By John Breech / STAFF

When it comes to running a business, few have as much experience as North Fulton resident Steve Beecham. The affable 49-year-old has successfully run five businesses since opening up his first one, a clothing store, in 1984. Since then, Beecham has owned a garbage business (an owner bought him out), rented real estate and now, he’s the president of a thriving mortgage company in Alpharetta.

For years, Beecham ran his companies the old-fashioned and tedious way: he would cold call for sales, he would buy leads or he would hold networking meetings looking for new clients. Eventually Beecham came to the conclusion that there had to be a better way.

Through trial and error, Beecham eventually came up with a better and more successful way to run a business. Eager to share his findings entrepreneurs everywhere, Beecham wrote a book, “Bass-Ackward Business: The Power of Helping Without Hustling.”

Beecham is a big believer in the art of reciprocity, which led him one day to have this thought, “Instead of cold calling and looking for customers, what if I spent my days trying to find five or six people to help,” he asked himself. “I would unselfishly just go out and try to help them.”

Beecham’s belief is that by helping people, they may come to him if they need something down the road in his field of business. And the stranger he helped may refer another friend to Beecham. Think about it: if you need to talk to someone in the mortgage business, are you going to go to a complete stranger, or someone who helped your sixth grader find a math tutor?

The art of reciprocity is only a small part of Beecham’s 89-page book. He also encourages future and current capitalists to be ‘the Mayor of your village.’ He says people should be the ‘go-to’ person in their sphere of influence.

Beecham is living proof that the advice in his book works. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has listed him as one of the top five loan officers in the state. His mortgage company, Home Town Mortgage, has been listed as one of the top five mortgage companies in the state of Georgia. Steve Beecham has a successful secret and he’s willing to share it with everyone.

Steve Beecham’s book, “Bass-Ackward Business: The Power of Helping Without Hustling,” is on sale now at
www.bassackwardbusiness.com.