Thank you for visiting our website! I sincerely hope you find success as a result of whatever products or services you are looking for! My name is Steve Martin, and I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you a little about my experiences and myself so you can be assured I’m not some half-baked computer program and I AM a real person.
While growing up, my parent owned a variety of businesses (which I worked at); from a large restaurant (formerly known as a supper club), to a couple of resorts, and a snowmobile franchise, so I was exposed to business early on. Immediately after graduating from high school, I enlisted in the Air Force. After going through the usual basic military training, I trained to be an Aviation Physiology Instructor. My job was to train pilots about the physical hazards of flight and how to counter those effects, including ejection procedures, parachuting, survival, hypoxia (lack of oxygen), hyperventilation, night vision, oxygen equipment, cabin depressurization, crew communication, self-imposed stresses, high-G forces and more. It was an extremely interesting career, and I had some serious fun while learning and performing my instructor duties!
After twelve years of military instructing, I left the Air Force and taught those same subjects and principles at the University of North Dakota’s UND Aerospace Foundation. During that time period, I started learning about business concepts and principles along with marketing our program to corporate and fleet flight departments, as well as joining the North Dakota Air National Guard. About four and one half years into my UND Aerospace career, a very successful automotive businessman from Minneapolis attended one of our aviation training courses, and we started talking about business and his approach to customer service. Being very interested in what I was hearing, the gentleman asked me to visit his businesses.
During the visit, he offered me a junior management position, which I accepted. Over time, I graduated to running various business units for him, which includes sales, finance, service, and parts management positions, as well as new business development management. I have been with this gentleman’s Auto Group for 15 years, and since then I have gained a wealth of business management and marketing knowledge. About four years ago, I felt the desire to put my knowledge to use for myself and purchased my own business – a gas station/convenience store with two attached carwashes, which my wife Kim runs on a daily basis with me helping out in my spare time.
I am extremely passionate about business in general, and small business in particular. Running a business is a constant challenge, yet is extremely rewarding when done well.
When I say “rewarding”, I don’t just mean financial…although that IS important. “Rewarding” is also knowing in your heart you did your best to help someone else’s day be just a little bit better, or knowing your business was there when someone needed it, or knowing your employees could afford to pay their bills, and so on. THAT is the essence of a business, and when you understand that and your customers KNOW you care about them, then the sky is the limit!
Knowledge that is not shared is wasted, so as a small business owner, I want to assist other small business owners however I can. Owning a small business is a serious game of survival, and the more we help one another, the better it is for ALL small businesses. I have learned a lot over the years, and any information, concepts, contacts or anything else I can share, I certainly will! Please contact me at stcmartin@hotmail.com with any questions or comments you may have concerning any website content or connections.
Thank you for visiting, and I wish you continued success at your endeavors!
Steve Martin