Fran Tarkenton on Initiative, Partnerships and Customer Fit
In a Billionaires.com interview, Fran Tarkenton recounts putting himself into Georgia's game against Texas and building a technology company with IBM.
Fran Tarkenton says his small software company needed IBM's sales force to reach customers. He also describes asking experienced players and coaches how they worked, then applying that curiosity to business.
In this video: Richard C. Wilson (Billionaires.com interviewer), Fran Tarkenton (Hall of Fame NFL quarterback)
What they said
- Fran on asking to play against Texas. Fran Tarkenton says he was third string at Georgia and objected when his coach planned to redshirt him. Against Texas, he put himself into the game, threw a touchdown pass, then completed a two-point conversion to put Georgia ahead 8 to 7.
- Fran on the IBM partnership. Fran Tarkenton says his company had revenue of about $75,000 and was losing about $200,000 when he called IBM's chairman. IBM invested $10 million and, Fran thinks, took about 20% of the company. IBM sold the product through its sales force. Together, they did about $20 million in sales, then $180 million two years later.
- Fran on learning from players and coaches. Fran Tarkenton says he asked accomplished quarterbacks and coaches how they approached their work. In business, he says products need to solve problems, and marketing needs to reach potential customers efficiently.
- Fran on customer fit. Fran Tarkenton says he explains what his businesses do and asks whether it makes sense to the other person. If it doesn't, he moves on rather than trying to persuade someone to buy more than they need.
In their words
"I don't know him, but I'm going to call him anyway."
"I only want to take up 30 minutes of your time."
Why it matters if you are building or preserving great wealth
Fran says his company's revenue was about $75,000 when he called IBM's chairman. That call put a small firm's product in front of IBM's sales force.
From Richard's exclusive Billionaires.com interviews
Lessons from Richard C. Wilson's one-on-one interviews, as published on each interview page.
- Bobby Castro: Change the strategy to scale. Bobby says that to scale a business, everything has to change. He suggests asking whether the business is scalable, whether it offers a solution and whether it is disruptive.
- Tony Robbins: Think like an owner. His biggest turning point was moving from operator to owner. An operator tries to supervise everything and cannot scale.
- Don Wenner: Commit to scale. Don's major turning point came when he decided to build a great company that makes an impact. Making money and being successful was not enough for him.
See the data
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses had Fran started, according to Richard C. Wilson's introduction?
Richard C. Wilson said Fran had started over 24 businesses.
Which television milestones did Richard C. Wilson mention?
Richard C. Wilson said Fran was the first athlete to host Saturday Night Live. He also said Fran introduced Tony Robbins through infomercials and introduced Tiger Woods on television when Woods was five.
Sources
Quotes are copied from the video captions and checked against the transcript. Timestamps link to the moment in the video. General information only, not legal, tax or investment advice.