There is a great video making the rounds virally that is quickly becoming a huge internet favorite. When it shows up in your email because a friend sent it your way, the subject line will probably say something about how much it will make you laugh. If you want to view the video now, continue reading this blog.
When you look for highly successful people who have practiced the strategies of The Obvious Expert, Truett Cathy stands out as an ideal example:
Interesting facts about Truett Cathy, entrepreneur and founder of Chick-Fil-A:
- Branded his restaurants as the “Inventors of the Chicken Sandwich”.
- As his wealth grew, Cathy made it a practice to give back to the community. He is known as a great philanthropist and individual of extreme generosity.
- Has authored several business and inspirational books including: his autobiography Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People; It’s Easier to Succeed Than to Fail, (a motivational book); a parenting book called, It’s Easier to Build Boys Than Mend Men; and a book that answers questions about his business success, How Did You Do It, Truett?. Cathy also co-authored the Generosity Factor: Discover the Joy of Giving Your Time, Talent, and Treasure.
- For personal religious reasons he made the daring decision to close his fast-food restaurants on Sunday in order to allow his employees a day to worship and relax with their family.
So how does he manage to build a business of such magnitude, when his competitors are open 7 days a week, and he has chosen to only be open 6? Because Truett Cathy has branded his business in a unique way as the Obvious Expert of the chicken sandwich. He has used his positioning to spread his message through networking, authorship, and amazing generosity to others, all core principles of How to Position Yourself as The Obvious Expert. And when you can distinguish yourself as an Obvious Expert, you can also enjoy greater latitude and more freedom to think and act outside the predictable.
A Little Bit of History on the Inventor of the Chicken Sandwich
In 1946, Truett Cathy, opened a small restaurant in a suburb of Atlanta. The restaurant was so small he named it The Dwarf Grill. With the wisdom to build his restaurant where there are a lot of hungry people, The Dwarf Grill (which later became The Dwarf House) was located very close to what at that time was a large Ford plant where crews worked round the clock—hungry crews who created a demand for the tasty chicken sandwiches served by Truett and his brother Ben.
The Chick-Fil-A restaurants as we know them today didn’t get started until the 1960’s. In 1967 Cathy opened in Atlanta’s Greenbrier Mall. Today there is only one other fast-food restaurant that is larger than Chick-Fil-A and that bases its menu on chicken, and even it can’t claim credit for inventing the fast-food chicken sandwich, only Cathy has that claim to fame.
No longer a regional brand, Chick-Fil-A restaurants can be found in almost every state in the US, and Cathy, who at age 88 is still active in the business, his church, and his many philanthropic causes, has a personal net worth estimated in the billions.
