George was born in Warm Springs, Georgia where his father owned a small grocery store.
After an economic downturn, young George moved to Atlanta where he failed at EVERYTHING.
He tried and failed:
As a cab driver
Selling shoes
Selling candy
Delivering groceries
Eventually he moved to Florida and worked in a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. He was put in charge of a struggling store (because of his Dad’s grocery experience) and finally found success. After he quadrupled sales in one year he was promoted to store manager.
After a Florida real estate collapse, Piggly Wiggly was sold to a businessman in Atlanta. Brimming with ideas, George drove to Atlanta to meet the new owner. Waiting for his meeting, a secretary told him the owner was engaged in an important negotiation and could not be disturbed.
When George heard the owner through an open door discussing his golf game on the phone, he realized that he had been lied to.
Furious, he returned to Florida determined to start his own grocery store. He sold $100 shares to friends and opened the store in Winter Haven, Florida in 1930.
Still recovering from his mistreatment in Atlanta, he decided to build a business on teamwork where each person was respected and valued.
People liked his store so much that soon he was opening new locations. He created a stock-sharing plan that made employees feel like family.
He sold teamwork so effectively that when a new store opened, 100-150 employees of an existing store would volunteer WITHOUT PAY to help open the new store.
This commitment to teamwork empowered the employees and the company continued to grow. Today Publix Supermarkets make over 500 billion dollars per year.
Personal respect, sharing the profits and teamwork made George’s dream come true.
What about you? Are you building teams? Do you value and respect others? God blesses you when you bless people.
The Bible says Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” NIV
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