The Bennetts: Connecting Businesses Far and Wide

How can two people from surprisingly different backgrounds build a hugely successful business? Meet Bob and Linda Bennett, owners of Comm World of Kansas City.

A bit of history

From her earliest childhood Linda, of Lee’s Summit, wanted to be an actress. She followed that dream through college by majoring in theatre at University of Kansas. Although she admits that she only went to college because her friends did, she knows it was a good decision. Soon she realized that Linda and acting were not a practical blend. For several years she taught public speaking, debate, mass media and theatre to students with the same love at the former Grandview East Junior High. She developed the theatre program there and discovered that, “Junior high kids can do some pretty amazing things.”

Born in Ironton, Missouri, Bob followed his father’s practical life advice to all seven siblings. “My whole concept was that if I treat people right, if I do things right and put great effort into whatever I do, then whatever I do is going to turn out okay. So I did not have any aspirations.” He left home at 17, eventually joined the Air Force and then used his military electronics and communications skills in the workforce.

As fate would have it, Bob knew some of Linda’s friends which led to their meeting in Westport one night in December 1975. They were married two years later.

“I had always wanted to go to college, even though my family was not very big on it,” Bob shares. “When I met Linda I was employed but by our first date I was a student. I decided on the spur of a moment to use my GI Bill for college before it expired. Longview Community College was the only school that would accept me into the semester.” From Longview, the man who attended a one room school house in first grade continued to earn an MBA from University of Missouri Kansas City.

After his graduation, Bob convinced Linda that, “She could go further and do more in the business world.” She believed him and has proven it so.

“We had the opportunity to be minority owners in a small business. But it did not work out well,” Linda confides. When the Bennetts realized the dishonesty of their partner they walked out, leaving them flat broke.

“It just seemed like everything was going south for us,” Bob adds.

“Things around our house were breaking,” Linda continues. “We weren’t running the air conditioning to save money but every window had been painted shut. They were actually breaking while we tried to open them.

“Worst during that time was when our two year old dachshund became paralyzed because of a ruptured disc in her back.” The only chance was an expensive surgery at University of Missouri Columbia. “We absolutely did not have the money. But she was our kid and there was no question. When she came back she was still paralyzed. We walked her and did water therapy with her everyday for four months. One day we saw a twitch in her little back legs. Two weeks later she was walking.” Scarlett lived to age 19.

A month after the business fail, Linda’s father hired them to paint houses for his handyman business. Bob tells the story of a pivotal point in their life journey when, at that time, a friend recommended they read Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. “We both read that book and started the goal list. We still have the original pages. My number one goal was to own a Corvette. In June of ’83, I put five thousand down on a new Corvette. Linda’s big goal was a trip to Europe. That’s when goal setting became real to us. The book was so uplifting. And I thought, you know, this will work if I want it to. When you’re at the bottom you just have to look up. When we made that list, we believed it. We’ve scratched off over a page of those goals, including owning our own business and a little farm with horses.”

A few weeks later Bob answered an ad to manage the Kansas City branch of Comm World. The head of the company flew in from Denver to interview Bob even though he had offered the job to someone else. He was intrigued by Bennett and promised that if the other applicant waivered, Bob would be the first person to know. Three days later he called, “He waivered.”

“I started Comm Word of Kansas City on October 19, 1981. And it turned out to be pretty good because a few months later they decided to franchise. Linda and I bought the first franchise offered.”

Linda fills in, “That was buying it on paper, not giving anybody any money. We still didn’t have any.”

Bob continues, “At its peak Comm World had sixty-eight offices nationwide. We were always in the top three. Linda and I helped sell the concept and developed the complete sales program for the whole network.”

Any changes over the years?

“Before I met Bob, I had a negative impression of sales people that they were just trying to get me to buy something I didn’t need or want. He taught me that the profession of sales is honorable, that a good sales person is looking out for the best interest of clients.  A good sales person’s goal is to get clients what they really need and/or want even when they don’t know what they need or want. That’s very true in our industry because most people don’t buy phone systems everyday. We have to guide them. For me, there’s been a lot of sales training and learning. We’ve been privileged to be part of organizations that have been helpful in learning how to be a better business owner. Like the Helzburg Entrepreneur Mentoring Program. We were a “25 under 25” business award winner, which is a gift that keeps on giving because of their programs that have helped both of us.”

Bob continues, “The first twenty years Linda and I did not join many organizations. We just put our nose to the ground when we realized this was a very competitive industry. It could even be very mean, which we learned in the first year or two. We kind of went under the radar and decided that we were going to run an excellent company that makes sure all customers are taken care of. In 2001, we joined an organization that impressed on us the need to get back into the community and start giving back. It’s been very good.

“When I was in the fifth grade I read about Einstein only using twenty percent of his brain. I thought, everyone should use at least that much if Einstein did. And in fifth grade I thought to myself, somewhere, somehow there are keys that when you attain these keys you can unlock your capabilities to use more than twenty percent of your brain. I kept it in the back of my mind that one day I would search for those keys. Well, about ten years ago I started searching for them and slowly but surely through my studies I am starting to find one at a time. It’s proving to be very, very interesting.”

CommWorld and You

CommWorld of Kansas City celebrates 30 years in October 2011, which is quite an accomplishment for two people who never dreamed about so great an accomplishment until just about thirty years ago.  It proves they know how to serve their clients well. CommWorld provides phone systems and equipment, voicemail, and all kinds of related products to keep businesses connected to the outside world.  When your business is looking for the best and most affordable systems that will keep you connected with seamless communications in and out of the office, Bob and Linda Bennett will discover, with you, the unique plan to make that happen. Contact them at 6200 Main Street, Grandview, Missouri or 816.763.1100. CommWorld of Kansas City.