I called it!

SHOTGUN! Remember the joy and glee you experienced when you beat your brother or sister to calling “shotgun” first and got to enjoy a ride in the front seat? Remember the rules that were created and had to be enforced because the game got so competitive? (if you forget, this site will provide a good refresher http://www.shotgunrules.com/) Every American has played “shotgun” at one time or another; either voluntarily or involuntarily… why? Because, we are naturally competitive individuals – we want to compete, we want to win. It doesn’t matter if it’s “shotgun”, video games, tiddlywinks, baseball or life; we all compete and we all want to win. This was especially true when we were children; however, some of us lose the urge to compete and the will to win as we get older.

We become adults and we become serious all the time. We think to be successful; we must act like adults and not have fun and not compete in silly games like shotgun. We are to busy paying mortgages, car payments and credit cards, to busy working some job we don’t enjoy, to busy doing laundry and cleaning the house. Stop that – and start having some fun – start competing again! The most successful people I know are big kids – they love life and play all the time. They are competitors…they are winners. Some of the most successful days in our business have been the result of a competition. Whether it’s a contest to see who can sell the most iProtect or which store can raise the most money on a Give Back Day – competition fuels winners and drives results. Competition is a bigger motivator than money.

As a franchise owner, we enjoy the benefits of being an independent business owner; however, at the same time we’re still driven to compete with other franchisees… we want to be the best franchisee, we want to have the best store and we instill this competitive environment in our culture, and you can too. If you are a business owner – start incorporating more competition with daily, weekly & monthly contests for your team. If you work in corporate america – start some competition with your co-workers, either work/results related, or start a fundraiser. If you are independent – reach out to others who do similar work as you, compare results and start weekly/monthly competitions.

Most importantly – competing doesn’t just take place from 9-5. Compete at home; play games with your spouse, kids & friends. Competing will keep you sharp – keep you young. When you are on your way to the fireworks store today to have a better backyard fireworks show than your neighbor… race your kid to the car and yell “SHOTGUN”!