Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com January 30, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 21 BIZ BOOKS Onyx Moonshine's journey to revive the American spirit "L iving Proof — Onyx Moon- shine's Journey to Revive the American Spirit — Business Principles from the Mind of a Moon- shiner" by Adam von Gootkin (The Career Press, $15.99). The author and Pete Kowalczyk co- founded Onyx and can trace their moon- shining lineage back to the mid-1800s in Connecticut where "Yan- kee shine" was made from corn and malted grains, rather than sugar cane that Southerners used. It became a business for them in 2009 — even though they knew nothing about making liquor or distribution channels. Why'd they decide on moonshine in an already- crowded beverage market? It was a unique niche that was underserved. How'd they start? They read every book they could find and scoured the internet for information. Their networking found a guy who designed alcoholic bever- ages for Heublein Company, which brought Smirnoff Vodka to the U.S. market in the 1950s, and a seed investor. How'd they cre- ate sales? In addition to calling on retailers to create awareness, they introduced their network to the product. People began call- ing retailers and asking if they carried the product; retailers began calling them. What did they learn as they built their business? While partners need to have clearly defined roles backed by a part- nership agreement, talk things through because what seems tiny to one may be seen as a game-changer by the other. When it comes to employ- ees, learn to delegate. You take time away from your impor- tant tasks when you try to do their jobs, too. Don't fear the F-word (failure). Investors under- stand that plans rarely go as planned. They want to see an entrepreneur who makes moves, not excuses and never quits. The message: Opportunity thrives on an attitude of "Anything they can do, you can do better." When you see a gap in the mar- ketplace, move quickly to fill it. • • • "Zombies Ate My Business — How to Keep Your Traditional Business from Becoming One of the Undead" by Jamie Gerdsen (Greenleaf Book Group, $16.95). Mainstay neighborhood businesses have been under attack for quite some time from big-box stores and web-based shop- ping. Gerdsen, the owner of Apollo Home, an HVAC company, believes that many local businesses saw themselves as victims; they gave up and closed. The reason they gave up: Like the walking dead, they led a stag- nant, narrowly-focused existence. Their enemy wasn't really the bigger, multi- option competitors; the enemies lived within — "sameness and maturity." The employees were the same; the products/services were the same; the customers were the same; the daily operations were run the same way. "This is what we do and how we do it" routines made the businesses one-trick ponies. The "zombie business" owner bases decisions on what's least disruptive, rather than "what needs to be done to make them grow." The zombie forgets that creativ- ity was the lifeblood of any business. Employees were infected, too; they became zombies by default because new ideas weren't wanted. They did their jobs with little enthusiasm. So how can you change the culture from sameness and maturity to growth? While new blood may be part of the answer, the owner must be willing to drive change. How can he/ she drive it? Gerdsen uses the example of the two choices he examined as CEO of Apollo Home. 1. Expanding locally and regionally through acquisition would expand sales territory. While there would be economies of administrative scale and new customers, the core business would remain the same. 2. Adding complementary business lines via startup or acquisition would expand offerings and engage a broader demograph- ic. Gerdsen chose this option. Apollo HVAC became Apollo Home as it added plumb- ing and drain cleaning, electrical, handyman and appliance repair. Service contracts and home warranties bun- dled many services. The business grew again. The bottom line: "Victim of circumstance" isn't a busi- ness strategy. Think about what else you could do, then execute. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS From Guyana to Storrs, caring is key to building great communities By Ted Carroll I am in the community-building business. I am driven by a desire to create places where people can trust and support one another in ways that allow each person to learn, grow and contribute to a common purpose. A big goal, to be sure, but one I have found possible to reach provided I remember to start small. If strong, healthy community is what I want, I bet- ter start with strong, healthy relation- ships with people, one at a time. And that can begin with a short elevator ride with a stranger. Really, what can you exchange with someone in the time it takes to go from your third floor office to the ground floor lobby? On a cold afternoon last week, I decided to take a short walk. As I buttoned my jacket, my elevator mate told me how beautiful it was outside. Detecting what I thought was a Jamaican accent, I questioned him: "You like the cold?" "Sure," he said, "I used to live in Montreal." Now, I'm really intrigued. How did this black man from another part of the world find his way to Canada and come to like the cold? Over the next 30 minutes, I learned that my new friend, Charles, was actually born in Guy- ana, left as a teenage boy in search of a better life, moved in with relatives in Montreal and then some 20 years ago came to Hartford. He now works for the property-management com- pany that takes care of our Laurel Street offic- es. In fact, he had re-painted our office door the previous week, but I hadn't really noticed him. This time, fortunately, I did. And we proceeded to have a great conversation about villages, cul- tures, the downsides of too much wealth, the need to return home, the joys of grandchildren and other profound truths. Among the many stories Charles shared during our short conversation was about how in his village in Guyana everyone would support one another. "If someone was build- ing a new home, everyone would instinctively jump in to help. We all knew and cared about one another." That sense of community is one of the reasons why Charles intends to return to Guyana after he retires. While most of us are not willing to give up the benefits of a modern, more affluent soci- ety, there is something inside us that yearns to feel connected with others around a sense of shared purpose. I suspect it's the reason why retirement from work can be so challenging for many people. It's been well documented that war veterans often have a similar struggle. Sebastian Junger points out in his recently published book, "Tribe" that what former com- batants miss "presumably isn't danger or loss, but the unity that these things often engender." Effective leaders tap into our human desire to belong and to contribute to some- thing greater than ourselves. And when lead- ers do that well, they can inspire ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. Geno Auriemma has no All-Americans on his cur- rent UConn women's basketball team, but his squad is undefeated this season and has con- tinued the program's record-breaking win- ning streak dating back to Nov. 2014. There are many keys to Auriemma's suc- cess, of course, but one thing his players have always understood is that he cares. Not just about winning, but about them. Jennifer Rizzotti, captain of the UConn women's basketball team that won the first national championship in 1995, once told a Leadership Greater Hartford audience how well Coach Auriemma knew his players. "And he told me that if I'm going to be leading this team," said Rizzotti, "I better know and care about them as well." Effective leaders know that, to engage the talents and energies of others around a collec- tive cause, they must first pay attention to the needs, aspirations and ideas of individual mem- bers of the group. This can be done in a variety of ways and in multiple settings. It can even start by talking to strangers in elevators. n Ted Carroll is the president of Leadership Greater Hartford. Ted Carroll ▶ ▶ Opportunity thrives on an attitude of 'Anything they can do, you can do better.' When you see a gap in the marketplace, move quickly to fill it.

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