Jim Plouffe recently wrote a book to help small business owners. A Michigan and Colorado entrepreneur, Mr. Plouffe is listed in the "Who's Who Worldwide of Global Leaders" and the "Who's Who in Executives and Professionals" and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, in Cars and Parts Magazine three times, and on public television in Metro Detroit. A St. Ignace man has collected hard-won bits of wisdom during his career in the business field, and now he wants to share them to help other small business owners. Entrepreneur Jim Plouffe hopes his new book will be useful for people facing the same challenges and frustrations he's encountered over the years.

Mr. Plouffe, who has been building businesses of his own and selling them at a profit since the age of 21, says he wants to offer struggling business owners clear-cut solutions that will work for anyone, no matter what their business is. His book examines several truths that are common to workplaces everywhere, and understanding them, he says, can help people work more effectively, and enjoy the job more. Salespeople, bar keepers, store owners, and anyone who wants to build a business of any kind may also consult Mr. Plouffe individually for advice.

Finding success comes down to 10 simple rules, he says.

"People make business a lot more complicated than it is," Mr. Plouffe (pronounced "Pluff") told The St. Ignace News September 3 at his home on Pointe LaBarbe Road. "A lot of these rules you'll read and say, 'Sure, I know that.' But you need a framework to help you put these rules to work in your business. This information can help you make something complex into something simple. It can take years off your learning curve."

After buying four companies and selling seven of his own, Mr. Plouffe still uses these rules every day himself, and in fact carries a worn, printed copy of them in his pocket at all times.

"It's about a way of thinking, of acting and reacting, to everyday problems and issues that face the small business owner daily," he says. "These 10 rules are the real thing. I wrote them down as I discovered them."

The rules can guide people in making tough decisions. An example is Rule 3: "All business failures are due to a lack of sales." Everything done in any business should be done in support of sales, Mr. Plouffe advises, whether the business is selling a product or a service. If a business owner can't figure out how his decision supports sales, it may not be the right decision.

Another of Mr. Plouffe's rules is "everything counts."

"Everything you do counts for or against you with your customers," he says. "All actions have reactions. Most of the time, there are several very predictable reactions you can plan for. You should be surprised [by them] only once."

Figuring out what advantage you have over similar businesses is critical, he said, prompting another rule: "If you don't have an advantage, don't compete."

Appreciative of the marketing value of "telling a story," Mr. Plouffe takes this approach in his book, as he recounts the experiences of himself and a fictional friend who work their way through common challenges. He weaves his advice into the story along the way.

Telling a story can be used to advantage in business, too, he said, giving the example of a salesman he knows who was trying to make a sale to a municipality. He was facing competition from a local vendor, who had the inside track because he personally knew the board members who would vote on which seller should get the contract.

The salesman called Mr. Plouffe for advice before making his presentation to the board.

"You need to tell them a story," Mr. Plouffe advised. "Appeal to their emotional side with this story that lays out the problems they are facing, and how your product and your service can solve this problem."

The salesperson made his pitch in story form, and he won the contract over the local vendor, with a unanimous vote.

"This is what I love to see; people's success stories when I'm able to help," Mr. Plouffe said. "I love figuring out the angles."

In the Straits area, promoters could also seize the advantages of the story approach to draw in more commerce, he believes. Promoters of St. Ignace should "create a story" for downstate travelers about why they would want to come here, he would advise, and actively promote it.

Through his consulting service, Mr. Plouffe has discovered some mistakes are common to small business owners. One is that most pay just enough so their employees won't quit. Pay them a little more, if possible, he advises. Don't stifle employees' thinking, but keep the door open to consider new ways of doing things, no matter who comes up with the idea, he suggests. Don't be afraid to make changes where needed, including "firing people who don't get the job done."

It's also important to understand that every person in a business depends on every other person. To emphasize this, he experimented with a program he called "Capitalistic Communism" in one of his own businesses. It worked like this: A bonus pot was built up over the year, and at year's end, every employee got an equal share of the bonus, from the warehouse people to the top salesperson, because the top person needed every person down the line to support his job, just as they, in turn, needed him.

"The program was not popular with employees; in fact, they hated it," Mr. Plouffe said. The reason was the top salespeople often felt they deserved a bigger share of the bonus, which brings him to another point of advice: Don't worry about how much money other people are making.

"What other people are making is not relevant, and most business owners don't get that," he said.

Much of Mr. Plouffe's advice is about employee management.

"Everybody gets frustrated, and everybody deals with employee problems," he said. "Figure out a way to structure your business so they help you succeed, and you help them succeed."

Most people feel uncomfortable when they need to correct others at work, and to help him face this task, he developed three "personalities" to do the jobs for him. One personality was the strictly-forprofit, hardnosed Mr. Plouffe, one was the even-handed manager, Jim, and one was "Little Jimmy G," who liked to find ways for his employees to have fun.

"This, I think, is my favorite part of the book," he said, "explaining to people how well this simple system worked for me."

A native of Flushing, Mr. Plouffe started his first business, a first aid and safety supply company in the Detroit area, with just one employee and himself. Over the years, he has owned several first aid and medical distributorship companies in Michigan and in Colorado, where he lived for five years. He sold two of his start-up businesses for more than $4.5 million. He spends May through October at his home in St. Ignace.

Mr. Plouffe enjoys exploring new business ventures and counseling people individually, and hopes his book can bring enthusiasm for the work to those who are struggling. It can be purchased, or read free of charge online.

"Tons of small business owners are hurting right now," he said. "As for the book, I've made money doing other things, and this project is more about helping people out, sharing what I've learned. It's not thinking out of the box, it's just thinking. Sometimes, you have to give back."

Mr. Plouffe's book, "If I Was Going There, I Wouldn't Want To Start From Here," is posted on his Web site, www.KeepDoingIt.com, where it can either be read or ordered in print form, and is available on Amazon.com for $29.95. Ten percent of profits from book sales will be donated to the Fisher House Foundation, which helps military families with lodging expenses so they can be close to a loved one during hospitalization, injuries, or emergencies.

Plouffe's 10 Rules of Small Business Success

Rule 1: Never take advice or listen to anyone who hasn't already done what you want to do or who doesn't
have the same dreams that you do.
Rule 2: Know what you want from your business.
Rule 3: All business failures are due to a lack of sales. (Everything done in business should be done in
support of sales. "Profit and loss statements" are one or the other, but not both.)
Rule 4: Your job is to increase sales, build the business, and increase profits. (There are only two ways
to increase sales: Sell more to the customers you have, and sell more to new customers.)
Rule 5: Everything counts in business. (Everything counts for or against you with your customers.)
Rule 6: If you don't have an advantage, don't compete. (Know what you do better than anyone else in
your field. Know the most profitable thing you can do for your business.)
Rule 7: Everyone has their own agenda, and most of the time, it isn't even close to yours. (Personal
agendas and corporate agendas are always in conflict. Everyone does as little as they can for as much as
they can.)
Rule 8: Teachable systems and processes must be developed to grow any business. (Asking questions
requires that we think. Three great questions to ask over and over again are: So what? Who cares? Why
are you bothering me with this? See below.)
Rule 9: Be thankful for what you have.
Rule 10: There are no rules, except the ones you make, believe in, or allow to have imposed on you.

3 Power Questions

For Business Owners To Ask Their Employees

1. So what? (Is this an important issue? Get to the bottom line.)
2. Who cares? (Who is impacted by this? How does it affect our customers or the operation?)
3. Why are you bothering me? (Are you just chatting and wasting my time? Why is someone else not
handling this? Should I be the person dealing with this, or should I set up processes and training so others
can deal with it in the future?)
Reprinted by permission of the author.