People You Should Know
People You Should Know: Reed Nyffeler
Three Letters That Can Change Your Future
OMAHA, NE (MPG) - “Why not me?”
Three simple words. Yet Reed Nyffeler believes adding three letters to an ordinary question can change the direction of someone’s life.
Consider how many talented people spend years becoming exceptional employees. They solve problems, manage teams, develop expertise and help businesses succeed. Yet when an opportunity appears to build something of their own, they hesitate. Not because they lack ability. Because fear begins making their decisions. Fear of failure. Fear of financial uncertainty. Fear of what others might think.
Nyffeler understands that hesitation. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he developed experience in sales, technology and franchising. He recognized an opportunity in the security industry, even though he had never worked in security himself. He could have listed all the reasons he wasn’t qualified. Instead, he changed the question. “Why not me?”
That shift helped him recognize something important: every successful entrepreneur once entered a business without knowing everything required to succeed. What mattered was his willingness to learn, apply what he learned and keep moving forward.
Today, the security franchise he built operates across 48 states and nine countries. He says he has helped more than 500 people become business owners.
But his story becomes even more interesting when you discover how his understanding of leadership evolved. One of his most valuable lessons came from his one-year-old daughter, Emma.
Reed told her it was time to brush her teeth. She refused. His wife approached the situation differently. Instead of telling Emma what to do, she offered a choice: Would she like to brush her teeth herself, or have Dad do it? Emma chose to do it herself.
A simple parenting moment became a leadership breakthrough. “Instead of making a statement, I ask a question.”
Think about what happens when leaders constantly provide answers. Employees become dependent on them. Decisions pile up. Initiative disappears. But when leaders ask thoughtful questions, people begin thinking independently. They develop confidence, make decisions and accept responsibility for the results.
This philosophy became central to Nyffeler’s book, Lead Exponentially, which explores developing leaders who can develop others. And it reveals an uncomfortable truth for many entrepreneurs: The person who built the business can eventually become the person limiting its growth.
Reed applies a similarly practical approach to starting and scaling companies. Many founders begin by imagining millions of customers, enormous revenues and a successful exit. He recommends beginning somewhere much smaller. One customer. One day.
Can you create something valuable enough that one person benefits from it today? If you can, you have a foundation. Serve that customer well. Learn what works. Improve the experience. Then repeat.
The business Reed helped build eventually reached approximately 10,000 customers daily. Yet the principle remains unchanged: sustainable growth begins with delivering value to an individual.
This perspective becomes especially relevant as artificial intelligence transforms how businesses operate. Reed offers another meaning for AI: Authentic Interaction.
Technology can accelerate work, analyze information and automate processes. But it cannot eliminate the importance of genuine human connection. People still want to be understood. They want to trust the people serving them. They want relationships that extend beyond transactions. And as technology becomes more accessible, those qualities may become increasingly valuable.
Reed also encourages people searching for direction to examine their natural strengths. What do others consistently come to you for? What problems do you solve almost instinctively? Sometimes the abilities we take for granted provide the strongest clues to where we can make a meaningful contribution.
His message ultimately returns to the question that helped launch his entrepreneurial journey. Don’t allow fear to make decisions that belong to you. Ask “Why not me?” Then embrace Reed Nyffeler’s challenge: “Find a way to be exceptional.”
Listen to my complete interview with Reed Nyffeler on The Tony DUrso Show: https://tonydurso.com/reed-nyffeler.