Today, there is a specialty company, Profits Plus, that exists to help small businesses to increase their profits plus build their business for the future.

Tom Shay created Profits Plus based upon his years of experience in a family owned business. Tom is a fourth-generation business owner. He is also an author, columnist, business coach and speaker. With over 25 years of frontline experience in management and ownership of small businesses, Tom Shay shares and teaches from experience--not from theory! The story began like this...

Once upon a time (about 1920), there was a man named G.W. Brown. He worked for a man named Carnes, who owned a small general store in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Carnes was not a particularly progressive business owner, and Brown found that his ideas for improving the store fell on deaf ears.

In secret, Brown purchased the piece of land across the street and hired a contractor to build what would become his own business: G.W. Brown's 3-in-1--Convenience, Groceries, Gas. Mr. Brown had five sons who worked in the family business. When G.W. Brown was ready to retire, one of the sons, Buster Brown, took over the business.

As Buster Brown continued to operate the business, it grew and grew to the point that it occupied almost an entire city block. Over seven decades, the store sold everything from groceries to clothing to appliances to household items. During that time the business changed as did the community.

Buster and his wife Verna had a daughter, Shirley, who worked in the store. In her early 20's, she met Frank Shay who was stationed at the nearby Army base. They married, and Frank began to work in his wife's family business. Two years later, Shirley and Frank had a son they named Tom. They also bought their own business. Tom grew up to work in the business with his parents.

Now the picture was complete: four generations owning and operating family businesses. Through the years, there were several traits that remained consistent--innovative management, great staffs, wonderful relationships with customers and vendors, and unique marketing techniques. Perhaps the most important lesson taught by the elder generations was that, in every aspect of the business, it was the customer who was most important.

The Profits Plus website is an extension of that family tradition and the work we do with businesses in several formats:

• Tom Shay and the staff of Profits Plus create continuing education programs for associations, manufacturers, and wholesalers. Our Profits Plus Education website tells more of this service.
• Tom Shay writes business management and sales technique columns for trade magazines.
• Tom Shay writes books for both small businesses and the vendors they depend on.
• Tom Shay speaks at conferences, trade shows, and association meetings on management issues.
• Tom Shay works with individual businesses to help grow their business and find solutions to their challenges.

Profits Plus provides the tools necessary for small businesses to be successful; not by just working harder and working longer hours but rather by providing tools by which people can make intelligent decisions about the many aspects of their businesses; How can you get more business from your existing customers? What about staff turnover, which costs time and money to resolve? How do you increase the return on your investment?

As a manufacturer, wholesaler or vendor to small businesses, are you challenged in your effort to do more business with your customers? Perhaps the opportunity we will have to work together will be to increase attendance at a trade show. Your desire may be to develop long-term relationships with your accounts that are not based on your having the best price. Surely, you are disappointed when you are asked, "So, what is your price for...?" We show you how to develop accounts that see your company as a necessary component to the success of their business.

Just like the three generations before him in the family business, Tom expresses a great interest in his "customers." Success is measured only by the achievements of those who are the participants.