When Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn\u2019t tearing down the racetrack, he tweetstorms, , snacks on and owns several businesses, too.
\nThe 41-year-old bearded speed demon says he doesn\u2019t just slap his name on them and sit back. He gets his hands dirty.
\n\u201cI like to get involved in the day-to-day management aspects, putting the right individuals in the right places where they need to be to help my businesses grow,\u201d Earnhardt told Entrepreneur.<\/p>\n
You might know Earnhardt best as NASCAR\u2019s driver, but he\u2019s also the president of . He co-owns the Mooresville, N.C.-based pro race team and management company with his sister, Kelley, and American NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick. He also owns , a video production company, and , a bar and nightclub in Charlotte.
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\nSure, with more than 40 NASCAR race wins under his belt, the \u201cPied Piper of Daytona\u201d is undeniably a legend on the track. But he also knows more than a thing or two about steering small businesses to success.
\nWe chatted with Earnhardt on the phone recently about his other life in the fast lane — as an entrepreneur. His funnyman role as \u2019s \u201cWater Cooler Dale,\u201d \u201cBoss Man\u201d and, who could forget, \u201cAnimal Whisperer Dale,\u201d also came up. (He spearheaded the auto insurance company\u2019s campaign, in which small-business owners entered to win ad space on his No. 88 Chevy SS racecar.)<\/p>\n
Here are the business leadership tips Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought to the finish line for us, in his own words. Note that his comments were lightly edited for clarity and length.
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\n1. Get to know your employees and build trust.
\n\u201cMake great friendships. Just like the sponsors I work with, the people who work for me are more than a contract and a sheet of paper. I make it convenient and easy and enjoyable to build relationships with them that will last well beyond working together. I don\u2019t know about you, but I can\u2019t feel like I have trust in someone unless I have a very, very close relationship with them.\u201d
\n2. Show you care.
\n\u201cA good leader knows what the people he works with care about and isn\u2019t afraid to show it. When you do that, it gets people excited to work with you and want to help you. When you don\u2019t create those types of close working relationships, it\u2019s really difficult to get people to work together, to band together and to win together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) <\/p>\n
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\n3. Stay humble.
\n\u201cI was very apprehensive to take leadership roles at first. I\u2019ve sort of always looked at myself as on the same level as every guy on my team, in racing and in business. I think that you have to stay grounded and humble.\u201d
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\n4. Put employees on the track to success. \u00a0
\n\u201cIt\u2019s always a fun challenge to groom people for higher positions. It\u2019s important to provide them with the opportunities that they seek and that they excel in, and to also prepare them for advancement. Help employees grow their responsibilities at every level and they\u2019ll do great work for you.\u201d
\n5. Be proud when your best employees move on and up.
\n\u201cThe most fun and rewarding part of running a business is watching your people succeed. When you take someone and grow them at the ground level and they climb the ladder through your company, it\u2019s a good feeling when that person graduates to the next level, even if they leave your company and take their career to the next level. You tell them, \u2018Good job\u2019 and you mean it when you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gotta get that buffalo chicken wedge before lift off.
\n\u2014 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) <\/p>\n
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\n6. Hire the right person for the right job.
\n\u201cIf you put someone in a position that they\u2019re not qualified for, it makes the job miserable for everybody around them. Avoid that from that start. Better to really know who you\u2019re hiring and what they\u2019re capable of up front than finding out later and things not working out.\u201d
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