Tilman Fertitta Shut Up And Listen Summary

Hard Business Truths That Will Help You Succeed

Loyd Woodward
4 min readOct 2, 2020

Shut Up and Listen is a book written by Tilman Fertitta.

Some of you might have heard of him and his businesses or you are unknowingly one his many customers.

Whatever the case, this is one man who deserves your ear when it comes to guiding in your entrepreneurship journey.

It’s certainly not everyday that you get to learn from people who have walked the talk.

Tilman has walked through the fierce fires of the business world and the fact that he came out alive has earned him enough credibility to start talking.

And as he would say…

You might think you know what you’re doing, but I’m going to show you what you don’t know.

Shut Up and Listen!

Tilman Fertitta Shut Up And Listen Book Summary

Tilman Fertitta Shut Up And Listen Book Summary
image source: tilmanfertitta.com

The Shut Up and Listen book is divided into 5 core sections that I am going to be summarizing here.

I am going to be sharing some of my key ideas from each section.

Here they are:

SECTION 1: HOSPITALITY (“IF THEY WANT SCRAMBLED EGGS . . .”)

Every successful business is built around hospitality. However you handle a customer can make or break your business.

It starts with how you talk with them. And you don’t need to memorize any special words or magic sentences. The rule is simple: when talking to a customer, be sure to make the conversation all about them.

Your customers want to be heard more than anything and the businesses that take their time to listen are the successful ones.

SECTION 2: YOU’D BETTER KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

The premise of this section is the fact that if you don’t know your numbers you will go out of business.

I struggle to put gas in my car. I wouldn’t even know how to change the oil. But you can bring in a business that I’ve never seen before, and I can tell you in three or four minutes if it’s a good business, what the numbers are, and what that business is worth.

Entrepreneurs should know their numbers inside and out in order to drive their businesses to the desired destination.

SECTION 3: THE 95:5 RULE: WHAT’S YOUR “FIVE”?

This is what sets businesses apart. The majority of businesses are really good at 95% of whatever they are doing but it is the remaining 5% that can make all the difference. Tilman encourages entrepreneurs to find their 5% and then do everything they need to do to make their businesses excel in those areas.

SECTION 4: SEE THE OPPORTUNITY, SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

Successful entrepreneurs are opportunists.

Building a business that does something different or something better is the secret for success. Great entrepreneurs are the ones can make the most out of situations saturated in chaos and confusion.

SECTION 5: LIVE YOUR LEADERSHIP

Great leaders are revealed when times are bad and great leadership goes hand-in-hand with great businesses.

Anyone can be a leader when times are good. It’s when things are bad that you have the opportunity to show what you’re really made of.

It is very important for entrepreneurs to concentrate on improving their leadership skills.

My Key Takeaway:

Here are some of my key takeaways from the Shut Up and Listen Book…

Never Stop Worrying About Your Business.

I don’t fear anything, but I worry about everything.

If you are an entrepreneur it is very important to start worrying, anticipating, planning, and being proactive because the factors that kick us out of business can come from the blind spots we all have when we juggle the many roles and skill sets needed to successfully run a business. It is way too easy for complacency and overconfidence to set in, which leads to ignoring crucial details.

If you would like to learn some strategies that other entrepreneurs are using to stay ahead of their game in this digital world then the free 30 days summit from ClickFunnels can help you a lot.

Keep listening.

Who Is Tilman Fertitta?

tilman fertitta

Tilman Fertitta is an American entrepreneur and self made billionaire who is currently ranked as the 153rd richest person in America on the Forbes 400 List.

Fertitta is the owner of restaurant brands including Mastro’s, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Rainforest Café, Chart House, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Landry’s Seafood House, Saltgrass Steak House, and thirty-five other concepts.

He also owns five Golden Nugget casinos and hotels and NBA’s Houston Rockets.

Disclosure: I am an independent ClickFunnels Affiliate, not an employee. I receive referral payments from ClickFunnels. The opinions expressed here are my own and are not official statements of ClickFunnels or its parent company, Etison LLC.

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