Entrepreneur Marc Sparks, who has run an auto insurance company and a couple of restaurants among his sixty-plus startups in his successful career, knows a thing or two about the importance of quality customer service. He says it’s preposterous that companies spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars acquiring a customer, and then BLOW OFF that customer with lousy service after the sale. “Give me the chance to fix your problems and I’ll have a customer for years to come!”

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You wouldn’t answer your cellphone during a job interview, would you? Not if you want THAT job! To do so screams to your potential employer that he is not worthy of your undivided attention. Marc Sparks, a serial entrepreneur, says the same holds true in almost any meeting situation, from a one-on-one to small groups to board meetings.

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Marc Sparks is an entrepreneur who has been involved in more than sixty start-ups since the Seventies. He is also the founder, owner, and CEO of Timber Creek Capital, a private equity firm. The following is an excerpt from his upcoming book, titled They Can’t Eat You.

Having sat in tens of thousands of meetings, I am somewhat of an expert as to how to conduct productive meetings and eliminate large wastes of time. Here are a few tried–and-true tips for conducting a quality meeting.

Let’s start with an introduction. I’m Marc Sparks, and I am a serial entrepreneur. (And no, this isn’t some 12-step program, though there are those who would say I would definitely benefit from one, if such a group existed for entrepreneurs).  I’ve been a principal in more than sixty start-ups since 1978. My passion is building companies. It’s what I do best. I’m a born builder who loves to create magical and wonderful businesses from scratch. I’ve had some great successes over the years and some colossal losses, too. My life has been one event-filled outrageously wild ride!

This blog will be, too. My blogs will be about inspiring experiences in entrepreneurship, business successes and failures (what not to do is sometimes more important than what to do), world travel, food, health/exercise, faith and tenacity … all peppered with an outrageous sense of urgency.