Dan Huish: Key Qualities of Business Leaders

Former CEO of Huish Detergents and current owner of Huish Outdoors and Wapika Ranch Dan Huish built his business empire from the ground up. Along the way, Dan Huish learned a few of the all-important personal qualities that can make or break a business venture. Think you have what it takes to be a business leader? Dan Huish offers the following criteria...

People skills. There’s simply no way to make it to the top without being a fantastic people person, says Dan Huish. You’ll have to talk to financial backers, you’ll have to motivate employees, you’ll have to interact with clients, all while balancing a sense of friendliness with the authority you must command as the leader of a business.

Work ethic. Starting a business from nothing isn’t easy; Dan Huish knows that from experience, and credits his hard work for much of the success of his business ventures. While popular media portrays CEO positions as fairly glamorous, getting there takes a lot of elbow grease, not to mention the potential for countless setbacks along the way.

Patience. Speaking of setbacks, there will be many. Dan Huish thinks patience might be the most important value of a business owner, from the necessity of dealing with finicky clients to the reality that long term investments are better investments. Business owners can’t expect to simply start making a profit overnight; it will take time to grow a business into a success.

Trust. Owners of very small businesses may be able to oversee each and every thing, but eventually, CEOs of large companies like Dan Huish need to be able to hand over the reins to trusted staff. CEOs can’t have control issues; delegation is a key part of being the top executive in a business that spans multiple states and employs thousands of workers.

Sustainable Manufacturing Important to Dan Huish

The manufacturing industry is rife with unsustainable practices, but as CEO of Huish Detergents, Inc, Dan Huish knew that if he wanted to sleep well at night, he would have to not only invest in environmentally safe practices, but also make a product that wouldn’t harm the water supply (or consumers’ health). If your company isn’t already partaking in sustainable manufacturing, continue the following reasons why you should, courtesy of Dan Huish.

Protect the environment. This one is simple. Manufacturing can produce a huge number of byproducts that can prove toxic to surrounding areas. In order to protect not only the health of those in the immediate area, but the wellbeing of the environment that tomorrow’s leaders will inhabit, Dan Huish encourages all business owners to make their processes as environmentally safe as possible. The same recommendation goes for products, as well; Dan Huish designed a palm-oil based, biodegradable surfactant so that his end products would not contribute to environmental degradation.

Present a good image. Consumers care more and more about sustainability, and it’s very possible that only businesses who adhere to consumer standards will survive in the coming years. Dan Huish advises, of course, that if you choose to present yourself as a “green” company, you must follow through on that process. Otherwise, you risk losing the trust of your clients and customers.

Save money. Some environmentally practices may be more costly in the short term, but they present significant incentives in the long run. Dan Huish asks this question: would you rather spend a fraction more on a biodegradable product now, or risk the possibility for a health-related lawsuit in the future? How about the costs of cleaning up a toxic spill? What about making up for lost business as your competitors shift towards more environmentally friendly processes?

Dan Huish - Getting Into New Industries

Many business leaders choose to stick to one industry that they know incredibly well, but Dan Huish has never been one to settle for doing just one thing well. Dan Hiush has owned businesses in multiple industries. While he got his start as the CEO of Huish Detergents, Inc, where he notably had the company take on everything from surfactant production to bottle labeling in house, Dan Huish is also the owner of Huish Outdoors, a manufacturer and retailer of sporting goods with a focus on SCUBA diving gear, and Wapika Ranch in Pinedale, WY, which raises over a thousand fine head of top quality beef each year. How did Dan Huish get his foot in the door in all of these industries? Here’s how.

Use the skills you have. Detergents and SCUBA gear are two totally different monsters, but Dan Huish was able to apply skills from one industry to the other. As you enter into a new industry, take an account of what you know how to do well. It might be marketing and sales, financial planning, or customer service, but no matter what it is, you can almost certainly apply it in a new context with just a small amount of tweaking.

Network, network, network. A new industry is something like an unfamiliar country - it helps to have a guide. Before you start up a business in a new industry, Dan Huish recommends getting to know some experts. You may not choose to involve them in your business at all, but they can likely help connect you with people who can fill in the gaps of your knowledge.

Delegate.Speaking of filling in gaps, Dan Huish suggests that while you should certainly learn everything you can about the new industry, you don’t necessarily have to become an expert in it. Dan Huish, for example, doesn’t personally know how to make an oxygen tank for SCUBA standards - but he knows how to operate a business, and he knows people who do have those skills. Don’t be afraid to admit areas where your knowledge is slim, and find someone who can do that particular job better than you can.

Business Successes of Dan Huish

Since founding his first company in 1985, Dan Huish has seen considerable success in multiple business industries. Below, find just a sampling of Dan Huish’s notable accomplishments...

Dan Huish is the former CEO of Huish Detergents, Inc. Dan Huish headed the company for twenty two years, until he sold it to a private capital company in 2007. At the point of sale, Huish Detergents was bringing in yearly revenues of over one billion dollars, and boasted a corporate office in Salt Lake City, as well as four large-scale manufacturing plants in Utah, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas. Dan Huish oversaw over 2,300 employees. A year after the business’ sale, Huish Detergents merged with Unilever, bringing Dan Huish’s innovative techniques to the second largest producer of detergents in the United States.

Dan Huish has won numerous awards for his work. Most notably, Dan Huish was featured in Private Label Magazine’s 2010 Hall of Fame. Huish Detergents, Inc, was presented the Salmon Award by Costco Wholesale, ranking them as one of the chain’s top vendors.

Dan Huish is the owner of Huish Outdoors, which manufactures and retails sporting goods, especially diving gear. So far, Dan Huish has acquired four companies under the heading of Huish Outdoors: Bare Sports, Atomic Aquatics, Stahlsac Dive Bags, and Zeagle Systems.

Dan Huish is also the owner of Wapika Ranch in Pinedale, WY. This ranching operation involves the raising of over a thousand head of top quality, fine beef each year.

Dan Huish is the owner of multiple patents. Over twelve of these patents govern the creation of certain types of detergent formulations, as well as processes of sulfonating methyl ester including neutralization, bleaching, and coating a finished MES Sulfonate. As the owner of Huish Outdoors, Dan Huish has multiple patents on SCUBA diving gear, as well.

A Private Man: Dan Huish

While many successful leaders in the business world live very public lives, Dan Huish, former CEO of Huish Detergents, Inc., prefers to lead his life in the most private way he knows how. This takes form in multiple ways. Dan Huish does not have a Facebook, and nor is he active on any other social networking sites. Because confidentiality is very important to him, Dan Huish prefers to live and travel modestly to avoid drawing attention to himself. Dan Huish also avoids personal publicity whenever possible, choosing to focus any and all public appearances on the dealings of his business, rather than on his personal comings and goings.

Why this particular outlook on publicity? Dan Huish believes that while he may be notable for his business success (he was, after all, featured in Private Label’s Hall of Fame, and was recognized as one of Costco Wholesale’s top vendors), he is simply a hard-working man who managed to carve out success in a number of industries in spite of his humble beginnings. Moreover, Dan Huish doesn’t want to be put in the spotlight when it has really been the success of his companies that has earned him a name in the industrial ledger. Without his dedicated employees and loyal clients, Dan Huish could never have made it to where he is now.

Rather than be lauded for his successes, Dan Huish would rather spend his time either continuing to improve his businesses, or enjoying time with his family. Like any other working professional, Dan Huish likes to be able to draw a line between work and home life, and being a public figure would very much blur that line. In fact, Dan Huish doesn’t even like talking about his professional accomplishments! Dan Huish would much prefer to be considered as a regular family man than be regarded as a highly successful CEO and business owner.