Speaking

simply as one businessman to a group of others, Mayor Bob

Lenox shared some of his personal business philosophy to

the crowd of some 200 at the Peachtree City Rotary Club's

annual luncheon for its phone book advertisers.

The Rotary

phone books are scheduled to be delivered in October. The

club announced at the luncheon that distribution would be

increased 25 percent this year, to 40,000, and

advertising revenue is also up 25 percent.

Taking

advantage of a prime opportunity to talk about something

besides city issues, Lenox drew on his experience as sole

owner of a national company for his remarks at last

week's luncheon, entitled "Three Things I've Learned

About Business."

Starting in

1982 with his former partner, $75,000 and four paid

employees, Lenox has seen Continuous Forms & Checks

grow to more than 400 employees and over $40 million in

annual sales, with eight locations across the United

States.

The company

went operational in October of 1982, made a small profit

in December of that year, and has been profitable ever

since, Lenox said. It is now one of the top forms

manufacturers in the country.

Throughout

his speech, Lenox stressed the importance of each

businessperson's reputation, especially when dealing with

others in the community. "Your reputation can work

for you or against you," he said.

His company

tries to buy within Fayette County whenever possible, and

it only takes a few phone calls to find out the

reputation of a local business, he noted. This tied in

directly with the first of his three main points: Make

sure every undertaking is a win-win situation for

everyone involved.

The second

item was short and to the point: Trust your employees.

People who feel that they must manage every aspect of a

particular operation will be unhappy and make their

employees unhappy as well, Lenox said.

"If

you are burned or disappointed by employees, don't become

cynical or use the `kindergarten' approach [punishing

everyone for one person's doings]," he added.

"By trusting people, you all can pick each other up

when necessary."

Lenox also

emphasized the importance of knowing and being

comfortable with the numbers of one's particular

business. Before taking a business risk, the parties

involved should be thoroughly familiar with the financial

forecast no matter what the outcome, he said.

"Unless

your business is your hobby, you're probably trying to

make it grow," Lenox said when pointing out the

importance of knowing what's working financially.