CONCORD, N.C. -- Rick Hendrick is a busy man.
But the owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group spent time with business publication Inc. to cover a plethora of topics -- including how he manages his busy days.
"The key for me is to be willing to be super flexible so I can serve our employees," Hendrick said. "It's not their job to serve me. It's my job to serve them. We have some awfully good people at both companies. They're good at what they do, and they know if they need me, they can call and I'll be there."
Hendrick has often said that he's in "the people business," and the phrase comes up in the Inc. interview. He explains why teamwork is one of the most important characteristics of both of his companies.
"We're a lot stronger as a group than we are as individuals," he said. "When you're in two very competitive businesses like we are, that means people are always trying to beat you. But when we work together, no one can tear us apart from the outside. The only way we can fail is if we don't work together. Together we sometimes win, together we sometimes lose ... but we always do it together."
In the interview, Hendrick discusses his path from growing up on a farm to owning his first Chevrolet dealership to now running both Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group.
He looks to the future of the automobile business, shares his thoughts on giving back to charity and doles out advice for anyone looking to build a company.