full of Infusionites, “How does a person build trust and loyalty in their self, their business, and their employees?” Sinek, answered this question by first writing an acronym “EDSO” on his infamous paper clipboard. EDSO stands for endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin-and all of these neurotransmitters are biological chemicals that are released in your body and manage mood, energy, connectivity and more.
Sinek explained that as humans, we instinctively seek out activities to release these chemicals in our body in order to feel good about ourselves and build trust with others-and trust is one of the main keys to building a successful team. Sinek shared that in a company “…when we build trust, a strong connection, feel valued at work, and our leaders act to keep us safe…we work to keep us all safe,” the business ultimately benefits.
Other poignant quotes from Simon Sinek:
“Good leaders do the minimum expected of them, while great leaders make sacrifices for their employees.”
“The greatest feeling of being an entrepreneur is firing a client who abuses you.”
“The best leaders are also the best followers.”
“Leadership is a practice. Get in the habit of thinking of others.”
To purchase “Leaders Eat Last” click here
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