In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Jim Kraft, regional manager for Mansfield Oil. After a brief sponsor message for WagsMedia, the conversation centers on Kraft’s personal and professional philosophies. He emphasizes persistence as essential for success, the importance of strategically listening to customers, and the value of being a "sponge"—learning from everyone to blend diverse approaches. When asked about advice for his younger self, he suggests following the same path he took. Kraft defines happiness as having a peaceful world, achieved through personal time for reflection, meditation, or exercise. He recommends the book "Aging Well" for its guidance on priorities throughout life. His favorite quote is the James Bond title "Live or Let Die," which he uses as a metaphor for the unpredictable, non‑linear nature of business. The episode concludes with his contact information (email and phone) for listeners who want to connect.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by WagsMedia. WagsMedia provides you with everything you need to generate more customers and grow your brand. Head on over to wagsmedia.com, W-A-G-S-M-E-D-I-A dot com, to enter a contest where you can win a free, done-for-you custom website valued at $2,500 for a limited time only. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have a very special friend, Jim Kraft. He's the regional manager for Mansfield Oil. So welcome to the show, man.
Thank you very much. Pleasure to be on.
Of course, man. Grateful to have you here. We'll dive right into the first one. The first question I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Never— you always got to compete to win. You can't give up. You got to keep going after it. Persistency pays off. And I can't even— even at my age, It's the same thing. Persistency. If you're good at that, then you're going to be excellent in whatever you do.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
One of the things about being persistent is that you also have to be able to listen to the customer. And if you can do that in a strategic way, would be very successful.
And what's your best piece of like overall business advice? So not necessarily industry like specific. So it seems, you know, that's kind of like in somewhat— it's overall advice but somewhat sales advice as well. So if somebody was just getting started out in business, like what would you tell them?
Learn everything you can and be a sponge to everybody because Trust me, you're going to have your own ways and they're going to have their ways. And it's probably the cross between the two that get you to be successful.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would say if I was the younger self just starting out, I'd probably do what you did.
Oh, thanks, brother. Okay, this next one's a little deep, so get ready for this. So in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Having a peaceful world.
So to dive deeper, how do you, like, for yourself, like, how do you create a peaceful world?
I think you have to have a little bit of your own time. So if that's an hour to reflect and then to meditate or to work out, I think that's very, very important for your own psyche and for the well-being of oneself.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
The best book. I would say the book is called Aging Well, and it just kind of goes over the things that you should do along that way. And it kind of gives you a little bit of our priorities on how you should live. It's an excellent book.
This one might be kind of tough and doesn't have to be word for word, but what's your favorite quote and why?
Favorite quote, I think it's "Live or Let Die," and it's not a quote, it's actually the name of a James Bond movie. And if you go through that movie as if it's a piece of business, you'll understand that the road is never straight.
Yes, man. Dude, thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to connect with you online?
Either jpcrafty@comcast.net, or they can always pick up the phone at 267-454- 1757.
Perfect, brother. Thanks again for hopping on.
Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
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