Mindset of Success

"Beyond the Headlines" on Click2Houston.com
Topic: Building Business in this Economy
Guests: Ken Jones & Jeri Brooks of One World Strategy Group
Read article & watch video

Asian Chamber of Commerce Luncheon
Topic: What Can You do to Improve your Business in a Down Economy
Keynote Speaker: Ken Jones, University of Houston Downtown
Location: Westin Galleria, The Monarch Room 24th floor
Address: 5060 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77056

More information or register

"The OIPPT members and Cabinet Innovations would like to thank all our guests for coming to the "Wake up and Smell the Profits" presentation by Ken Jones. It was an entertaining and educating presentation and we hope all of you will join us in the future. It was an honor having Ken Jones as speaker - he is a great coach, consultant and entrepreneur. We hope all of you enjoyed his presentation as much as we did!"

“I was so inspired!  Never have I seen a speaker have such charisma and power to educate and entertain you through an entire presentation.  He had the entire crowd laughing, nodding and taking notes throughout the 3 hours.  It amazes me to see a man have the same level of energy from start to finish.  I’m so glad I was able to sit in and listen.” – Blanca Lazo, Cabinet Innovations

"The "Zen of Ken" is an experience I recommend. It takes an amazing talent and focused personality to keep a group in a class room setting interested, engaged and actively participating. Ken unique style in presentation and communication makes learning about business fun."

Ken Jones, Director of the Entrepreneur & Venture Development Center at the University of Houston Downtown, edu-tained (educated and entertained) our guests at our recent Sterling Bank Women’s Business Initiative luncheon in Houston, as he challenged us all to “Think Like an Entrepreneur.”

His definition of an entrepreneur is “one who knows the outcome is up to her and wants it that way.”

Ken identified the top two reasons for bankruptcies as lack of capital and lack of talent. He then shared seven critical requirements for entrepreneurial success:

• Risk tolerance
• Distinctive competitive advantage
• Clearly defined customer
• Financial literacy
• Exposure of business to target markets
• Selling to all customers
• Every employee should be earning three times her salary for the company

The goal is to position to achieve superior, long-term profitable growth regardless of changes in the economy. A vivid example of successfully incorporating the seven critical elements began with the discovery that though there are 10,300 restaurants in the Houston area, only a very few are open at 2 a.m. when the bars close. One of Ken’s students opened a restaurant to cater to wee hour diners and made $1.17 million the first year.

He encouraged us to truthfully examine two key questions:

• If you competed against yourself, how would you win?
• Would you do business with you?

Ken recommended two books which are required reading for his students, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and Stop Acting Rich: And Start Living like a Real Millionaire by Thomas J. Stanley.

He concluded with his 8 R’s for success:
 
• Revitalization – rejuvenating value proposition with new services and justifying premium pricing
• Retention – hold customers longer – ask them what’s important
• Reacquisition – winback odds are 3:1 versus 8:1
• Referrals – earn 3 referrals over the course of a year from your best customers
• Regeneration – precision marketing – pursue professional niches
• Rainmaking – at one of his companies each employee’s business card had President as their title
• Related Sales – McDonald’s has a 1 in 2 chance of success
• Reputation Building – your brand is the gut feeling others have about your company
 
Wishing you continued success,
 
Pamela H. Lovett
Senior Vice President, Business Development and
Community Affairs
Sterling Bank

"Ken is a fabulous speaker and has relevant information to share for all businesses: large, medium and small!  I heard him speak at Sterling Bank’s Women’s Business luncheon, then…while in class I had to email my office to ask them to change our website immediately.
 
I have just hired Ken to assist Cole Chemical with our new strategy to multiply what we do with a handful of customers to expand our business."

“Ken is an outstanding lecturer in the field of entrepreneurship. I heard him speak at the Houston Entrepreneurs' Forum and he inspired the audience with many practical ideas about improving and growing businesses. Ken is making a big difference in our community by helping young people understand they can acquire the American Dream with education and entrepreneurship.”

“Ken Jones is a leading expert in Entrepreneurship, therefore it was only natural that we ask him to speak at our SKCC Chamber luncheon. He educated, inspired and exhorted our guests to exceed their own self-induced limitations. His direct manner and dry wit are not for those of weak constitution, he really drove the much-needed message home to our audience. We will definitely invite him to speak to our organization in the future.”

“Few professors generate the intense feelings that Ken Jones receives from his students, because few professors see as much potential and push their students so hard to reveal it. Ken brings reality to his classroom and curriculum from day one. Students must act like the professionals they aspire to be, or he will call them out and directly explain to them the ways their approach will fail them when it really matters. The truth is so important to business, and feeling good about yourself comes from knowing that what you do or plan to do will generate real value. Ken makes sure his students get that, whether they appreciate it now or later. As I move through my career, I continue to discover and appreciate the things I learned from Ken, but I also know that he would always make himself available if I needed another bit of wisdom. THANKS!”