Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header about About Home Profiles articles Tools forums inspirational quotes About facebook Twitter YouTube Blog

ruth kelleher Tagged Articles



The King of the Skies: Herb Kelleher Gets His Start
Almost 40 years ago, Herb Kelleher came up with a radical idea: He wanted to start a no-frills airline that not only ensured people got to where they wanted to go and at low prices, but that they had fun doing it. Today, the small Texas airline he founded in 1971 has become the second largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried. Southwest Airlines carries over 100 million passengers to 63 cities across the U.S. each year.

Other ruth kelleher Related Articles

Referral TIP
Ruth Forbes asked me "For the e-mail referrals, do you have, up your sleeve, a GREAT (motivating) letter to clients? I would like to get to those clients who have yet to give me referrals."

Lesson #4: Network to Bring Others Into the Know
By the end of World War II, L.L. Bean products were being found in the homes of everyone from Calvin Coolidge and Franklin Roosevelt to Doris Day, Babe Ruth, and the Aga Khan. Even John Wayne took off his country western getup to wear something a la L.L. Bean every now and then. But, was this just coincidence? Or was it part of a larger strategy on Bean’s part to grow his business by networking and creating word of mouth?

Reaching New Horizons: Southwest Airlines Takes Off
With his own legal experience and his partner’s business acumen, Kelleher was convinced the two of them could see their business lift off. What was their idea? They wanted to create a no-frills airline, and one that would be exempt from the restraints of federal price regulations. By refusing to cross state borders, and operating flights only within the state of Texas, they were able to do so. Kelleher’s new Southwest Airlines offered drastically reduced fares and quickly became a hit with passengers.

Lesson #2: Customer Satisfaction is Your Secret Weapon
“We have the best customer satisfaction record, based on Transportation Dept. statistics, of any airline in America, the fewest complaints filed per 100,000 passengers carried,” says Kelleher. “So you’re not just getting low fares, you’re also getting wonderful customer service.”

Lesson #3: Personality is Power
One day, Kelleher received a letter from one of Southwest’s ramp agents in Oklahoma. It read, “Herb, I’m on to what you’re doing…You’re making work fun – and home work.” Kelleher viewed the letter as validation of his efforts to bring a little personality to his company.

Lesson #4: Learning by Doing is the Better Way
“[I] learned it by doing it,” says Kelleher, “and I was scared to death.”

Flying High: How Kelleher Took Southwest to the Top
“I took an aptitude test in college, and it said there were three things I’d be fairly decent at,” says Kelleher, “being a journalist, an editor, or a lawyer.” Nobody – not the other airlines, not the financial community, not even his own aptitude test – believed Kelleher had what it took to start a successful company. So how did this man who was so destined to be a lawyer defy fate and become one of the most successful CEOs of his time?

Herb Kelleher Quotes
Herb Kelleher Quotes

From Sharecropper's Daughter to College President
My mother used to say, "As the twig is bent, the tree shall grow." I believe that Ruth Simmons, once president of the highly-prestigious Smith College in Massachusetts, is the classic example of the truth of that statement. She is currently serving as President of Brown University. She is also the epitome of the American Dream and living proof that it is still alive and well in America.

What is True?
Credentialed Professional Certified Coach through The International Coach Federation and Certified Life/Career Coach Peter Pamela Rose feels very strongly about the Truth. There are two kinds, she says. There’s ‘T’ruth with a capital “T” and ‘t’ruth with a little “t”.

Featured Article

Bottom Footer



Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

Email Marketing Made Easy #11 - Avoiding Spam

Resistance to Change and How to Deal With It

Counselling - Who Needs It?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.