The Idaho CEO: Things they don't talk about in school
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Transcript of The Idaho CEO: Things they don't talk about in school
TABLE OF CONTENTSConversations with CEO’S
How come they talked to me......................................................................3Stan Zatica Paul’s Markets ......................................................................13Edward Hawkins Litehouse Dressing.......................................................22Scott Moscrip Internet Truck Stop...........................................................33John Jackson Jackson Food Stores............................................................46Melaleuca Frank VanderSloot..................................................................57Bruneel Tire Craig Bruneel ......................................................................70Bodybuilding.com Ryan Duluca ..............................................................81Zamzows Jim Zamzow ..............................................................................98About the Author Dave Tester................................................................106
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Stan Zatica: Fun job: success
Paul’s Market CEO Stan Zatica had a vision of what a community market should offer.
STAN ZATICACEO, Paul’s Markets
"Ahh Dave!" You might think I dislike being known as the
donut guy in the Paul's commercials, but, over the years, it
might be my greatest marketing compliment ever.
Paul's markets co-owner, Stan Zatica, and myself came
up with the donuts
and the infamous tagline – “Ahh Dave!” It happened in the
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summer 2003 while we were parked in the driveway of my
Nampa home. We stumbled on to it. I need not remind you
that some of the greatest ideas work out that way. You might
recall, golfing legend Gary Player once said, “The harder I
work the luckier I get."
The Zatica family, based in Homedale, Idaho, hasn’t
relied on luck, but rather hard work. When I was first
introduced to Stan's dad, Paul, who founded the stores, I noted
a sign in his office, displayed for all to see. It extolled his
philosophy of the importance of treating all “customers as
guests.”
I've never forgotten it and neither has Stan who along
with his brother, Steve, who carry-on Paul's tradition.
When Stan Zatica’s father, Paul Zatica, first dreamed of
opening a grocery store, his vision was simple: Provide
services for the small-towns, making shopping easy.
“He came back from serving in the Navy,” Stan recalled.
“He went to school at the University of Denver, and then
opened his first story a couple months after her graduated.”
Born to Basque immigrant parents, he knew what hard
work was all about. In the decades that followed, and through
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two store relocations in Homedale, the Jordan Valley native
showed himself to be a hands-on businessman with ideals
entrenched firmly in the community.
Stan said he learned many things growing up in the
grocery business. Key was hard work pays off. Stan worked
with his dad for many years, rising through the ranks until he
had his turn to take over the business and develop it.
A graduate of Idaho State University, he stepped in as
CEO, and has implemented many changes.
“I’ve just had a sense that other towns could benefit from
the services we have,” Stan said.
In 1987, Paul’s Corp. purchased a chain with stores in
McCall, Riggins, Hailey and Mountain Home. Stores from that
acquisition remain in operation in McCall and Mountain Home.
The chain also includes the Homedale flagship store, now
on East Wyoming Avenue; two stores in Nampa; a Caldwell
store; a Kuna store that opened in 1997; and a Boise store that
opened in 2004.
During the grand opening of the Boise store at 10565
Lake Hazel Road, the Zatica family solidified its commitment
to locally grown food when, joined by then-Gov. Dirk
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Kempthorne and then-state Department of Agriculture chief
Pat Takasugi. They announced the company’s partnership with
Idaho Preferred to promote foods that were grown and
processed locally.
Stan has directed to the company to become the largest
independent grocer in the state of Idaho.
If you're looking for rocket science, this may not be the
best interview for you. However, if you need to be reminded of
the basics of common sense, this will be a great refresher
course from a great friend and an outstanding mentor’s mind.
Stan Zatica interview with Dave
Stan Zatica: Paul Zatica, my Dad, started Paul’s Market in
Homedale, Idaho, in 1955 in a little store. I believe
at the time in Homedale, there were four other
grocery stores. I was four years old at the time.
My sister was two years old and I don’t remember a
lot other than when we would go down to the store
in the evening as a family. My mother, my father,
my sister and I because freight would be delivered to
the store and it was always easier to put the freight
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out in the evening and as a family, we would go
down and do that.
Now, I was only four years old. How helpful I was, I
don’t know, but I do specifically remember my
Mother always had me in the cracker section and I
was always able to put the saltine crackers on the
shelf because it was a light box and it was kind of a
square box and easy to handle. So that was
probably my first taste of the grocery business when
I was four years old.
Dave: You were either a smart cracker, Stan, or a tough
cracker. It takes both of those to be an
entrepreneur. What, beyond that, as you got older,
more involved in the store, and let’s talk maybe
about during the high school years when you were
old enough beyond the cracker boxes, things your
Dad talked about and things you had to do as a
beginning entrepreneur?
Zatica: The one thing my Dad always stressed when I was
12 years old, 16 years old, whatever age working in
the store, was honesty is the best policy. Be honest
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with your customers, be honest with your suppliers,
be honest with everybody in every aspect of
business. Now, you say that’s “old school.”
This day and age, Dave, is it “old school”? Is AIG
honest? Are politicians honest? I don’t know what
honest is anymore. That is one thing we have always
tried to do is be honest, hard-working and do the
right thing.
Dave: Now, Stan, we talk about do the right thing when no
one’s looking and throughout this series, every
single entrepreneur, yourself included, have always
talked about integrity and honesty. Can you tell us a
story with Paul’s where that has either come around
to pay off big in dividends where you said I sure am
glad I did the right thing when no one was looking?
Zatica: I’m not so sure it was one particular big thing but a
lot of times you’ll have a customer that will come to
you that has a problem or an issue or a
miscommunication because a lot of times that’s what
happens.
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When you have thousands of customers come
through your door every day, you have a tendency
sometimes to have miscommunication and that is
really where the rubber meets the road. Where can
you talk to that customer of yours to make them
understand why you did what you did on a
promotion, on a pricing issue or something in
marketing?
Most of the time when that customer looks at me
and says thanks very much, I appreciate you
explaining that to me. And that’s all people want to
do. They just want to know exactly why as a
company you do something.
Dave: Stan, you mentioned about the rubber meeting the
road and with your customers. How about your
employees? Knocking on the door of almost 400
employees, what is your – and I don’t know whether
I call it your favorite way or your best way, but how
do you motivate the customers – or I should say,
your workers, into translating your belief to the
customers?
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Zatica: In my office and in our board room, we have a sign
that says “Treat people with dignity and respect”.
So, if I want an associate who works for Paul’s
Markets to treat me with dignity and respect, the
best way is for me to treat that individual with
dignity and respect.
And I always, just recently, have adopted, and I’ve
expressed it to my store managers, my supervisors,
but when I walk to one of my stores and I park out in
the parking lot and I walk into the front door, when I
get ten yards from the front door, which in football is
always a first down. I
f you go ten yards, it’s a first down. When I get ten
yards from the front door, I smile and I keep that
smile on my face and my eyes wide open as I walk
ten yards into the store and around the store and I
make one walk clear around the store with a smile
on my face.
And it amazes me how many customers will smile
back, how many associates will smile and that’s what
I do because when I walk into a grocery store, I live
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in a glass house. Everybody watches me, everybody
wants to see how I’m having a day that day.
Dave: Stan, you also do something and one of your
philosophies is I work for my employees. I want to
give them all the tools. Kind of explain that when
you go to your managers and say what do I need to
do to help you be successful at your job?
Zatica: When I meet with anybody, an associate, a
department head, a supervisor, anybody in the store
and I talk to them, I always ask them what can I do
for you? What do I need to do for you?
Because I work for them. If I can make their job
easier and grease the wheels for them, then I have
done my job. They don’t work for me. Because
without them, we have nothing as a company and in
this day and age and the way the economy is and the
way the economic structure of this country is, you
have to rely on your people and I work for them.
“If I can make somebody more affluent and more determined in doing their job and having fun in their job, then the more successful this company will be.”
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If I can make somebody more affluent and more
determined in doing their job and having fun in their
job, then the more successful this company will be.
Dave: Stan, do you remember whether it was with your
Dad or yourself, kind of that big risk moment,
whether it was we’re going to purchase another or
store or we’re going to carry a certain line where
you look back – I know some people where they say I
wish I would have taken more risk. But as an
entrepreneur, there’s a lot of risk involved in your
business. Do you remember either one of those?
Either the first one or that big risk?
Zatica: Yes, I do. Specifically, two of them. When I first
came to work back with my Dad after I had worked
ten years in the banking business, we had a chance
to build a fourth store. We had three stores at the
time. When we built that store, it was in the ‘80s
and it was about the mid-80s and this country kind
of set up on a recession much more – not as severe
as today but it was very, very tough for that store –
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that new store, and it was Caldwell, to turn the
corner.
We finally got it to turn the corner and then we had
an opportunity to buy four grocery stores, double
our size. There were four existing grocery stores:
Mountain Home, Hailey, McCall and Riggins. And
we picked up four stores and doubled our size and
that was pretty risky at the time and I think I went
through a spell there for just right at four years, I
don’t think I took a vacation.
Dave: Wow. And do you look back and there are those
people now that have had their business for a long
time and they’re either struggling or in some cases,
losing their business, and I know – I mean, you took
a risk in a tough time and there’s other
entrepreneurs we’ve talked to that have said, would
I do it all over again. Stan, if something happened
where you said I lost everything and I’m going to
start all over again, would you take those risks?
Zatica: Oh, I would take those risks. I’m fortunate enough
to survive this long because an independent grocery
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chain this day and age is almost like a dinosaur.
Would I take that risk again? Yes, I would because
once it’s in your blood and once you figure it out,
you’re always going to have that. It’s the
competition and it’s the survival.
Dave: Stan Zatica, who is one of the owners of Paul’s
Markets, visiting with us on Entrepreneur Radio.
Stan, I’m going to kind of sum it up as we wrap up
here. You talk about smiling; you talk about
honesty, hard work and one thing that you’ve always
done a good job in the time that we’ve spent
together, working with common sense.
Zatica: I think that’s true. So many times this day and age,
a lot of people lose touch with common sense, what
really makes sense. I have a cousin, and I won’t give
you his name, but he never had a high school
education but I admire him because when you talk to
him, he just oozes common sense. I just love the guy
to death.
The other thing is as an entrepreneur, you cannot
tell your story enough. Once you figure out your
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strengths, you have to tell everybody over and over
and over. And sometimes as entrepreneurs, we lose
that. We just don’t tell our story enough.
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“Once you figure out your strengths, you have to tell everybody over and over and over.”
– Stan Zatica
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A to Zatica
Action steps to follow with the Zatica principals of business.
1. Honesty is the best policy.
2. Treat people with dignity and respect.
3. Always have a smile on in front of your customers.
4. Always ask your team “What can I do for you today?”
5. Figure out your strengths and tell that story to prospects.
6. You can never tell your story enough. Tell it over and over.
What did you learn or actions you will take from this interview
A.
B.
C.
D.
B.
C.
D.
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About the Author
Dave is a Broadcast personality in the Treasure Valley and partner in Sandler Sales training in Boise. After twenty years as a television and radio on-air broadcaster, his focus now is helping small businesses grow to great companies.
"My passion is translating what I have learned from a number of sports legends into great sales and motivational training for people and businesses across the country."
His training tools, if used every day, will help you have a more fulfilling way of life, both at home and at work. We hope you enjoy the “Idea Machine” and pass it on to others.
Dave is married to Claudia, who is a former television news anchor. They are the parents of two kids: Carson 14 and Clare 12.
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Contact Dave
Dave’s Website: www.askdavetester.com
Dave’s email: [email protected]
Books:Find a Parade and get in front of itThe Marketing Makeover Find a Parade and get in front of itIf We Could Sell Like Our Kids The 180Rule Handbook100k in 365 daysThe New Testerment Sales Manual
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