A Business Coach With a Passion For Great Service and Great Businesses
I have worked for over 30 years in customer service, marketing, and business coaching. In addition to being a business coach, I am EMyth Certified, as well. Because of my extensive business coaching experience I understand business and I strive to help owners and managers build great businesses.
A Passion for Service and Greatness Drives My Mission
My passion is great customer service through culture and leadership. My mission is to help entrepreneurs and business owners build great businesses through Service Leadership by creating a Service Culture and by delivering Exceptional Customer Service.
Business Coaching to Build a Service Culture
Whether one-on-one with a business owner or working with a leadership team, as a business coach I work to help businesses consistently serve others well and provide an exceptional customer experience in the process. And this can only happen by building a Service Culture in those businesses.
A Conversation With Bobby
(Hey! He wrote a book?)
Tell us about your business and what you do.
I am a business coach specializing in helping small business owners become great leaders. That’s because I firmly believe that most business owners want to build great businesses, not just “good” businesses.
I also firmly believe that great businesses are built through great leadership. This is why I focus on business leadership first and foremost.
I believe that the real job of a business leader is to build a great business, not just a good one.
What’s your story? How did you get started?
Back around 2006 I found myself stuck in another seemingly dead-end job and working with a boss who was hard to respect or trust. I finally got angry one day and decided to find another line of work.
I saw an ad in the local newspaper (seriously!) for something called a “Business Coach” with a company called EMyth Worldwide.
I didn’t know what a business coach did exactly, didn’t really think I would ever get the job, but I recognized the company name because I had once read Michael Gerber’s book The E-Myth Revisited. This was his coaching company as it turned out.
To make a long story short, I did get hired and realized shortly after I started that I had found my place in the Universe! Helping small business owners work past their frustrations of not having enough time, money, and life gave me a sense of gratification and affirmation that was addicting.
How do you serve your clients uniquely?
To be honest, I believe every business coach brings something unique to his or her approach in serving their clients. One thing that sets me apart is that I come to sessions with my clients as a former EMyth business coach and all the insights and perspective that this brings.
Another aspect is that I focus on what I call First Principles and Service. By these, I mean the essential and timeless practices and truths that apply to starting, building and running a business. And service simply means having a paradigm that sees a business as a vehicle for serving others.
What is the biggest key to your success?
Not quitting! No, seriously. Like many other business owners and professionals, I have always struggled with a sense of insecurity. That feeling that I don’t know enough, I’m not good enough, or that somehow I do not deserve to be doing what I do.
But I learned early on that I’m not alone in that – many, many successful people struggle with feelings of inadequacy or inability. So I found that if I simply act the part, be what I am, and do what I know how to do, that I really am capable and can experience success at what I’m doing.
Who have been your mentors or biggest influences?
I’ve had a few people over the years who have unknowingly mentored me because I studied them and asked lots of questions. But my biggest influences have been Michael Gerber, of course, Patrick Lencioni, Bo Burlingham, and Dave Ramsey. More recently I have been following John R. DiJulius III and Shep Hyken. And I’m sure I’m leaving out dozens of others!
What are the biggest obstacles you’ve faced and how did you overcome them?
Back in 1985 I was functioning alcoholic in denial and homeless. Now THAT was an accomplishment! I was still young but had pretty much bottomed out. I don’t think of myself as “religious”, but when I gave my life to God back then something real and life-changing took place. I haven’t had a drink since 1986 and I went from being a major failure in life to a husband, father, business owner, and coach.
But I will never attribute anything that I’ve overcome in my life to something that only I did – there has always been people there helping me in one way or another.
Was there a pivotal moment in your business that made you successful?
Yeah, when I realized that I was my own best asset – in other words, not that I’m super-great or all that special, but that clients liked me for being me and wanted to work with me, not with some representation of what a “business coach” is supposed to be.
Just being myself and trusting the relationship was eye-opening and liberating.
A Brief Bio
I am a business coach focusing on customer service. Previous to this I worked for almost 10 years at EMyth Worldwide as a Certified Business Coach.
In addition to being a coach, I am a writer and a speaker with a passion for small business leadership, company culture, and customer service.
Because of my years of business coaching experience, I have gained an in-depth understanding of small business ownership. My passion is to help small business owners thrive and build great businesses.
Now living in Northern California with my family, I grew up in a military family and spent the first 15 years of my life moving every year. (as om EVERY year!) Having lived in over a dozen states, three countries, and more than twenty different cities, I grew up with a somewhat expanded view of the world.
My working career has been somewhat similar in that I’ve been able to experience a wide variety of businesses and industries before eventually settling on coaching small business owners and managers.
