Leave it to the Rat Catcher to construct a better mousetrap or at least to show how selling that mousetrap, widget or car can be more fun. A dirty goof, the Rat Catcher has heckled patrons at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival for additional than 30 years. Few likely would think that the performer behind the unsightly character Carr Hagerman also is a business speaker and advisor who has worked with companies such as Wells Fargo, 3M and Apple.

Hagerman, who grew up in a Minnesota theater family, shaped the Rat Catcher personal when he was 14. He began reading about business, as a diversion, in high school. The two interests combined, as companies hired Hagerman to demonstrate how his street performer skills capturing a crowd's attention, making the most of mishaps, passing the hat to get paid could aid them better attach with customers to improve sales and service.