Les Schwab Quotes
24 quotes from Les Schwab — Founder of Les Schwab Tire Centers, a chain of 500+ tire stores across the western US known for legendary customer serv….
“Whatever you do, you must do it with gusto, you must do it in volume. It is a case of repeat, repeat, repeat.”
“Life is hard for the man who thinks he can take a short cut.”
“I hope to pass on some of my theories of business to our people, and I hope these theories are used in our business for as long as the Les Schwab Company continues.”
“I encourage you to share profits with your employees. I encourage you in every way possible to 'Build People.”
“We must constantly remind ourselves as to just why we are successful and what we must do to continue to be successful; because if we become complacent, brother it's all over with.”
“The company paid low wages and had a lower overhead. The flaw was they didn't get —with the low pay— near the quality of employees we had.”
“I was sometimes cocky; but this same cockiness helped me a lot in going through life.”
“If you make people under you successful, what happens to you? Aren't you also then successful?”
“I thought the tire business had a future. I remember telling my wife I thought I was a salesman and maybe that ability could be used in the tire business.”
“I had always wanted to be a businessman, but I didn't have any money.”
“The pressure of doing business is always there. You have to be able to handle it.”
“I encourage you to share profits with your employees. I encourage you in every way possible to 'Build People.' If you make people under you successful, what happens to you? Aren't you also then successful?”
“What nicer thing can you do with your life than to help young people build their lives into successful people.”
“I was 33 years old and still wanting to go into a business of my own. Money was the main thing holding me up.”
“I did write this 100% with my 40 year old typewriter. I didn't have a ghost writer. I wanted it in my own words.”
“Should we fail to follow these policies toward customers and employees, I would prefer that my name be taken off the business.”
“I thought the tire business had a future. I remember telling my wife I thought I was a salesman — a pretty good one — and maybe that ability could be used in the tire business. It was hard, knuckle-busting, dirty work.”
“If I share half the profits, I still have half. And if Frank makes more money, he'll work harder to make the store successful. If the store is more successful, my half is worth more than my whole used to be.”
“If you want to read one book that will demonstrate really shrewd compensation systems in a whole chain of small businesses, read the autobiography of Les Schwab.”
“I wrote this 100% with my old 40-year-old typewriter. I didn't have a ghostwriter. I wanted it in my own words. I hope to pass on some of my theories of business to our people, and I hope these theories are used in our business for as long as the Les Schwab company continues. Should we fail to follow these policies towards customers and employees, I would prefer that my name be taken off of the business.”
“I never thought I'd do $1 million in sales, so I've been 1,000 times more successful than I ever thought I'd be.”
“If you want to read one book that will demonstrate really shrewd compensation systems in a whole chain of small businesses, read the autobiography of Les Schwab, who has a bunch of tire shops all over the Northwest. And he made a huge fortune in one of the world's really difficult businesses by having shrewd systems.”
“I think the biggest misconception the public has about a successful businessman is he is working for more money. You won't find many truly successful ones that are greedy.”
“This company isn't for sale. It will go on, bigger and better than ever and continue to provide opportunities for young people to be successful. All the stock will remain in our family.”
