Joe Calhoon is the keynote speaker for the Bus & Motorcoach Virtual Summit: Ready. Aim. Restart that takes place June 17-19. The event will help motorcoach companies plan their path forward.
Joe Calhoon has experienced his share of adversity, including finance, health, and business issues.
He credits his faith and Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for giving him the framework to turn his life around. Calhoon went onto work for the best-selling author, teaching Covey’s 7 Habits and Principle-Centered Leadership on four continents.
Among other things, Covey taught him the importance of relationships, both in his personal and professional life.
“Stephen was very playful and a great leadership example. He was a trusted friend. He was a very loyal person who cared deeply about people,” Calhoon said, adding that while he was renowned for leadership training, Covey was also a devoted family man. “At his funeral, his nine children all spoke about how their dad was a best friend.”
Clear, simple plans
With the foundation of his training and mentoring from Covey, Calhoon went on to create his own training tailored to the needs of small and mid-size businesses. He and his partner developed a straightforward process to design and implement clear and simple business growth plans. They wrote three books, Prioritize!, On the Same Page, and The 1 Hour Plan for Growth. Covey wrote the foreword to the last one.
Calhoon will be the keynote speaker on the opening day of the UMA Virtual Summit, June 17-19. All participants will receive a planning toolkit that includes 40 ideas to help them build stronger businesses. “These 40 ideas have been created by experts who have more than 150 years of combined experience working with more than 1,000 businesses,” Calhoon said. He has also committed to coaching participants to meet their goals by taking part in the 4-, 8- and 12-week follow-up live webinars.
This will support the participants in implementing their restart plans with guidance and encouragement.
High-impact actions
His keynote, “Building a RESTART Mindset,” will offer three ideas to restart, four specific ways to deal with adversity, and the keys to focus on high-impact actions.
Calhoon says he is a proponent of the motorcoach industry and its many small business owners because of their role as primary job creators in our economy.
“They provide value for employees, customers, vendors, families, communities and many others,” said Calhoon, adding that his “heart goes out to hard-working business owners who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves in the midst of uninvited adversity. I want to help!”
Prepare ahead of time
He recommends participants prepare for the event by thinking about what they want to achieve in the short- and long-term as they restart their business.
Now is a time to rebuild an even better business, according to Calhoon. And owners aren’t starting from scratch. They have relationships, the goodwill of customers and employees, equipment, and experience.
“When we talk about a restart, we’re essentially saying, ‘Think about if you had everything that you have now and you could start your business all over again, what would you do differently?’ That’s really what they need to be thinking about,” Calhoon said.
There’s no question, he says, the industry plays an important role in the country beyond transportation. Motorcoaches are the catalysts for great experiences. Taking a trip offers an opportunity to spend time with people, developing and deepening relationships, along with visiting great places and creating memories that last a lifetime.
“The possibilities for innovation, when it comes to using a motorcoach to help people experience life, are unlimited,” Calhoon said.
