By: Ava St. Laurent
We are a professional alliance of vetted, trusted, performance-oriented business people which seeks to highlight and promote what’s best about doing business in Southwest Florida. We focus on top talent with an outlook towards solutions for quality growth and continuous improvement. Our philanthropic arm leans towards assistance and support for fixes only. Southwest Florida Business Alliance is a place where the best and the brightest are supported and where progress has a new home. Every year, our luncheon serves as a perfect opportunity to meet with experienced professionals, speak on best practices, and grow each other’s networks.
This year, we were especially grateful for our powerhouse guest speaker George W. Shaeffer, who came to network with us and share his experiences.
George W. Shaeffer, founder of dominant global consumer brand OPI® offering nail polish, nail care, and nail art worldwide, and Chairman and CEO of People’s Trust Insurance prepared and delivered a powerful speech regarding the key to success, best practices in the workplace, and habits for treating coworkers with the respect they deserve. He patiently shared his experiences across multiple business ventures while answering questions from other business owners and members so that they may have a greater understanding and appreciation for multiple business strategies. Any member of the alliance was more than welcome to ask questions they had for their business endeavors, expansions, treatment of employees, work/life balance, and more.
In the workplace, timeliness and communication are key. Regarding styles of management, Shaeffer says that, “Everyone who is part of management is required to come in to work on their scheduled days.” This ensures there is no horsing around and that their teams never miss a beat, whether they are working on an internal project or otherwise. Schaeffer is as much of a leader as he is a student. He works with his team of employees rather than above them to gain a greater understanding of his company and up-and-coming ways of doing business.
Schaeffer is also an advocate for safety and strong health in the workplace. He highly encouraged his employees to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations and even gave them bonuses for doing so. Schaeffer holds their needs dear to his heart and is committed to learning from them as much as they learn from him. It’s with this lesson in mind that he continues to learn and grow.
About working with other groups and individuals, Schaffer said, “I have a philosophy. I always try to hire people smarter than me. . . I treat people fairly. I want to treat my employees how I would like to be treated in life. I think that’s a philosophy that’s real easy to follow.” Whether an employee or coworker is in need of further direction, a minute to themselves, or group collaboration, Schaeffer provides what is needed. He goes on to say, “Whether it’s a cup of coffee, pizza – simple little things, that’s it!”
The SWFL Business Alliance holds luncheons quarterly and welcomes you to come and network with us for any of our next events! For more information, please look to visit our website https://swflbusinessalliance.com/. You may also look to become a member via our website and expand your business horizons through meeting new people and pursuing countless opportunities.
