Creating Your Opportunities

People ask me all the time how we went from a single location dealership that started in 1949 to now, three generations later, having 4 dealerships and a clothing boutique. I always say it's about finding the right opportunities. Sometimes when you can't find an opportunity, you've got to create your own!

For me, creating opportunities has really been two-fold.

1. Always be on the look out for opportunities.

Most people walk around waiting for opportunities to land in their lap. But I've found that's not really how opportunities work. I've had to seek them out, one by one. It starts by knowing what you're looking for in the first place. That way you can recognize what's not a good fit and you'll know immediately when you see something that feels right. Keep your eyes and ears open, and let other people know what you're looking for, so you can maximize the chances of someone seeing something that's a perfect fit and sending it your way.

2. Take action when you see an opportunity you want.

The other mistake a lot of people make is letting an opportunity slip by because they're afraid to make a phone call, make the ask, reach out, etc. You've heard it before because it's true: what's the worst that can happen? They'll say no. You won't get it. Ok, blink the dust out of your eyes and keep searching for the next opportunity.

For example, I'm not fearless, but when I set my sights on a goal, I did make the decision to pick up the phone and make some calls. I decided, if the other local car dealers didn't know that I was interested in buying another dealership, then they would never let me know if theirs was for sale. So I called several of them and one day, one of them said, "Come see me." Now, we own a Ford store.

It was the same with the boutique. I thought, man, that would be great to own this boutique. It would be so much fun and work (and it is), but if I had not made that phone call, offering to buy the boutique if the owner was ever interested in selling, she would've never known that I wanted to buy it!

So for me, it all comes back to the idea that we are architects of our own destiny. So we decide what we want, we tell the world, we stay open to finding the right opportunity, and then we throw fear to the side and go after it.