Being “World Famous” Starts from Within

Creative Commons: flickr.com/photos/antonystanley

How does a business become “world famous”?  People always want to know the secret behind those companies and brands that are able to capture the attention of people all over the world.

I’m reading the book Catch! By Cyndi Crother and the crew of World Famous Pike Place Fish. (Yes, those are the guys that throw the fish at Pike Place Market in Seattle.)  The fish market was purchased in 1965 by Johnny Yokoyama who still owns it.  At the time he was just another fish market owner.  Pike Place Fish just sells fish.  Nothing fancy, nothing special, right?

So, how is it that this fish market became so great?  What is it about them that gives them such notoriety not to mention incredible profits?  Surely, it is not just about throwing fish.

Years ago at one of the weekly staff meetings, the team of fishmongers decided that being “world famous” was an inspiring future for Pike Place Fish. So, they simply added “World Famous” to their branding, logo, and rhetoric.  And, thus they became world famous.  At the time, were they known in Denmark?  Probably not.  But, they sure are now!

So, how does the transformation come between calling yourself one thing and actually becoming it?  It all starts from within. Cyndi Crother breaks down the mindset of the fishmongers who work at Pike Place Fish.  This is how they achieve their goals and dreams:

Being  →  Doing  →  Having

First, you must start from within.  You must BE what you want to become.  If you want to be world-famous, you need to start being world famous.  Being is at the core of who you are.  How does a world famous business think?  What does it believe?  What are the core values?  I’m not talking about paparazzi and glitter and looking like a world famous individual.  I’m talking about defining your core to be all that a world class wedding business truly is.

By BEING what it is that you want to become, you will start to DO.  If you truly are world famous at your core, you will begin to act, perform, and think like a world famous business owner does.  Your core values will define the way that you do things in your business.  Every decision and action that you make for your business will be that of one that is world famous.  And, people will begin to recognize this.

By DOING, you begin to HAVE what it is that you want.  By doing a world famous job, you will soon have that recognition.  You cannot actually achieve greatness if you don’t start from within and act accordingly.

Being  →  Doing  →  Having

So, what it is that you want to be?  How is it that you want your business to be recognized?  How are you going to get there?  In order to get there, you need to begin with yourself.  You need to BE what you want to become.