Humble Beginnings to Caring Leadership with Bill Hinks
Believing that the key to success is hard work and caring about other people, 2011 Inductee William (Bill) A. Hinks left his Wisconsin home in 1960 at age 22 with nothing more than $50 and an old Buick to work with his uncle and make his mark in South Dakota. This led him to start his own furniture company–Furniture Outlets USA.
Bill joined Board Director Mike Cartney to discuss the life lessons he has drawn through his experience as a business owner in South Dakota. Over the last 50 years, Bill’s company has successfully grown from humble beginnings to employing over 700 people in more than 35 retail stores and distribution centers in SD, ND, MN, and IA. Furniture Outlets USA currently ranks 50th among America’s top 100 furniture retailers.
Before Bill found this success, he had odd jobs ranging from selling soda for Pepsi-Cola to driving a bread truck route. Through all of these experiences, Bill learned a great deal of valuable life lessons that he carried into the growth of his own company.
“People are so important,” said Bill when discussing leadership and the way he views employees, “find people who dream the same dream as you.”
Bill believes that when you like something, you put more into it. When he was introduced to the furniture industry, he found a dream to share with others. He grew his company slowly, truck by truck and store by store. Every time he opened a new store, he took the time to get to know the surrounding community so he could learn how to better serve the area. His leadership has led to the employment of hundreds of employees, as well as the investment in others who have wanted to grow alongside him and invest in the business themselves.
“If you are in a business that you feel like you can grow, and you find the right people to help you grow—then that’s the secret,” Bill said as his conversation with Mike came to an end.