Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gavin Fleming. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gavin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. So, we’d appreciate if you could open up about your growth story and the nitty, gritty details that went into scaling up.
How did I upscale? Next, no, I’m joking. This is a long kept secret of the industry but to upscale you must actually work hard. Not talk about working hard, actually work hard. Work with what you have and improve from there. Start actually working on something and do not stop until it is complete. Don’t over exceed yourself. Work within your boundaries. I’m my position, expanding isn’t an option, so we upscale whenever we can. Customer service is my number one attribute to upscaling. Take care of your customers and they will return, do that enough and you won’t have enough business to give out, so that leads to upscaling. My business did not have a reputation, building one from scratch was my goal. Customers, left good reviews of our hard work, awards starting coming in from those customers reviews and with a long dedication to hard work, we established ourselves as a great business.. I didn’t always have the nicest rooms, but we absolutely gave our best to the customers. Customer service was a key factor in upscaling. No one likes a mean person. Get happy staff and make clients happy. I was told by someone a long time ago the following;

If you have a good business and bad customer service, you are a bad business.
If you have a good business and good customer service, you are a great business.

Gavin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
A little about myself huh? Well, it’s a long story and I don’t want to bore you but basically I got into the industry after graduating school with an Admin of Justice degree and had no idea what to do before I could start my career position. I walked into this small hotel and asked for a job, before you knew it, I was the manager at the age of 21, making the hotel twice the amount it did the years prior by adding a few new ideas. I give my success to my hard work ethic. I’ve never said “I don’t get paid for this” or ” I don’t like this”, I just do the work and get it done to my best ability.I do not hire people that say those things either. Big “red flag” for me. If they do say that, I immediately terminate them. There’s nothing I won’t attempt to do, sometimes is just takes someone willing to do it, and I’m always the one willing to do it and get it done or at least try. If I didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done, so I just started doing everything I could and learned along the way. I’m most proud of the reputation I have made for myself and my business. Global awards have made me very proud. I know when to separate myself as well, over worked is not doing anyone any good. I kept my mind clear by enjoying my personal life. A good boss, is a happy boss. Hard to make others happy if you are not happy in the first place. I give my happiness credit to my loving wife and two kids. I love spending time with my kids, having fun at the beach. But, I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for my amazingly supportive wife. She keeps me motivated and clear minded. Keeps me on my toes with her own personal success as well, good to have someone in your life to keep up with and keep you motivated.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Lead by example. Don’t be a D@#K! Don’t think you are better than anyone. Lots of managers/owners becoming this higher “arch’s” in their mind. Don’t be that person, there’s plenty of them out there already. Be cool. Your team is your blood line. You literally need to treat them with a lot of respect and desire. These top paid staff members become this sort of bully or think they are better than everyone else. Seriously, be calm and collective, do your job, but smile and have some fun along the way. No one likes that super serious boss, you can lead and be success by gaining respect from your team. They will be way more motivated to help you and do their duties if they are happy and enjoying the position. Yes, we know not everyone has their dream job that works for you, but make the experience the best you can while they are part of your team. Ask them, be flexible. You have to keep yourself at a high standard, from appearance, speech, to the way you walk. Act like a leader, and your team will see you as a leader. Be confident in yourself, put confidence in your team. If you’re sad, they’re sad. Don’t let your person life interfere with your business life. Keep it separate, everyone has problems. Keep them away from work. Stay positive and see the good in things. Stay consistent, don’t get away from your roots and what you are doing why you are doing it,

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
You have to live your business. It has to be a lifestyle like #boatlife or something like that. Enjoy it! I’m always representing my business in any way possible, not just on-site but a lot of off-site presents will make people more aware of your business or establishment. Be the face of the business and always represent. If I’m at a local ball game, I’m wearing my logo, if I’m at a mixer or community meeting, I’m always showing off my logo. It’s a conversation starter for sure. Show your presents around and people will start to think of you when they need that service. Has to be consistent. Don’t fade away, stay strong and be present in all areas including media.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/gavin-fleming
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2pbj1otWB5h0KOMJhdLOt4sMFhn1huho

Image Credits
Photo by Chana.