Business mogul and former presidential hopeful Herman Cain made an exclusive Houston public appearance Thursday morning, presenting a talk on leadership strategies to members of the Texas Women's Empowerment Foundation (TWEF) at the nonprofit's annual financial summit.

Anointed by the Tea Party before a sexual-misconduct scandal led to his exit from the 2012 primaries, Cain has made a name for himself in the past year as a charismatic, straight-talking pundit with years of business experience as owner and CEO of Godfather's Pizza. Still with his presidential campaign rocked by multiple sexual harassment accusations, Cain seems to be something of a curious choice for a women's group.

Not that anyone in the Cain-friendly crowd appeared fazed by it.

Aside from a several jabs at governmental regulation, the restaurant tycoon kept politics to a minimum in a warmly-received motivational speech lasting roughly 50 minutes.

"The first principle I've experienced throughout my 45-year career is the success is a journey not a destination," he said to a room of nearly 200 attendees at the Royal Sonesta hotel near The Galleria. "If you stand still, you lose. You must always be growing, always looking forward and always reinventing your business and yourself."

For those looking for the keys to success, Cain encouraged the audience to strive to be what he called CEOs of self. "How can you be a CEO of business if you're not a CEO of self first?"

• Working on the right problem
• Asking the right question
• Removing barriers that prevent success

Cain covered each of the three rules with examples from his own career before joining Texas state representative Sylvester Turner for a brief sit-down discussion about the businessman's childhood in pre-Civil Rights Georgia, his early work as a young executive with Burger King and his forthcoming syndicated radio show.