Brian Fielkow knows a thing or two about building a successful business.
Fielkow learned the secret to business success at an early age; working in his father’s store. He watched his father’s business grow in direct relation to the culture his dad created, “I worked in his store and watched the focus he put on developing and empowering his employees. My dad was never concerned about what the competition was doing. He was only concerned about being strong on the inside so that we could offer the best service to our customers.”
He internalized his dad’s example, and it became an intrinsic part of his approach to work. For many years, as an employee, Fielkow helped grow businesses and later seized an opportunity to purchase a trucking firm, “I had a vision for what I wanted Jetco to be and wanted our focus to be on our people, fleet, and technology. In the trucking industry, just like many other industries, I had to find a way for us to de-commoditize our business. Jetco was tired and needed a lift, but it certainly wasn’t broken, and I saw a great opportunity to build something new out of what already existed. Out of Jetco, I also built three new businesses: Jetco Heavy Haul, Jetco Logistics and Jetco Warehousing. Since purchasing Jetco, our team has grown the business seven-fold.”
From this business, Fielkow’s true passion arose, he was able to employ the leadership lessons he had been learning throughout his life and gather them into a book other business owners could implement in their own businesses, ‘I think our magic is our culture, and I’m fortunate to have started a business outside of Jetco – speaking to business leaders and giving them tools to grow their own company’s culture. This is how we de-commoditize our businesses. My presentations aren’t about theory; they focus on the “how to,” and low-cost, high-value, practical ways that leaders, no matter the size of their business, can create a world-class culture. Like my dad, I want to empower my employees. That’s what’s going to ensure we are giving our customers the best service. The real magic happens when, as leaders, we are able to step away and watch our team successfully run the business. Culture is not owner-centric. It’s about empowering our employees, and I’m fortunate to witness that daily.”
Fielkow published his first book, Driving to Perfection: Achieving Business Excellence by Creating a Vibrant Culture, and is currently working on two new books to be published soon. The next book, Leading People Safely, will focus on how to build a safety culture and how safety drivers the bottom line. The book, co-authored with James T. Schultz, will also feature a foreword by the Honorable Robert L. Sumwalt, III, National Transportation Safety Board member and former NTSB Vice Chairman. Now a highly sought-after speaker, he divides his time between running Jetco and its many divisions and speaking to business groups. He recently fulfilled a long-held dream of writing a song, when he co-wrote “Island Inside Me” with Hawaiian artist Anuhea as a gift to his wife for their 25th anniversary. The song hit #1 on Hawaii radio this year.
To purchase his book or learn more about creating a culture of excellence in your business, please visit his site at http://brianfielkow.com or connect on social media here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianfielkow/?fref=ts
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@Brian_Fielkow
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfielkow