Young Entrepreneur Shares Lesson from Mega Rockstar for Success
SALT LAKE CITY, UT / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Just one experience with KISS frontman Gene Simmons taught a young entrepreneur when you are prepared and ‘fake it till you make it,’ you can succeed. Three decades after his Gene Simmons’ interview, that entrepreneur, Kevin Guest, is chairman and CEO of USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA), a global nutritional company.
Even though it was unplanned, Guest, then head of his start-up video production company, tested his grandfather’s motto when he unexpectedly scored a one-on-one interview with Simmons, arguably the world’s largest rock star at the time.
“When rock ‘n roll journalist Charrie Foglio called and said, ‘KISS is on tour, and I’ve set up an interview for us with Gene Simmons in two days!’ I was both thrilled and terrified,” said Guest. “The problem was I needed $80,000 for equipment I didn’t have, but I couldn’t pass up this chance. So I used Grandpa’s advice: Fake it till you make it.
“When a local video equipment dealer-friend lent me the video camera, I stayed up nearly all night in a Chicago hotel with a caffeinated drink in one hand and the camera’s owner’s manual in the other, learning how to run the camera, giving myself lots of positive self-talk and practicing until I looked like I had done hundreds of interviews.
“The next morning, trembling but oddly confident, I filmed the interview with Gene Simmons of KISS, which was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life.”
Taking that bold risk vaulted Guest into producing a successful series of behind-the-scenes videos with numerous rock stars, including Jon Bon Jovi and Ozzy Osbourne.
“Looking back, I really had no business shooting that interview, but I remembered my grandfather’s optimism and took his motto to heart: Fake It Till You Make It and Go, Baby, Go!” writes Guest in his bestseller, All the Right Reasons: 12 Timeless Principles for Living a Life in Harmony.
Calling that example the “Turn Up the Volume Principle” in his book of 12 principles, Guest draws from early life experiences as a Montana musician and now as chairman/CEO of an international company to show customers how to attain harmony amid today’s pressures.
Another example of Guest taking chances involved Michael Jordan at the 1993 NBA All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City.
“Michael Jordan was at his peak, and the Chicago Bulls earned their first ‘three-peat’ when my brother, Mark, a huge sports fan, helped my production company shoot memento videos of VIPs at the 1993 NBA All-Star weekend,” he said. “Mark bought some Air Jordan shoes, replicas what Jordan wore in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and lugged them all weekend, hoping he might get the legend’s autograph.
“At an exclusive dinner for VIP guests, three people asked if they could join our table. We made introductions and learned our dinner guests were Michael Jordan’s wife, mother and father.
Super excited, Mark whispered, “This is probably as close as we’re going to get to Michael Jordan. Should we have his dad sign these shoes?”
“Let’s do it,” Guest said. “We took out the shoes, and Michael Jordan’s dad cheerfully signed both of them: James Jordan, Michael’s dad.
“Undeterred, Mark was prepared when the opportunity presented itself. Due to his tenacity and James Jordan’s generosity, we have a keepsake we still cherish.”
Leading USANA’s billion-dollar nutritional supplement company in over 26 markets worldwide, Guest is on a multi-country tour sharing his 12 principles with tens of thousands of customers and leaders around the world.
“My grandfather believed when he was prepared and took action, good things would come to him. I have consistently found this to be true,” said Guest. “When in doubt, act.”
All proceeds from sales of All the Right Reasons is aimed at feeding two million meals to hungry children. Available on Amazon, the book provides 40 meals for each single purchase.
For more information, visit www.kevinguest.com.
Kevin Guest interviews megastar Gene Simmons with KISS.
Michael Jordan’s father, James, signs Air Jordan shoes for brave fan.
Turn Up the Volume Principle says to Fake It Till You Make It.
Kevin Guest with $80,000 video camera for first interview with KISS’ Gene Simmons.
All proceeds from “All the Right Reasons” are going to feed 2 million meals to hungry children.
About Us
Kevin Guest strives to live a life in crescendo. Success for the small-town boy with rock star aspirations didn’t come overnight. Nor did the CEO of a billion-dollar company find success by straying from his deep-rooted principles. Each experience in Kevin’s life – in music, business, and now as an author – has built upon another, all contributing to a life lived in harmony.
Kevin is Chief Executive Officer of USANA Health Sciences, a global health and nutritional supplements company. He is a Direct Selling Association board member and a member of the CEO Council for the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations. Before USANA, Kevin served as a managing partner at FMG, a video and events production company in Salt Lake City.
Throughout his life, Kevin’s musical talents have helped him realize his childhood rock-n-roll dreams. Highlights include sharing the stage with greats such as Kenny Loggins, Tommy Shaw, Eddie Money, and Belinda Carlisle, and performing at the Grand Ole Opry. He continues to perform part-time with country music superstar Collin Raye.
Newest Project: All the Right Reasons: 12 Timeless Principles for Living a Life in Harmony
Kevin’s most-recent project is also his most personal. In All the Right Reasons, Kevin shares entertaining anecdotes and inspiring stories, collected from years of meeting fascinating people and learning valuable life lessons. The result is a book featuring 12 foundational principles by which he lives and that he believes will lead others on their own path to success.
Kevin earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University. He and his wife, Lori, have four children and six grandchildren.
Contacts
Tim Brown, Candid Communications
CEO
9630 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84070
Work: 8015571466
tim@candidcom.com
Links
SOURCE: USANA Health Sciences
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