The $10 Plaque Ken Griffin Never Forgot

I recently came across a story from Ken Griffin, founder of Citadel, that really resonated with me.

When Griffin was in his twenties, he worked with an incredibly successful businessman who had a simple $10 plaque hanging behind his desk. With all the awards, artwork, and other things this man could have displayed, he chose a plaque that read:

"If we're all going to eat, someone has to sell."

Griffin never forgot it. In fact, when the man retired and offered him anything from his office, that little plaque was what Griffin wanted.

I love that story because it captures something I think far too many startup founders and small business CEOs lose sight of.

Running a business is incredibly demanding. There are employees to manage, customers to service, bills to pay, processes to improve, and a hundred problems competing for your attention every day. It's remarkably easy to spend an entire week being incredibly busy without doing much to bring in your next customer.

And that's a problem.

When I was building TribalVision, I understood that no matter how good our work was, how talented our team became, or how strong our culture was, none of it mattered if we couldn't consistently bring new business through the door.

Because without sales, you don't have customers. And without customers, you don't have a business.

I think some entrepreneurs are uncomfortable with the idea of selling. They love building the product, delivering the service, or managing the operation. They assume that if they do those things exceptionally well, customers will eventually find them.

Sometimes they will. But that's a dangerous growth strategy.

Especially in the early years, the founder needs to be one of the company's most passionate salespeople. Nobody understands the vision, believes in the offering, or has more riding on its success.

And selling isn't just about closing deals. You're selling your vision to prospective employees, your credibility to lenders, your value to customers, and your company's future to potential partners.

As the business grows, you can build a sales team and a repeatable lead generation engine. But the CEO can never afford to lose sight of the importance of generating revenue.

So here's a question I'd encourage every small business owner to ask:

How much of my time this week was actually spent helping bring in our next customer?

Because you can have a beautiful office, an amazing product, a talented team, and the best strategic plan in the world.

But at the end of the day, someone has to sell.

Otherwise, nobody eats.

Quick Answers

What did the $10 plaque Ken Griffin never forgot say?

"If we're all going to eat, someone has to sell."

Why are sales so important for a small business?

Because without sales, you don't have customers. And without customers, you don't have a business.

Why should a founder sell in the early years of a business?

Especially in the early years, the founder needs to be one of the company's most passionate salespeople. Nobody understands the vision, believes in the offering, or has more riding on its success.