Flying Fish Biz Futures Consulting is all about "The Art of Enlivening Dead Fish", the brainchild of John Yokoyama, owner of "World Famous Pike Place Fish" and Jim Bergquist, founder of bizFutures Consulting Company.

John purchased Pike Place Fish in 1965. At that time, John was one of several employees of the quiet, unassuming little fish stand. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to sell the business, John's employer offered him the opportunity. As a young man of 25, John was at first hesitant to buy the business. However, the monthly payments on his new 1965 Buick Riviera were taking most of his pay. He decided he could do better on an owner's salary and went ahead and bought the company...so, originally, John purchased Pike Place Fish in order that he could make his car payments - amazing how things have turned out!

Over the years humble little Pike Place Fish became "World Famous" Pike Place Fish, a dynamic, fast-paced retail fish market that's fun for both customers and employees! The antics of the fish-flinging staff have become the highlight of the Pike Place Market, and have been featured in Spike Lee's Levi commercial, on NBC's "Frasier," MTV's "Real World," and ABC's "Good Morning America". The "low-flying fish" have been captured on film and immortalized in print by filmmakers and journalists from all over the world.

In 1996, Charthouse Educational Corporation produced two award winning corporate training films, Fish and Fish Sticks. These two videos document the amazing culture of Pike Place Fish and have become the best selling corporate training videos in the world. In a CNN Special Report on January 26, 2001, CNN identified the three most fun places to work in the United States. The World Famous Pike Place Fish Market was #1!

At the company website, John has received many requests from other businesses and organizations to coach and instruct them on the underlying principles that have given shape to his company. To accommodate these requests, John, along with his coach/consultant, Jim Bergquist from bizFutures Consulting Company, has formed a new company, The Flying Fish/bizFutures Consulting Team, LLC.

The team now travels to company conventions and special events where John and the Fishmongers deliver their Fish Wisdom in a way that is fun, educational and inspiring. The team also produces an array of very effective mini-workshops for managers and employees as well as a seminar entitled "INSIDE-OUT: Principles for Creating a Vital Workplace" which is held periodically in Seattle.

Presentation

These are all high energy/high impact presentations that are fun, educational and designed to leave people inspired and engaged.

Topic Option 1:

Loving What You Do--Doing What You Love ~ Taking a look at the importance of having a powerful vision and what it takes to create a work environment that empowers people to be great at what they do--and love doing it.

Topic Option 2:

Creative Listening ~ We've discovered that most people don't listen but think they do. This topic explores the kind of awareness that's required to listen to people powerfully.

Topic Option 3:

Team Building: From Managing To Coaching ~ In this topic we address the kind of creativity and productivity that's possible when managers transform themselves into coaches who are out to enhance their player's performance and build great teams. We show people how to get started being coaches.

Topic Option 4:

Beyond Customer Service--An Opportunity to Make a Difference ~ Most organizations know that their relevance and indeed their very existence can depend on the quality of service they provide for their customers (both external and internal). In this topic we share what it takes to deliver service that actually impacts the quality of someone's life.

Topic Option 5:

A Game Worth Playing--Creating a Company People Love Working For ~ What does it take to have people stay with your company? What does it take for them to decide your company is the place to be...the place they want to build their future? In this segment, we explore the possibility of creating a place for people to build their future.

Topic Option 6:

A Topic Specifically Designed for You ~ You allow us to interview three or four appropriate people from your group to determine what topic would make the most difference for your organization and we'll do that!