- March 28, 2024
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Sarasota executive Jim Abrams is the classic definition of an accidental entrepreneur: The son of a World War II veteran and Detroit autoworker, Abrams' first job after college was teaching history in high school.
Abrams soon moved to business, and has had a career with some remarkable successes. “There was no thought process in becoming an entrepreneur,” Abrams told the Business Observer in 2008, when he was named the newspaper's Entrepreneur of the Year. “I'm an entrepreneur by mistake.”
Abrams career highlights include growing the franchise business of Weight Watchers in the 1970s; running a sales division for air-conditioning firm Trane; organizing and implementing a franchise platform for The Mutual Fund Store; starting his own air-conditioning business; launching Clockwork Home Services, a brand of three home services franchises that grew to nearly $200 million in annual sales; and, most recently, founding Fyzical, a fast-growing chain of physical therapy centers.
Abrams was the keynote speaker at a recent event for the Tampa Bay chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, held at the Sarasota Yacht Club. Abrams talked about some of the aspects thinks helped him be successful for so long, in so many different fields. Key points include:
Reward top managers generously. “I've always believed in sharing equity in my business,” Abrams says. “I still do today.”
Have a message that's quick, easy and something anyone can grasp instantly. Then be sure to deliver on that message. Abrams, for example, mentioned the success of a message from a Clockwork Home Services brand, One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning: “Always on Time ... Or you don't pay a dime.”
Go for big industries. Abrams aims for market share in places with a lot of opportunities, which is how he ended up in the diet industry, financial services, home services and physical therapy.
Hire people who are driven by success in life, not just in business. “I find people whose ambition match mine,” says Abrams, who adds that his overriding purpose is to build a sustainable business, not an asset he can flip.
Provide a product or service that's better than the competition or more convenient or costs less. “If you could do all three,” says Abrams, “you have really hit a home run.”