Today we’d like to introduce you to Rich Allen.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rich. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all started with my father’s small business. I come from a very large family – 11 brothers and sisters, and my Dad started his own business in order to make ends meet at home. He had a dream – to build a business and leave a legacy for his 8 sons. I worked with my Dad for several years and watched him struggle daily trying to make his small business work. While he was very good at his trade, he had no clue how to run a business – and I didn’t know how to help.
I soon left for college, then served in the military before joining a large corporation. I was very successful in business and eventually had the opportunity to run a sizable manufacturing business. All the while, my Dad was struggling to survive and I could only watch from afar. His struggles led to a failed marriage, alcoholism and all of his sons leaving the business.
Meanwhile, I was learning how business worked and was enjoying the successes of leading a profitable, growing business. But my Dad’s experience haunted me daily. I wished I could turn back the clock and help my Dad, but it was too late for him. Nonetheless, I retired from the corporate world in 1995 and set out on a mission to help small business owners like my Dad avoid the pitfalls and misery that he endured.
I have been coaching, advising and mentoring small business owners for the past 10 years. I have written 2 books and host a radio show focused on helping the small business owner. It is my passion and my mission – to help put an end to small business failure!
My Dad passed away a few years ago, having never enjoyed the benefits of owning a profitable business or fulfilling his dream of building a legacy business for his sons. He worked in his business until the day he died. That is why I will spend the rest of my working career helping business owners like my Dad be more successful.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road – it never is. In the beginning I was clueless about how to run a business. I had to learn by trial and error. But I had great mentors and a strong team around me which helped me be successful.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was balancing the needs of my business and the needs of my family. I didn’t always get it right and in fact, one of the pivotal moments in my career was when I came home from an extended business trip to find that my 7-year-old daughter had decided that I was her “Uncle” not her “Daddy” because I was never at home! This was like a knife in the heart and changed how I viewed my business from that day forward.
I’ve also struggled to motivate team my team members until I finally realized that the rewards and recognition we provided were focused on THEIR needs and desires rather on the company or senior leaders – there is a big difference.
There are many more struggles – each with a unique story behind it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Tour de Profit Business Advisors – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My business is focused on the small business owner. We help small business owners be more successful and avoid the failures, difficulties and traps that snare most entrepreneurs. We do this by providing many free resources, guides, tips and proven techniques that business owners find useful. We also provided 1-2-1 and group advisory programs for small business owners who are determined to turn their business into a sustainable, profitable enterprise.
What makes us different is that we use a bike as a metaphor for a business and all our strategies are based on the bike as a proven model for small business success.
I am most proud of the many success stories that we have among our small business clients.
Many have transformed their businesses into high-growth machines. Others have restructured their business so they are no longer the most important member of the team. Yet others have used their primary business to begin expanding into new business opportunities and new exciting ventures.
I believe it is the passion behind our mission and purpose that sets us apart. This is not just a job or a career. This is a calling. I am driven every day to help small business owners be more successful.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have expanded our service to provide “assisted hiring programs” for small business owners giving them the ability to find, screen and select the “best fit” team members – because we know that this is a critical success factor for small business owners today.
We are also expanding our outreach efforts through large platform speaking opportunities. My goal is to share what we have learned with franchise groups, industry groups, multi-unit companies and university entrepreneurship programs so that more entrepreneurs and small business owners will come into their business more prepared to be successful.
We MUST impact the high failure rate of small businesses in our economy today. Only 1 or 5 will survive to see their 5 year anniversary – and that’s a terrible statistic!
Contact Info:
- Address: 3001 Dallas Parkway
Suite 120 - Website: www.tourdeprofit.com
- Phone: 214-758-7581
- Email: rich@tourdeprofit.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rich.allen/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richbizcoach
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/richbizcoach
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richallentourdeprofit/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
