About Us: A Q&A Interview With Dick Biggs

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Q: Where did you grow up?

A: I was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on September 21, 1945. My parents were officers in The Salvation Army, which meant we moved around a lot. We also lived in Baltimore, Maryland, Weirton, West Virginia, and Cumberland, Maryland before settling in Atlanta, Georgia in 1960.

Q: Were you a good student in school?

A: I was an avid reader, but my grades were poor throughout elementary school and junior high because I was more into socializing than studying. I didn’t get serious about academics until high school.

Q: Is there a particular teacher who helped turn you around?

A: Definitely. Miss Eloise Penn was my English teacher, speech coach, and newspaper advisor at East Atlanta High School. For some reason, Miss Penn thought I had writing and speaking skills and worked with me tirelessly for three years. I’m a professional speaker and author today because of Miss Penn. She was my first mentor other than my parents. Thanks to Miss Penn’s guidance, I won some Optimist Club speech contests… was editor of the school newspaper in my senior year…received The Atlanta Quarterback Club’s award for “outstanding academic and athletic achievement”…and gave my class graduation speech--Debut Into A World Of Realties! Miss Penn made a huge difference in my life, and I’m eternally grateful to this dedicated teacher.

Q: What did you do after high school?

A: I went to the University of South Carolina in Columbia. I had lived a very sheltered life and was like a fish out of water on a college campus. I was a sportswriter for the school newspaper, band member, and had a part-time job as a waiter, so my studies suffered and I dropped out of college after a year. We also ran out of money. I had been a copyboy at The Atlanta Constitution during my senior year of high school. A copyboy runs errands for the various newspaper departments. I spent a lot of time in the sports department picking the brains of the writers and taking calls from sports trivia buffs. The Constitution offered me a job usually reserved for a rising college senior—sportswriter intern. I covered “big time” events such as swimming meets and horse shows. Over that summer, a high school friend and neighbor convinced me to join the Marine Corps. Pete Jaynes and I arrived at boot camp on October 20, 1964.

Q: Tell me about your Marine experience?

A: After basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina and combat training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, I was assigned to the Fleet Marine Force headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia as an administrative clerk. My next assignment was working for the colonel in charge of recruit training at Parris Island. In the summer of 1966, I was accepted to Marine Security Guard School in Arlington, Virginia. After graduation, I worked for six weeks at the United Nations in New York as a part of Secretary Of State Dean Rusk’s security detail before spending a year at the American embassy in Warsaw, Poland, and another year at the American embassy in Rome, Italy. I was discharged honorably as a sergeant (E-5) on December 12, 1968. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about all the good lessons I learned as a Marine. It’s a special brotherhood. I wear my Marine ring and lapel pin proudly. It was a privilege to serve my country. I recommend military training to any young person who wants to give back to America while becoming a model citizen. I earned my “college” degree from the School Of Hard Knocks—a four-year enlistment in the United States Marine Corps!

Q: What did you do after the Marines?

A: There were no openings at The Atlanta Constitution after I returned from overseas, but the Associated Press needed a staff writer. I wrote news, features, sports or whatever was needed for nearly a year at this wire service organization. The highlight of my AP career was covering the first annual Naismith Award for the most outstanding college basketball player in 1969. I still have a photo of yours truly and UCLA’s Lew Alcindor who, of course, became Kareem Abdul Jabbar and went on to become the all-time leading scorer in pro basketball. I also have the original teletype story of that event—one that went out to every newspaper in America with my byline. I loved that job but the pay was lousy--about $400 gross income per month. I decided to make a career change.

Q: What did you do after you left the AP?

A: I entered the sales profession in January of 1970. I spent nearly 13 years as a salesman and sales manager—primarily in the auto leasing industry. I made a lot of money, but worked all the time. By May of 1982, the burn out was so bad that I quit my job and didn’t work for five months.

Q: Was that a major turning point in your life?

A: It was absolutely the biggest defining moment of my life. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. In the end, entrepreneurship won out. On October 4, 1982, I started my own independent auto leasing company with lots of enthusiasm and very little money--$2000. Two months later, I met Judy and she became my wife two years later. In those days, the automobile dealerships and manufacturers weren’t interested in leasing, so I had a gold mine for about seven years. Eventually, the manufacturers entered the marketplace and I couldn’t compete with their heavily subsidized auto lease programs. I decided that if I couldn’t beat them, I’d join them—sort of. I became an outside lease trainer for Cadillac, Chevrolet, Infiniti, Nissan, Honda and others. I became Georgia’s first Certified Vehicle Leasing Executive (CLVE), the highest professional designation in the industry. I was busier than a one-armed paperhanger with a runny nose for about four years. In addition, I was a big advocate for national truth-in-leasing legislation--an effort that helped me receive the Clemens-Pender Award, the “Oscar” of the vehicle leasing industry. Unfortunately, my lease training days were numbered when my five major clients decided to hire their own employees as lease trainers. I only had one topic in one industry and almost went out of business.

Q: How did you turn things around?

A: I wrote my first book in 1993 and self-published If Life Is A Balancing Act, Why Am I So Darn Clumsy? This gave me another topic to promote to several markets instead of just one and things turned around gradually over a two-year period. I now speak to Fortune 500 companies, smaller businesses, government agencies, trade associations, professional organizations, and non-profits on six core topics: leadership/mentoring, communication, teamwork, work/life balance, people empowerment, and peak performance. It has been a privilege to speak in 40 States, Canada, England, Germany and Guam.

Q: Did you ever feel like giving up?

A: There were times when the cash flowing wasn’t flowing and things looked dire, but I just couldn’t see going back to work for someone else. In short, going out of business wasn’t an option. Marines are very determined people and, once a Marine, always a Marine. I tell young people that every experience counts. If I hadn’t learned speaking and writing skills in high school, The Atlanta Constitution and Associated Press wouldn’t have hired me. If I hadn’t become a Marine, I might not have learned the leadership skills and discipline needed to make it as an entrepreneur. If I hadn’t had sales experience in the auto leasing industry, I couldn’t have started my company. Without that experience, I couldn’t have become a lease trainer. Without doing hundreds of auto leasing seminars, I wouldn’t have had the platform experience necessary to transition into other speaking markets. Most of all, my writing experience has enabled me to author books and develop other training materials that have given me the credibility to market my services to a diverse clientele over the years. Each experience has enabled me to move on to the next one and, collectively, these “life lessons” have led me to where I am today. Life is truly a steady process that requires patience and persistence.

Q: What are the three things you enjoy most about your profession?

A: I love helping people cross what I call the greatest gap in life--the one between knowing and doing. There’s no greater gratification than hearing from people who’ve acted on something I’ve said or written. Secondly, I enjoy doing my homework in order to tailor a program to a client’s specific needs and desired results. Finally, I still love traveling, meeting new people, and seeing old friends. I’m blessed to do what I love to do at beautiful settings around the world.

Q: What are three things you enjoy least about your profession?

A: Obviously, there are times when travel is a hassle—delayed flights, botched hotel reservations, foul weather and more. Next, the marketing is relentless. No matter how good a particular month might be, I start over again each month. If I don’t produce, I don’t get paid. Since 1982, I’ve had some incredible boom periods and some frustrating down times. I’ve learned that you can’t get too high on the ups, or too low on the downs. And thirdly, a lot of meeting planners don’t understand that my fees go way beyond the time I’m on stage. I’m also paid for preparation time and the life I’ve led. When a client questions my fee, I often ask how much money they’d be willing to pay to get a bad speaker off the platform!

Q: Since one of your topics is work/life balance, I assume that there’s more to your life than just business?

A: Unquestionably. Judy and I have been married since 1984 and we share several common interests. I have two grown stepdaughters (Rebecca and Tara), a son-in-law (Bo), and a 9-year-old grandson (Jackson). Carol and Sharon, my sisters, reside in the Atlanta area. My brother Bob, a Marine who received two Purple Hearts in Viet Nam, passed away in 2006. I also have a niece (Amy) and two nephews (Chris and Nikolas). My father Daniel passed away in 2003, but my mother Thelma is going strong at 87 in Elberton, Georgia. I’ve mentored a boy in my community for the past 12 years. Scotty Cole is in the 12th grade and was featured in Chapter 3 of Burn Brightly Without Burning Out. I also mentor a few adults and have several mentors, including leadership expert John Maxwell; and the late Michael Guido of the Guido Evangelistic Association in Metter, Georgia. I run 15-20 miles every week. Judy and I are leaders and teachers at our church, and we've served on several Walk To Emmaus teams.

Q: I know that spiritual commitment is very important to you. Can you elaborate?

A: Certainly. I was raised in a Christian home, but strayed from my spiritual roots for about 19 years. My wife Judy is responsible for helping me return to the ways of my upbringing. I don’t try to impose my belief system on others, but I want people to know how important faith is in my life. If some people don’t agree with my world view, I hope they’ll at least respect me for being true to myself and the Christian heritage that has made me who I am.

Q: Obviously, physical fitness is important to you. Can you be more specific?

A: I want to maximize my chance for a long, healthy life. I try to eat a balanced diet—mostly good stuff and a little of the bad. I exercise regularly. I’ve never smoked or used drugs. I get the proper amount of sleep and relaxation. I have regular medical and dental exams. I quit drinking alcoholic beverages in 1984. I’m one of three co-founders of the Chattahoochee Road Runners, the second largest running club in Georgia. It has been a joy to watch so many of our members go from flabby to fit since 1981 when the club was started along the banks of the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta. I began running to get ready for Marine Corps boot camp in 1964. Except for a three-year layoff in the early 1970s, I’ve been very consistent. I have completed seven marathons, 13 half-marathons, 30 Peachtree Road Race 10Ks and numerous other races. I’ve never had any serious running injuries, primarily because I listen to my body. I used to run six days a week, then five, and now only four. I used to compete for times and trophies. My personal records (hours, minutes, seconds) are 3:19:47 in the marathon (26.2 miles)…1:26:46 in the half-marathon (13.1 miles)…and 39:23 in the 10K (6.2 miles). Today, I run for fun and fitness. My longest run is rarely more than six miles. I’m 65 and my doctor says I’m in the top 2-3 percent of my age group for overall fitness.

Q: Do you participate in any professional organizations?

A: I was active in Sales & Marketing Executives (SME) for several years until travel kept me from attending the meetings. During my leasing days, I was a member of the National Vehicle Leasing Association (NVLA) and a past president of NVLA-Georgia. I’m a past president of NSA-Georgia, and humbled to be a recipient of the Kay Herman Legacy Award--our chapter’s highest honor named after founding member Kay Herman and the wife of sales trainer Fred Herman known for KISS--Keep It Simple, Salesman!

Q: What do you like to do for fun?

A: I’m a crossword puzzle enthusiast. I’ve been doing them since 1980 and usually finish what I start, including the New York Times Sunday crossword. I love playing Scrabble with my wife Judy and sister Carol. I’m a big sports fan, especially at the college level in general and the University of Georgia in particular. I read about 25-50 books per year. I enjoy listening to the harmonious doo-wop groups of the 1950s and soul singers from the 1960s. Judy and I enjoy traveling, especially to the mountains of north Georgia, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. We plan our vacations, weekend getaways, retreats and other stress relief activities during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. We enjoy picnics at the beautiful parks along Lake Lanier near our home about 50 miles north of Atlanta. And we see grandson Jackson most every week.

Q: What are some of the most memorable places you’ve visited?

A: There are so many that I’m bound to overlook some of my favorites places. I was able to see a lot of communist Poland and romantic Italy while serving as a Marine embassy guard in Warsaw and Rome in the 1960s. This also gave me the opportunity to visit other European cities—London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Copenhagen, Vienna, Zurich, to name a few. I’ve traveled to Guam, a beautiful island in the Pacific Ocean, with brief stops in Japan and South Korea. I’ve been to the Bahamas, Virgin Islands and Jamaica. I’ve enjoyed Alaskan and Caribbean cruises. I’ve seen Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon and taken a raft ride down the Colorado River. I’ve marveled at national parks such as Acadia, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mesa Verde, and Great Smoky Mountains. I’ve toured most of the Civil War battlefields from Fort Sumter to Appomattox. I’ve spent time in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, waded on the beaches of Cape Cod, and viewed the Little Bighorn Battlefield where Custer made his infamous last stand. I’ve seen the Alamo in San Antonio, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Statue Of Liberty in New York, and most of the historic places in Washington, DC. I’ve been in all 50 States, and virtually every major city in America. Still, there are many others places I want to see.

Q: Do you have any plans to retire?

A: I may take some of my retirement income in the near future, but have no plans to quit speaking and writing as long as my health cooperates. I hope to go out the way Norman Vincent Peale did—speaking up until a few weeks before he died at 95. Too many people spend their working careers counting the days until retirement. I’m truly blessed to “work” at something I love to do.

Q: When you’ve passed away, what do you want people to say?

A: At the funeral of Earl Masters, a great salesman and one of my mentors, a eulogist said. “He was true to himself.” That’s integrity. “He was an encourager of others.” That’s inspiration. “He was a humble servant of God.” That’s influence. “He lives on after death.” That’s immortality. I was so inspired by this tribute to Earl that I honored him with a poem entitled When I’ve Passed Away, What Will They Say? I hope others will be able to say the same four things about me when I’ve passed away.