What Makes for a Successful Business?

One of the things I have always loved about the window and door industry is the strong streak of entrepreneurialism that runs through it. Far and wide, fenestration companies have been founded by craftsmen, installers and salespeople who were confident they could make a better window, provide better customer service and/or bring a higher level of skill to the practice of installing windows.

Last week, Forbes magazine featured a far different type of entrepreneur—a businessman who recently joined the very limited ranks of billionaires across the globe. In this article, Nicholas Woodman—a surfer who introduced to the world of extreme sports the ability to capture their feats on video—noted that being successful in business boils down to five simple rules of thumb: follow your passion, keep a healthy fear of failure as motivation, perfect the product, learn how to sell it the right way, and always keep innovating. Seems simple enough. Is it overly simplified?

Even if you don’t own your company or didn’t come up through the family business, there’s an entrepreneurial streak in most window and door folks, so what do you think? Is success in our industry as simple as those five talking points? Is there something missing? In your opinion, what is the equation that results in a successful window and door business? Please send an email or post a comment below to share your thoughts.

Contact Christina Lewellen, senior editor, at clewellen@glass.org.