Flipping For Success

Flipping for Success
How to create a strong vision to lead your business toward successBy Kristy J. O’HaraSmart Business Atlanta - April 2009
Darin Kraetsch is absolutely passionate about freeing his toes as CEO of Flip Flop Shops, which specializes in selling the latest styles of flip flops and sandals year-round.
“The No. 1 thing you have to have is a passion for what it is you’re doing,” Kraetsch says. “I even made a commitment that as long as I was involved in Flip Flop Shops, I would no longer lace up. Whether it’s a fund-raiser ... or a dinner with investment bankers, you can be assured that I’ll be there in my nicest slacks, a nice coat and my best pair of flip flops.”
A huge part of being passionate about his business is making sure he knows where the company is going and then guiding his 55 employees in that direction, as well.
Smart Business spoke with Kraetsch about how to create a vision and guide your employees toward it.
Create a vision. Great entrepreneurs always have a vision for the future. Every business is like a roller coaster. It has its great days, and it has its days you can’t wait till they end. But great entrepreneurs always have the ability to see past that and see the end of the rainbow.
You have to create that vision through inspiration. You have to inspire people about what the concept or business can be, and you have to be crystal clear in defining that mission.
One of the important parts of creating that mission is to allow people to give their input. Have a team assembled that takes ownership in that vision and helps to create it. Whether you’re a vendor, manufacturer or franchisee, we ask for input from all of those people. How is it that you see this company? We’ve never claimed to know everything. We know that great ideas come from all walks of life. We have made it our mission to take all the great feedback, run it through the strainer, pick out those golden nuggets, and help to create and define our brand and vision for where we want to be.
We have no system in place, but one of the things that we have all learned is that you have to overcommunicate. We do a great job just picking up the phone. The other day I called one of our franchisees, and he’s working through this issue with financing, and I called him and wanted him to know that I was thinking about him and offered to assist in any way I could.
Through conversation, we are always asking people, ‘What do you think about this?’ It’s a fun process because people always have ideas, and there are always a handful of great ones. Sometimes you have to sift through the sand to find that one little golden nugget, but if you open the doors of communication and you’re proactively seeking input, you’re going to find the great ideas.