Eddie Wild and other executives discuss building mission-driven businesses focused on people and community. They cover how to choose clients and manage growth while staying true to your values, and the impact on patients and communities in Columbia, South Carolina.
When I joined ERA 16 years ago, I was very fortunate to be introduced to MDA. And I think it was 43 years into it, I stumbled into a situation and I was having to walk up this gentleman's backyard and I said, "Hello, I'm Eddie Wild." He says, "I know who you are." Oh my Lord, did one of my guys upset him? Did we not sell his house far enough? Did we mess him up in a business? Was there some problem there? He said, I need to tell you, he said, I have a pair of twins with MDAs. You sent them to camp this year for the first time. It was the most amazing experience.
I'll never forget you and your business for that.
Wow. But if you get it in the sweet spot, the ball's going to go longer and it's going to go faster. And it's going to go straighter, and that's what you want to do with your core focus.
Make sure you really are passionate about anything you do.
Um, you've got to be focused not just on growing the top line and the bottom line, but also on growing the people inside of your company. So that all starts with the right mindset. So are you on the right path, right? You've got to figure that out. Is growth really what you want? Or honestly, should you be firing clients, firing customers, and getting down to the right customers so that you're more profitable?
No thinking through this wind business of making communities better because you were in the money-making business. That's it.
I agree.
The health of patients, right? So we want to help people get better, physically get better.
He's one of the most successful businessmen I've ever met in my life, but I think that it's more than that. And I think that when the culture of your company—
and you're trying to build a culture and build a growing business—
the culture of your company involves that desire to give back and make the people you work with, the people you serve, the communities you're in better.
I mean, because I think as business owners, a lot of times we don't think about our business being an investment.
I don't know, for me it's very fulfilling, and I think our employees find it very fulfilling, and we get people approaching us to come work for us because, purely because, that is part of the mission of our business.
Part of our core values is how do we build a better community, how do we give back to community, how do we engage ourselves there. And giving to the causes that are important to us and giving to causes that further the people here in Columbia, South Carolina and help make our community better.
