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Benson's Heating & Air Conditioning

Benson Green

Perseverance

Thank you so much to everyone whose support, ideas and advice helped me win this award and after looking around I see that the majority of you here today have helped me to do just that-thank you all.

“To persist in spite of obstacles”…like most people in this room, I was brought up to believe that if you set your mind to do something, you’ll somehow find a way to get it done.

I will never forget the last man I worked for. Earl was a great mentor in business and in life. One day after failing repeatedly at a task, I told him that he would have to do it himself, because I couldn’t. He told me: “Ok, but if I do it I guess I won’t need you anymore, will I?” I almost knocked him down to try one more time and this time I succeeded. I will never forget the lesson he taught me that day.

Another thing I’ve learned about perseverance is that I don’t always know what the obstacles ahead of me are, which oftentimes makes it easier to enter the “danger zone”. Going into business for myself 23 years ago, I knew that I was the best service man around-especially after four years of experience in the field that I equated with 4 years of college. I asked my banker grandfather for help in opening up Benson’s. “You’re not ready, Sonny boy”, he said. Unemployed, with no capital, and no idea on how to get started, I went to my father for help. He set me up with my second mentor, Jack Dobson, (school of business at F.S.U.) who helped me write a business plan.

If I had known of every obstacle before I made that blind leap, would it have happened? Yes, because I am so hardheaded, which is a non-textbook description of perseverance-but since that day in 1981 I have found every day challenging and full of unforeseen obstacles. You must learn to deal with them quickly and directly-using faith, prayer, and teamwork with outstanding managers and coworkers. You have to open yourself up to mentoring and training.

Mentoring is usually free, sometimes not, but all you have to do is ask for it. You have to seek and be receptive to the help and advice of others because mentoring is an invaluable tool for staying in business and overcoming obstacles.

Lastly I would like to say that I don’t like using the word “gamble” when it comes to business-as it means “to stake money on an outcome”. I don’t know about you, but I always lose when I am gambling. I will, however, take a risk in business at times, but it is always a calculated one, backed by years of data and experience that I have gathered, remembered to use and pass on. You will need that too if you want to persevere.

Thank you all for this gracious award and I’d like to say God Bless America-as it is this great country that allows us the opportunity to be great entrepreneurs.

Thank you.