This week, we celebrate Father’s Day. As children, we look to our dads for a lot of things – safety, assurance, love and, of course, advice.
Dads are rarely shy about dispensing advice. They’ve had a lot more life experience than us, so we often try to soak in whatever advice we receive. (Except as teenagers, when no advice, from any source, was welcome.)
At Anago Cleaning Systems, a father’s advice carries more weight than at most businesses. Thirty years ago, Anago was founded when David Povlitz moved his family to Florida after years of working in the janitorial service industry. David knew that owning a business was his calling, so he founded the Anago franchise. Years later, David handed the business over to his son, Adam Povlitz, Anago’s President & CEO.
Adam recently pondered the best advice he ever received from dad. That advice, in a way, has been felt by everyone in the Anago family, as Adam has worked hard to fill his father’s shoes. Here’s some of that valuable advice that David Povlitz imparted on his son.
“The best business advice he ever gave me was ‘your personal income will not far exceed your personal growth.’ It’s so easy in business to get so embroiled in the day to day fires that you forget you’re in the driver’s seat of your business. If you’re looking to improve your circumstance or your results, you have to ask what have you done lately to improve yourself. For me, it has instilled a desire to always seek to be learning and growing. I’m constantly reading business, relationship, and faith books and publications, making it a point to get involved with charitable organizations, and speaking with our Master Franchisees about what’s working and what’s not working for them.”
As for the best personal advice Adam ever received from Dad? “The best life advice my dad ever gave me was that it never hurts to ask. The worst that could happen is someone tells you no. I’m sure plenty of much more famous people have quoted this with things like ‘you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,’ but my father really took the time to instill this quality in me. It’s amazing how many people don’t get what they want out of life for a fear of potentially getting uncomfortable. He said things like, ‘successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.’ And it turns out successful people aren’t afraid to speak their mind, ask for more, or expect the best out of people.”
The Anago family certainly thanks David Povlitz for imparting that wisdom on Adam. What’s the best advice your Dad ever shared with you?