Salesmanship by Zig Ziglar - Moving Up (Part One of a Two-Part Series)

Where You Start Is Not Important - It's Where You Go That Counts

Dave Longaberger graduated from high school at age 20. He repeated first grade and three-peated fifth grade. He read at the eighth grade level, stuttered, and had epilepsy. Dave died in 1999, but the company he founded, Longaberger Baskets, is still growing strong and is a multi-million dollar business. How did it happen?

Dave had a lot of positives going for him. He was possessed of an entrepreneurial spirit. As a child he worked so many jobs his family called him the "twenty-five-cent millionaire." He learned many important lessons from his jobs. As a seven-year-old in a grocery store he learned that the way to please the boss was to figure out what the boss wanted and get it done.

Next, he studied people and learned about them from every job. Examples: Work could be fun and he did a better job when he enjoyed his work. The more the people he dealt with liked him, the more likely they were to continue doing business with him. In the Army he learned about uniformity, control, consistency, and Central Headquarters.

He also learned how to become a risk-taker and not a gambler. For example, he opened a tiny restaurant on a shoestring. On opening day he had $135 which he used to buy the first day's breakfast fixings. After breakfast, he had enough money to buy supplies for lunch, and then he used the money he made from lunch to buy dinner preparations. That's starting a business on bare bones!

Later, Dave bought a grocery store and ran it very successfully. All the time he was preparing for bigger and better things. That's the subject of next week’s column. In the meantime, learn the lessons that Dave learned on the way up and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!


Zig Ziglar is a motivator and teacher. He is the author of 26 books and loved by millions of people world wide for his practical wisdom and his gift of hope.