Diane Hendricks quotes: the Wisconsin billionaire’s best content.
“You can take many paths to get to the same place. Life happens, things get in the way of your goal and your mission and your plan, and you got to take a detour. Number one doesn’t work, how are we going to get there? Second way. If the second way doesn’t work, can we still accomplish the mission by getting there another way?”
“Change your path, be willing to, and don’t see that as a failure. That’s just life. You’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to be dissuaded, don’t quit. You can’t lose sight of what you really want to do.”
“Think long and hard before you start. Everybody who has an idea thinks they’re an entrepreneur. They may want to really look at what the word entrepreneur means. It’s a word that means you’re going to work, take risk, be disappointed. It’s a big commitment. So to me when somebody says, ‘I’m an entrepreneur and I’m going to start out,’ I’d ask, ‘Are you ready to go to work, do you have a passion, have you really thought this through?’ Because the success rate is very poor, and if you truly don’t have a passion, and have a burning desire to build a company, you may not be happy in this venture. And it could be very discouraging and fatal to one’s well being.”
“Do your homework. Put your business plan together, in writing, run it past a couple of people you respect, run it past the banker without asking him for money. Is there a need for what it is you’re trying to accomplish, the service you’re trying to provide, or the product you’re trying to sell?”
“When Ken and I started ABC [a supply company and one of the largest wholesale distributors of roofing, siding and windows in the United States], we worked on our plan for two years, and we threw away a lot of paper. We had a map, we decided, ‘Here’s the distribution where it’s needed, this is where they got manufacturers today.’ We did our research in our industry, on a big scale. We were starting with one store, but we knew what we wanted to have was 200 stores.”
“Not everyone will believe in your vision. One of the things we hadn’t really thought of, was that people would say, ‘They’re a flash in a pan, they’ll be gone tomorrow.’ People didn’t feel that we could succeed because we were a couple of uneducated roofers. And you can’t overcome a reputation that somebody tags on you until you can prove that you’re not that.”
“Could we have accomplished all of this with just passion? No. You can only accomplish this type of success with the best leadership and management.”
“Talk to successful entrepreneurs. Learn about what they’ve experienced so you can avoid some of the pitfalls that come with wealth.”
“Grasp the chances that come your way. Don’t wait too long. We grew when opportunity presented itself. Opportunity is not always at an opportune time. Sometimes you just have to change your plans, because that opportunity is not going to come again.”
“Most importantly, don’t quit. You’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to be dissuaded, don’t quit. I’ve got signs in my office: ‘Don’t quit!’ I mean, because quitting… you quit, you’re done. You just gotta be so strong, life is tough, you know. It just is.”
“Juggle family and business the best way you know how.”
“We need to get out of the way of the small business owner – and big business owners – and allow them to do what government can only dream of doing: creating jobs and thereby creating wealth.”
“People have lost what this nation was built on. I think our core values have been set aside. I believe in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.”
“If we just go back to the basics… I do not want to give up our republic and become a socialistic ideological nation. That’s not who we are.”
“I don’t have heroes, exactly, but I do have people I hold in high respect. Ronald Reagan, for example, stood for ideals that I value: integrity, patriotism and a fundamental belief in goodness and capabilities of mankind.”
“When I was nine, we moved to Osseo, Wisconsin, where we owned a couple of hundred acres. My father was well-respected in town. I’m one of nine sisters. My parents were dairy farmers. My father didn’t believe in girls doing farm work. Girls did housework, and he hired young men to do farm work. I would have preferred to be outside.”
“I became pregnant by my first love at 17 and did what my parents thought was the right thing. I married him. My first husband and I moved to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he worked in a Chrysler plant. It didn’t stop me from wanting to reach my dream. In fact, I think I became even more focused on what I wanted to achieve.”
“Our success is all the more impressive considering the fact that my husband was a high school dropout and I only completed a high school education. We built this empire through hard work, financial savvy, and a shared vision. We both wanted to be millionaires and aimed our sights at that impressive goal.”
“Of our seven children, five are at ABC Supply. The three older daughters went to college. The boys went into construction, and I wasn’t disappointed they didn’t go to college.”
“The fact that we were both on the same page in terms of growing our business, along with our goals for finances, eventually it made us billionaires. We did not shy away from wanting financial success, so we were always ready to pounce when opportunities presented themselves.”
“My husband passed away in 2007 after an accident where he fell through the roof of our Wisconsin home. I knew the businesses had to go on. It was our life’s work. I worked out of my home for the first year after his death, and senior employees came there to conduct business.”
“I’m not a meek lady who stays at home and cooks.”
“I continued to grow the business to new heights following my husband’s death and oversaw the company’s two biggest acquisitions. My immediate focuses were ‘being more selective about acquisitions and doing capital repairs instead of capital replacements.’ If we can fill pot holes in the parking lot rather than replace the entire parking lot, that’s the choice we’re making now. Progress is a lot of simple little decisions.”
“The culture is alive today, maybe more so than it was 30 years ago. In 2007… we formalized our core values, which distinguish us: respect, opportunity, work hard but have fun, entrepreneurial spirit, family, giving back and American pride. These are healthy, traditional American values that make for engaged, responsible associates who embrace the mission of ABC Supply.”
“I’ve spent millions of dollars to change Beloit’s landscape. I purchased a country club, mall, the city’s historic library and a slew of abandoned buildings and other properties in an attempt to revitalize them and bring new business to the city. I see old buildings, and I see an opportunity for putting things in them.”
“I get involved in organizations if I respect them and if I think I can help.”
“I don’t think I have ever taken any ‘offbeat’ advice. Actually, I don’t know that I take any advice very often. I trust my own instincts and seek out information so I can make fully informed decisions. That’s what’s worked for me.”
“I’ve always been very driven and knew that to get where I wanted to go, I could never give up.”
“We wanted to be productive with our lives, make a difference in our industry and give back to those who helped us achieve our dreams. Ken and I were blessed to be born in this great nation, where we are born with the gift of opportunity and freedom. Our vision was to live the American dream by working hard, working smart, and having fun.”
“I’ve had wonderful opportunities in my life and feel it is my duty to help create opportunities for others. I believe that the key to economic sustainability is a thriving private sector that provides good careers, paired with a strong educational system.”
“We are an inspiration to anyone who dreams of a successful life. Our words make it clear that opportunities are available to anyone, provided you have the drive, the mindset, the gratitude, and the audacity to chase your dreams.”
“Did we ever plan on being billionaires? No, but we wanted to be millionaires.”
