Equal and Opposite - John Ruhlin (Founder of The Ruhlin Group & CSP of Cutco)
Updated: Aug 11
John Ruhlin is an entrepreneur with a big focus on appreciation. In his Paper Napkin Wisdom, John tells us that the people and relationships you appreciate go up in value over time. It’s a lesson John learned early in his business career and it’s something he’s seen to be true over the last 13 years. It’s become so much a part of him and the way he does business, that it is the principle upon which he built his entire company.
While attending university, John began an internship with the Cutco Cutlery Corporation. He decided to pitch his girlfriend’s father, a businessman by the name of Paul, the idea of using Cutco pocketknives as gifts for clients. Paul surprised him by offering a counter-offer; he wanted pairing knives. When John asked why pairing knives rather than pocketknives, Paul explained to him that his clients were all married men and he felt that by appreciating the person who supported his clients (in this case their wives), everything else would take care of itself. It was a revolutionary idea to John and latching on to that one principle soon made him a top distributer at Cutco. In five years, John broke nearly every sales record for Cutco distributors.
The concept of appreciating people is a simple one but it can be a difficult philosophy to grasp, especially when you’re starting out and don’t have much to give. John says that the harvest from planting seeds of appreciation is a bountiful one. He saw that proven to him time and time again through his mentor, Paul. He describes how Paul was a master of appreciating people and how this often came back to him in unexpected ways.
Appreciating, he says, doesn’t have to be over the top but it does have to be consistent and authentic.
It’s about putting those positive actions out into the universe and recognizing that generosity really does lead to reciprocity. It’s the way we’re wired; when someone is good to us we want to return the favor. It’s the addictive and contagious nature of happiness that causes this karmic cycle to occur. You should especially consider those who are often overlooked, advises John.
This philosophy, the idea of appreciating people and spreading happiness around us, is a reoccurring theme. It’s not a coincidence either, it’s a common thread because happiness breeds gratitude, and gratitude breeds success.
Treating people well, being thoughtful, encouraging positivity, these things are intrinsic parts of success that are as contagious as happiness itself.
Listen to the conversation with John here:
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