Russell Sergent has been working with distance runners to maximize the effectiveness of their training and helping them succeed in competitions since 2008, when he opened his first Fleet Feet Sports stores in Brookfield, Illinois. Fleet Feet became a pet project for Sergent shortly after he ran in his first marathon at PF Chang’s Rock n Roll Marathon in Arizona in 2007. He quickly fell in love with the sport and decided to start his own business dedicated to helping others succeed in their athletic endeavors shortly after he finished his first marathon. Since 2007, Sergent has participated in several full marathons and more half-marathons than he can count. He even participated in the Iron Man triathlon in 2008, and continues to train for his next competition.
Russell Sergent started his first business in 1995. Pro-Source Distributors is a janitorial supply company working with over 500 clients in Illinois and Wisconsin. The experience of working hard to gain a foothold in the market in this region prepared him to start another business closer to his personal interests. Sergent sees Fleet Feet Sports as a reward for being successful with Pro-Source Distributors and building it from the ground up. He gets to work in the industry that he loves and help people find ways to run faster and train harder without exposing themselves to greater injury risk. Any way he can help people live their dreams the way he has is a great reward for him in his business career. Russell Sergent managed to get Fleet Feet Sports up and running by using all of the lessons he learned founding his first venture. He managed to sustain his initial success for Fleet Feet by working closely with customers to find them the best solutions for the training and competitive equipment they needed. As a distance runner himself, Sergent knows the importance of finding the right gear that fits well and supports all of the most vulnerable parts of a runner’s body. A distance runner’s footwear must help him or her protect the ligaments and tendons in the front and back of the knee, their arches, and more. Different runners have different needs for their footwear, as Sergent knows, and he loves learning more about what makes certain footwear and other gear more or less attractive to serious or amateur runners. Russel Sergent loves discussing the advantages of many different kinds of distance gear with customers and partners throughout the region. He recently celebrated his first Fleet Feet Sports store in Brookfield, Wisconsin’s opening in 2008 with a sale and he hopes that he can continue to engage with the community on the subject of running for many more years to come. In the United States, everyone with a dream and enough business sense can found his or her own business. Russell Sergent wanted to take full advantage of the opportunities granted him growing up in Rockford, Illinois. He graduated from Rockford High School and decided to start his own business with the experience and little education he had. Sergent believed he could help people throughout the region with his brand of products and excellent customer service. Over 20 years later, Sergent runs several businesses in Illinois and Wisconsin. He has found great success with all of these companies because he started all of them with successful business practices and philosophies he picked up over the years. If Russell Sergent ever wanted to teach business classes on how to start your own company, he would probably start with a lesson on how to secure funding for your venture. Sergent incorporates several crucial steps for starting your own business into the getting funding step for good reasons. The first step that Sergent took when he started planning his first business, Pro-Source distributors, which over 20 years later, is still one of the top janitorial supply companies in Wisconsin and southern Illinois, was to draw up a business plan. Many business analysts and teachers separate this step from securing funding, but to Sergent and many others, writing a business plan is the best way to secure funding from many different sources. Before investors or loan officers can back a business proposal, they have to see that not only the business leader has the potential to use whatever resources the lender or investor can give them to their full advantage, but also that the business leader is organized and committed enough to spend time setting business goals and plans of action to achieve those goals. Russell Sergent established Pro-Source Distributors as a small business with low overhead so that he could provide his clients throughout the region with excellent prices and customer service. He made an investment in the planning process early in the development of his business so that he could get the funding he needed to build on his dream. Russell Sergent says that inspiration is another key ingredient of a successful business. No one can start a company without first getting the inspiration for an excellent idea that he or she can sell. Sergent knew that he could build a successful company by selling the supplies that janitorial staffs needed throughout the region at low prices. His idea was to eliminate unnecessary overhead and undercut other larger suppliers. Sergent knew his potential position in the market of janitorial supply companies and used it as an advantage. Sergent worked out his strategy for entering the market with a much-needed service as a way of securing funding and creating confidence from investors. Russell Sergent may be focused on running, but he also enjoys playing several other sports. One of his favorite is sports is racquetball. If you want to start playing basketball, consider these tips for beginning players.
Use Your Elbow Your elbow plays a big role in racquetball. You can use it to aim the ball and perfect your swing. Make sure you are always aware of your elbow and have it lined up properly. You should also stretch your elbow to avoid an injury during a racquetball game. Be Safe Racquetball is fun, but it can lead to injuries. Make sure you wear protective gear at all time and are following all of the rule and regulations. Keep a first aid kit on hand in case of a minor injury. If you are careful, you can enjoy racquetball without any problems. Snap Your Wrist When you hit the ball, you need to make sure your wrist snaps. It should snap with contact and the movement should become natural the more you play. The racquet should continue to stay straight even after the wrist snaps. Racquetball is a great way to have fun with friends a stay in shape. If you have never played racquetball before, get to your closest gym and find someone to play with. Russell Sergent enjoys racquetball and you might too. When you run you are getting a workout and helping to keep you body in shape. Russell Sergent knows that there many benefits of running and endurance is one of those benefits. If you need to improve your endurance while running, try these tips. Breathing Your breathing plays an important role when you run. When your body doesn’t get enough oxygen, it tends to shut down. Be aware of your breathing and make sure you are taking steady breaths. Interval Training Running and resting and then running again can improve your endurance. By making your body stop and go again, you can actually make yourself last longer before you need to stop. Many athletes practice interval training. Cross Train Lifting weights, cycling and even swimming can improve your endurance as a runner. These things make your body stronger and help condition you for long term movements, including running. There are many ways you can improve your endurance, but you running is one of the best. If you enjoy running and want to improve our endurance, consider the tips above. Russell Sergent enjoys running in marathons and triathlons and knows that like most sporting events, triathlons require certain clothing. What you wear matters when you are running and if you are planning on running you should consider adding some of these pieces to your wardrobe.
Visor The heat and sun will likely be bad during a marathon or triathlon and you can’t stop to seek shade. Wearing a hat or visor will help block the sun so you are able to see better and are less likely to get sun burnt. Tights It may seem silly to wear tights while running but if you are running for a long distance, your legs may rub together and cause you to become gaulded or chapped. The tights will help reduce the friction between your thighs and prevent discomfort. Wicking There are many clothing lines that offer clothes made of wicking. This type of fabric helps pull moisture away from the body. It can help keep you cooler longer and prevent you from feeling soaked in sweat. You may not think the type of clothing you wear when running matters, but it can actually have a big effect on how you run and how well you do in triathlons. Russell Sergent has his favorite running clothes and you should too. Russell Sergent was born in Rockford, Illinois. He grew up in the same location and spent most of his life there. He graduated from Rockford East High School in 1988 and knew that he wanted to own his own company. He soon opened his own janitorial supply business. He called his company Pro-Source Distribution. The company supplies over 500 other companies in Wisconsin and Illinois with all of the janitorial products they need. This includes paper, chemical and other supplies. He devoted 10 years of his life to making his janitorial company successful and then decided that he wanted to open a second business that focused on something he could relate to better. He opened his second business, Pro-Source Xtreme in 1999. It sales parts, clothing and accessories to snowmobile riders. Russell has always been interested in running and staying fit, but in 2007 he ran in his first marathon. He was instantly hooked and began dedicating much of his spare time to running and training for marathons. Since 2007 he has participated in over 19 full marathons and many half marathons as well. In 2008 he completed his first Ironman Triathlon and had competed in four others since then. He managed to finish all of them in less than 12.5 hours. When he isn’t training or marathons and triathlons, Russell stays busy with his many companies. He now owns a total of four companies, his original janitorial supply company, his snowmobile supply company, a Quiznos store and a running shoes store called Fleet Feet Sports. All four stores are very successful and he is happy that he has had the opportunity to pursue his dreams. In 2014 he competed in the Inaugural Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World. This event consisted of a 5k run, 10k, half marathon and a full marathon. He enjoyed the event and decided to participate in it again in 2015. Russell Sergent is always training and hoping to participate in new marathons and triathlons and is always training to become better. In 2009 Russell moved to Milwaukee to be closer to his running shoes store. He still handles much of the day to day operations of his three other store while also running Fleet Feet Sports. He may decide to open more stores or start more companies in the future, but right now is stays busy with the four he has and his marathon training. As a business owner, you have to seek out ways to take a larger portion of your market, something you most likely need to build a strong client base, and to achieve success in the long term. During the first six months of a business’s life, a business will often have to tread water simply to break even. This critical time can sink even the strongest business owner’s plans, even one with an excellent capital source and a sound business plan. The best way to mitigate your business’s early struggles is to keep moving forward, and to work on building a stronger customer base. This often works in two ways.
Your business has to provide excellent customer service to keep your customers paying for your products and services. Keeping your existing customers is often much cheaper than bringing in new customers. Don’t lose your regular clients by being sloppy. Keep the customers that keep your business alive both happy and loyal. Once you have a good customer base, you can build on that foundation through a strong advertising campaign, as well as by making your business available to your target customers. Creating a solid base for your business can often allow you to make a bigger investment in marketing services, and to begin expanding your market reach, at least as it pertains to products or services you offer. Your business will soon be a self-sustaining entity, and you can then invest your profits into hiring more employees and expanding your physical presence. As your business expands, you will be able to take on more clients and serve your established customer base even better, and the system feeds back on itself. The more success your business achieves, the more you can expand, and the more you can help your customers and your market share. Even large businesses struggled when the first started. You can make yours into a winner if you prepare to succeed. Russell Sergent is a small business owner from Rockford, Illinois. He runs three businesses: Pro-Source Distributors—a janitorial supply company, Pro-Source Xtreme—a snowmobile supply store, and a Quizno’s franchise. Many kids in the United States dream about owning their own business. Living as an entrepreneur can be very rewarding for a variety of reasons, including the money you can make if you’re successful. Owning your own business can be highly rewarding, simply because you often have the opportunity to make your own hours, and to work for yourself. Starting a business, and succeeding as an entrepreneur, requires many hours of work per week, often only to make little profit, at least for the first year. Many businesses in the United States fail after three years for one reason or another. Many others aren’t able to make a profit until at least their fifth year of existence. Business owners often work fifty hours a week or more for five years after they start their business just to keep its door open, something often necessary succeed and to attract more customers.
Succeeding as an entrepreneur takes more than hard work, however, to break even. Entrepreneurial success often requires careful planning, and some luck, at least in the early months and years of the business. To establish your brand, at least as a player in any niche of the industry you participate in, your business will have to both grow and sustain growth. A business has to grow quickly in order to survive in the long term. Continuing to fight to break even may only help to your business keep its doors open. As an entrepreneur, you have to create opportunities for your business to expand its operations in the industry you inhabit. Getting a larger market share should always be one of your top priorities while you keep your business running. The longer you tread water, the faster your competitors will gain on you and take your market share. Russell Sergent built his company, Pro-Source Distributors, from the ground floor into one of the largest distributor of janitorial supplies, paper, and chemicals to over 500 businesses in Wisconsin and Illinois. Sergent started his business in 1988. A web presence is extremely important to have, particularly for every new business seeking even a modicum of success within the United States. With the rise of internet-based marketing, and the proven results that come from directing one’s customers through company websites, particularly in the past decade, many business experts have come to agree that the creation of a strong web presence is the key to both surviving and making a profit. This is especially true beyond the first three years of your business’s existence. In the United States, over a third of all small businesses fail after the first year, and most don’t make a profit until their third year. In order to grow your business, you will most likely have to get a well-designed webpage, that which helps customers locate your business online.
A major aspect of your web presence should include Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the art of placing your website first among common search terms your customers are typing in (products or services). The better your webpage is designed and optimized to appear on the top of common search results, the more likely your customers are to find your business (and not your competitors) for their needs. SEO services can also make it easier for your customers to find your physical location on services such as Google Maps. Russell Sergent is a small business owner from Rockford, Illinois. After graduating from Rockford East High School in 1988, Sergent started his own business from his home. He worked over eighty hours a week for ten years to establish his business as a respected leader in the industry. Sergent’s company, Pro-Source Distributors, supplies five hundred businesses with essential janitorial, paper, and chemical supplies in Illinois and Wisconsin. Twenty-seven years after he graduated from high school, Sergent established his business as a regional power in the local janitorial supply industry. He devoted a decade of his life to building his business. The first thing one can often expect when they start their own business is to work more than forty hours a week for at least the first year, as well as to make little to no profits. A bleak prediction, perhaps, but more than a third of all businesses in the United States fail after the first year for one reason or another. Small businesses in the United States tend to not make much, if any, profit after their first year and a half. If you want your business to survive the first crucial twelve months, you will have to put in the extra work, because you can bet your competition is.
Because your business likely won’t make much profit in its first year or so, you will have to save up enough of your own money, or borrow enough to keep your business operational for at least six months without seeing a dime of income. This is to ensure that you can keep your business open while you build customers and begin to establish a reputation in the local community. Successful businesses are built on both the development of relationships and fulfilling customer expectations. Your business has to meet and/or exceed customer expectations on a consistent basis, as well as to build relationships with both customers and other businesses in order to stay afloat. This means keeping your doors open long enough to bring in customers, and to provide them with the products or services they need. Another key for small businesses, at least these days, is a strong web presence. Even if you have a brick-and-mortar store with many “on-the-ground” customers, one of the only ways to really expand in today’s web-driven economy, and to remain competitive, is by drawing people to your website. At the very least, people who aren’t familiar with your physical location need to be able to find you. Russell Sergent has been a successful businessman since he graduated from high school over 27 years ago. Sergent’s company, Pro-Source Distributors, supplies over five hundred clients with janitorial supplies. |
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