Vartan Seferian was a top achiever in surgical sales, then he was let go by his company. After plotting his next step, he decided to go with his gut and start his own business. 22 years later, his enterprise, Ambassador Fine Cigars is thriving. Vartan owns two retail cigar stores and prospers even in a world of online shopping. Mr. Seferian discusses his early challenges, going “all in,” the art of creating a customer experience through personal touch, and the need for constant reinvention to differentiate yourself from the competition. You’ll glean a lot of lessons from this immigrant high school drop out who’s achieved the American dream.

I was prepared to lay out business lessons from the folks at Maui Jim sunglasses. Then, something interesting happened. My friend Scott McKain (who’s previously been on the Do Business Better podcast) shared an article about Madonna. The aging pop star seems to have forgotten her fiduciary responsibility to her fans. On her recent Vegas performance she showed up four hours late and was less than respectful to her customers. So, just as I was prepared to tell you how awesome Maui Jim sunglasses are and how well they understand customer care, the Madonna example came up for a stark comparison. Some companies (and some singers) seem to forget whose money they work for. Are you respecting your customers and delivering a performance that will turn them into rabid fans?

If you’re in business, you probably have or consult with a CPA. CPAs crunch numbers, they provide business advice, and they oftentimes tell us what we’re doing wrong. So, imagine being a corporate CPA for a large company, then starting your own enterprise. Jennifer Peek of Peek Advisory Group did just that. And like most folks who leave corporate to pilot their own ship, she found out it was harder than she thought it would be! Jennifer joins us to talk about the lessons she’s learned in 9 years of running her business.

In this episode we discuss the downside of listening to the wrong people and how it can harm our life and business. We also discuss who you should seek out for advice, counsel, and feedback and how you can create your own “advisory group.” In running our own business, we often turn to the banker, accountant, and attorney for advice. These are competent professionals who can help our businesses. But be careful — all three of those occupations are defined by playing defense. These folks will help your business stay legal, stay compliant with the IRS, and stay solvent but that may be where their expertise ends. When it comes to advice, my number one rule is this: only take it from someone who’s accomplished what you are attempting to accomplish.

Andy Ambriole had his first business — a pumpkin patch — at age 9. His parents made him pay rent for the 2 acres and rent their equipment for his endeavor. He was keeping records and understood cash flow by age 10. At age 16 he bought a green house and started an organic tomato business. Upon graduating from high school, Mr. Ambriole determined the ROI on college didn’t pencil out. So, he expanded his organic farming business. Which, as he points out, was a business decision — niches are necessary when you aren’t well capitalized. Today, Andy is 31 and farms 1400 acres of organically certified crops. He hasn’t had a “real job” since he was 20 years old. You’re going to enjoy this discussion!

Andy Ambriole had his first business — a pumpkin patch — at age 9. His parents made him pay rent for the 2 acres and rent their equipment for his endeavor. He was keeping records and understood cash flow by age 10. At age 16 he bought a green house and started an organic tomato business. Upon graduating from high school, Mr. Ambriole determined the ROI on college didn’t pencil out. So, he expanded his organic farming business. Which, as he points out, was a business decision — niches are necessary when you aren’t well capitalized. Today, Andy is 31 and farms 1400 acres of organically certified crops. He hasn’t had a “real job” since he was 20 years old. You’re going to enjoy this discussion!

I have 3 beliefs that guide my life and work. I call them the "ivity" principles. They are: Productivity Breeds Productivity. Activity Creates Activity. And, Positivity Inspires Positivity. Three simple statements I say weekly in running my own business and moving the ball forward in my own life. I share the principles with examples in this episode. You can benefit from applying the "ivities" to your own life and work too!

Are you a good listener? Do you listen to your customers? How about your employees? Listening is a skill many people struggle with and it’s costing them money. Oscar Trimboli, an Australian deep listening expert, shares the 5 levels of listening. He tells us how we can improve our listening and why we need to do so. You’ve probably heard the old saying, “most people listen with the intent of responding, not with the intent of understanding.” That’s true but in the smart phone era it’s gotten even worse — people aren’t listening period! Listen to this episode to become a better listener!

If you’ve read my book or seen my graphics on social media, you’re familiar with Angie. Angie is beginning her 13th year in business, and I’m proud to say I was one of her first clients. She started IBA Design with a laptop and a card table working from her rental house. Now she has five employees and a thriving enterprise. She shares with us how she transitioned from freelancer to business owner, the hard lessons learned from firing bad employees, and the realization that no one shares the commitment to your business that you do. Angie has a good story about growth, biz evolution, and how to keep the creativity flowing in your own business.

We toss around the words “potential” and “talent” pretty freely in business but do those things really matter? Is natural talent a real thing and is it the difference between success and failure? The answer is yes, it’s a real thing, and no, it’s not the only difference between success and failure. That’s the talent myth: the misguided belief that success is based solely on natural talent. In reality, most people’s lack of accomplishment has more to do with a lack of drive than a lack of talent. Truth is, you probably have more talent than you’re giving yourself credit for, you’re just not exploiting it. That’s where the Talent Stack comes in — piling up your B+ skills so they all work together. In this episode we’ll tap your talent stack to make you formidable!