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.
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