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!
