The Jon Schultz Podcast: The Myth of Overnight Success

Pam Liebman, CEO of Corcoran Group, had an early interest in real estate that ignited a decades-long career. From the beginning, she took the bull by the horns, jumped into figuring out high-stakes real estate, and forged her path. Discover how Pam rose from brand-new real estate agent to CEO of a company achieving $23 billion in sales annually and still growing. When Barbara Corcoran interviewed Pam Liebman, she predicted Pam wouldn't last long there, not in the real estate industry. It’s something the two have laughed about many years later. A young Pam quickly established herself as the top broker in a growing company. Within a year, she took on a manager role. Since then, she has handled multiple acquisitions, started what is now Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, and overseen the franchising and expansion of Corcoran Group. If you’re interested in learning how Corcoran grew into the industry leader it is today, gain insights by listening to Pam Liebman and her mindset. Pam talks about some early deals and her lessons learned from being unafraid to ask questions and break the rules. She gets candid about her top mistakes and reveals some real estate advice she gives to managers and brokers.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to work in the NFL? Mike Tannenbaum, the founder of The 33rd Team and NFL Front Office Insider for ESPN pulls back the curtain to reveal how he landed his dream job as the former General Manager of the New York Jets. Once you get your foot in the door, keep proving your value, and no one will kick you out. Mike was always the kid with a passion for sports. He sorted mail by day and spooned nacho cheese for the Pittsburgh Mets at night–for free. Even when he attended Tulane University Law School, he thought about sports and continued interning with teams. Mike saw an opportunity when the rule changed to free agency; he wanted to show how teams and coaches could leverage the salary cap. He sent 60 letters with his book to NFL coaches and GMs; all it took was 59 rejection letters and one yes. For Mike, it always comes down to creating value. When you focus on acquiring skills that add value for all, that’s when you stand out. Thanks to his hard work and skill development, he finally got his chance to become General Manager of the New York Jets. At the time, he was the youngest GM in the NFL. Mike reflects on his time with the Jets and his picks for best and worst decisions as a GM. Today, Mike seeks to bring value to others through his new career as a professor at Columbia University and as the NFL Front Office Insider for ESPN. He is passionate about using what he has learned in his career to helping other aspiring sports professionals. Hear about The 33rd Team and how it is elevating others with the same love he has for sports.

Yanni Hufnagel, Founder of Lemon Perfect, is on a mission to help make America healthier. Learn why the former collegiate basketball coach decided to shift his passion for building teams from the courts into the beverage industry. Listen to how he evolved from a cut basketball player into a collegiate coach and now CEO of a fast-growing business. Yanni remembers as a kid playing under the covers at night, building starting lineups with figurines. He wanted nothing more than to be a basketball player, but being the last guy cut from the basketball team sent him in another direction. Soon he was voicing games and working on the operations side of the court. Hear how a chance conversation turned into an opportunity to be a manager for Cornell’s basketball team. Before he knew it, Yanni was interning for the New Jersey Nets, learning from industry greats, serving as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma, and then coaching at programs like Vanderbilt, Harvard, and Cal-Berkeley. He was coaching in Nevada when he had the idea for Lemon Perfect. Drinking lemon water had become part of his wellness routine, but Yanni figured there had to be a better and healthier way to create flavored lemon water. He gave up coaching to pursue the idea. Through the ups and downs of launching into the competitive beverage industry, Yanni has always been all-in on delivering the best product at a reasonable price point with the best team of people intending to make America healthier. Gain insights into Yanni’s approach to building a business and a successful team.

Today Frank Sorrentino frequents board rooms as ConnectOne Bank's CEO, but three decades ago, you would find him on a construction site laying brick. A fourth-generation Italian-American and mason, Frank is proud of his roots. His hands-on experience brings a unique perspective that continues to shape his approach as a financial industry executive. In this podcast, Frank talks about watching his grandfather's pride in his tools and work. Those values were carried through the generations to him. He started early in the family business as a mason, but he was more fascinated with the operations side of the work. Frank liked the idea of bringing his expertise together with contractors and capital to deliver a product and make a profit. He was around 20 years old when he walked into a bank for his first construction loan. Over time, Frank leveraged his relationships and acquired more knowledge about all facets of the construction industry. His construction business opened the door to the insurance industry. He discusses how his love for understanding and refining processes improved that business. It was also through construction that he learned about the banking industry. His lightbulb moment was his experience dealing with different banks, several mergers, and the firsthand impact of poor customer service. Frank knew that he could bring exceptional customer service to fill a gap in the market, leading to the foundation of what is today ConnectOne bank. Since starting the bank, Frank has weathered several storms, including the great recession of 2008, initiating an IPO when no one else was, several mergers, and taking a pay cut to become CEO. As you'll hear from Frank, every risky move took a blend of courage and commitment to the values he learned as a kid laying brick.

David Rubenstein, the co-founder of the Carlyle Group and author of his newest book “How to Invest”, is one of the world's most accomplished individuals. But the root of who he is starts with his humble upbringing as the only child of two blue-collar parents in Baltimore. His aspirations were not to become wealthy but to work hard and make something of himself. Listen to David's invaluable lessons learned on his journey from aspiring lawyer to founding a financial firm with billions under management to finding joy in philanthropy. As a child, David's parents gave him unconditional support. They believed in the American dream–that you can work hard and make something of yourself. While he never saw himself as a brilliant scholar, David did have a curious mind that he nurtured with lots of reading. That background set the stage for his success as he navigated through law school and landed an advisory position in the White House. David shares some challenges he faced early on and how failures shaped decision-making. When President Carter lost the election, David found himself out of a job and floundering as a lawyer. Hear how he bucked conventions to start a leveraged buyout company in Washington, DC. Along the way, David rethought his definition of success and leaned into the joy of giving to others. Finally, entrepreneurs and investors will appreciate his insights for success. David breaks down four essential traits with examples from his latest book due out this September.

David Meltzer, co-founder of Sports 1 Marketing, was essentially handed the world, only to lose it all. The Variety Sports Humanitarian of Year wasn’t always a humble person; he learned from the school of hard knocks how chasing the wrong goals can impact every aspect of your life. David’s first career goal started with good intentions: to make enough money to buy his mom a house and car. As one of five kids, he saw how his single mom struggled and stressed over money. He became money-driven as a young man because he wanted to take that stress away from her. Some people think David is an overnight success, as he had made millions by the time he was 24. The truth is much different. David explains the myth behind overnight success and the compounding impact of effort. Those efforts can be good or bad, as David learned firsthand. Hear how the negative behaviors built up in David’s life. After a succession of epiphanies, including losing his mom’s house, David realized he had to redirect his efforts and start to serve others, show gratitude, and be happy in the present. David details how he approaches each day and the mindset he uses to walk the walk. No longer chasing money, his life’s mission is to empower over a billion people to be happy.

Becoming a fighter pilot is a career many young kids dream of doing, but only a select few achieve. Joel "Thor" Neeb did earn his place flying some of the world's fastest aircraft, but that's not his true legacy. His world perspective shifted when he was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare type of stage 4 cancer. From 18 months to live to thriving a decade later, Joel's new mission is to inspire others to push their boundaries and chase their dreams. Joel's path started as a kid enthralled by "Top Gun." At the Air Force Academy, he underwent mental, physical, and emotional challenges to become an elite pilot. Joel talks about the destination meaning something and how the journey prepares you for that destination. In a way, the toughness and mental preparation helped ready him for battling cancer. As someone still crushing it in the gym, and a dad of two young kids, hearing he needed massive surgery and maybe had a year to live was shattering. Going through it with his sick toddler was even more mental. But Joel brought the same deliberateness and perseverance to his cancer battle. Sitting in the chemo room with other patients changed his trajectory. It was here he nurtured a positive mental attitude and realized what he truly valued in his life. As it became clear to Joel he was going to survive; he made it his new mission to pursue meaningful moments as hard as he could. Today he lives by his 3G's: growth, giving, and gratitude. Whether it's competing in American Ninja Warrior, authoring his book, or excelling as a VP at software company VMware, Joel continues to push his limits, give to others, and treat each day as a gift.

Actor Steve Schirripa, known for his role in the HBO drama The Sopranos, grew up during the 1960s in a Brooklyn community. He had no theater aspirations when he attended Brooklyn College or when he moved to Las Vegas, where his first job was delivering pizzas. In fact, he didn’t start thinking about an acting career until he was in his 40s. Tune in for the fascinating journey from growing up on welfare to being a successful actor now on CBS’ Blue Bloods. Steve’s story showcases how opportunities flow from one to the next. The pizza delivery guy couldn’t have imagined that one day he’d be meeting celebrities, first as a nightclub bouncer, then as a hotel executive running Las Vegas showrooms for performers and comedians. The shift into acting started because a comedian pal invited him to LA to say a few lines in a show. Now in his 40s, Steve kept at it because he found the experience fun, but he didn’t have the epiphany that he enjoyed acting and wanted to pursue it until he had a small part in a movie. Encouraged by his wife to take a chance, Steve leaped to try something that made him happy. He never expected to be cast in an award-winning show so early in his new career. Nor did Steve anticipate the number of times he had to front his own way. You’ll hear how hustling and working hard at the things he loved helped Steve open doors and shape his career.

Not everyone likes moving goal posts, but for Henry Schuck, CEO of ZoomInfo, it’s how he operates. He believes there is more potential than what he has previously accomplished; as Henry achieves a benchmark, he moves the goal post. This mindset is how ZoomInfo grew from his dorm room into a multi-billion dollar company employing around 3,000 people. Henry’s career started as a door-to-door newspaper salesperson in middle school. It was here he learned how to handle objections and overcome obstacles. As he grew older and attended college, other careers expanded his skillset. Henry learned how to run a company as a nightclub promoter, worked in hospitality, and honed B2B sales with a company launched in the early SaaS market. He intended to become a hotel manager, but his time at MGM Grand showed him it wasn’t a lifestyle he wanted. Henry pivoted to law school. Henry was doing well, but a friend approached him with a business idea he couldn’t say no to. Discover.org, now Zoominfo, was built during his first year in law school. He graduated right into running a company with 12 employees. We walk through how Henry operates and how honesty influences his award-winning company’s culture. Today Henry helms the company he built, now publicly traded and worth in the billions. Tune in to learn from Henry’s mindset and how he stays inspired as the company continues growing.

Not many people become professional athletes, and even fewer do it in their 30s, an age when most athletes begin considering retiring. Dede Griesbauer did exactly that, pivoting from a successful financial career on Wall Street to become a world-record-holding athlete and a three-time Ironman winner. Dede has always been a sporty kid but never saw herself as a standout athlete. She had to walk onto Stanford’s swim team after being turned down but won multiple NCAA honors over her D1 collegiate swim career. While Dede participated in Olympic Trials, she never made the team. She turned her attention to earning an MBA at Wharton and starting a career as an equity trader. In between, she did her first Ironman as a bucket-list adventure, with no idea what the future held. She is attracted to what she calls “shiny objects,” or achievements where you wonder, “can I do that?” Dede was inspired to do another Ironman a few years into her financial career. She qualified for the world championship as an amateur. The qualification started her down a path that saw her quit her lucrative career and turn pro at age 34. Dede shares what has propelled her to keep going, even after injuries, aging challenges, and near-career-ending crashes. Her passion for the sport is evident, but so is the need to chase what motivates her and helps her be her authentic self.