I am excited to announce the official relaunch of a podcast that was originally conceived as an afterthought.  Initially, I was creating educational videos and hosting thought provoking Facebook live conversations and figured I would meet people where they were by providing them with an opportunity to listen to rather than watch the content.  Although not a terrible idea, my friend and Master Podcaster Doug Sandler encouraged and educated me on how to do this better.  Thanks for raising the bar Doug!  Now it’s time for me to tell you a little about myself, my journey, what you can expect from this podcast and how you will benefit from spending some time with me and my guests each week.

I’m a people person.  I’m a self proclaimed relationship marketer that understands the importance of establishing and nurturing genuine connections with others.  I believe the personal and professional network of people in your life is of considerable value and your MOST powerful resource to achieve great success.  My heart is firmly dedicated to serving others because I recognize that Winston Churchill was spot on when he said “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.  I’m a partner in business and in life to my immensely talented, creative and beautiful wife Emily.  I’m a dedicated and loving parent to our nearly 4 year old daughter Frankie.  She is the most amazing little girl, I love every minute I spend with her and she actively makes me want to be a better person every single moment of each and every day!

So that’s who I am, in a nutshell.  Now, here’s a little about my journey…

Way back in the late 90s when the internet wasn’t quite a thing, six Friends in New York City’s Greenwich village were still just acquaintances and wedding guests were packing the dance floor for the Macarena, I got my first job in the hospitality industry.  (yeah, I’m that old…no wait, that experienced)  I was hired as a Conference Service Manager at a gorgeous seaside resort in the quaint town of Santa Barbara, California.  I worked at a 24 acre 360 room resort with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean…yeah, life was good.  After seven years, two promotions and one Director of the Year Award, I was recruited to take over as the Director of Events at the world renowned Beverly Hilton.  It was there that the course of my life took a DRAMATIC turn.  See, after just about a year, as my thirtieth birthday approached, I was ABSOLUTELY miserable.  I mean MISERABLE with a capital M.  But I couldn’t quite figure out why?  It’s not like I wasn’t used to the hard work, responsibility and long hours.  As you would expect from hospitality professionals, most of the hotel staff and team were awesome.  I soon discovered it seemed as though my priorities, core values and moral compass did not align well with those of my current business environment.  Let’s just say People First Then Profit did not resonate.  During one of many challenging conferences that required exceedingly long days for the better part of a week, I watched the sun rise over the hotel’s iconic pool AGAIN and realized that, for my own wellbeing,  I NEEDED to get out.  

Just a few weeks later I accepted a job at the corporate office, packed up and was headed to Dallas, TX.  Having reclaimed my nights and weekends, I decided to dust off my camera.  My passion for photography was reignited!  Two short years later, when Hilton was acquired and the project I was working on was abruptly cancelled the idea of returning to a hotel was not at all appealing.  Together, as in all things, Emily and I decided to make a go of it as professional photographers.  It started as a side hustle in 2007.  We were doing pretty well and we were encouraged and excited about the future.  Then the Great Recession of 2008 hit…hard.  Clients were harder to find, budgets were down and competition in the marketplace was OFF THE CHARTS.  Nevertheless we persisted!  In an effort to differentiate ourselves from our competition and gain ownership of the market, we were determined to build a brand that people love.  But, how?  Well, first we used our rallying cry of People First Then Profit as our foundation.  We applied this principle to all aspects of our business hoping we would create what we now call the Maya Anjelou effect.  See, she is noted for saying, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  THAT is how you create a brand that people love.  You work tirelessly to ensure that EVERYONE (not just clients) have a deep emotional connection to you and your business.  We successfully rebranded to The Mamones in 2012, formed an LLC and opened a brick and mortar studio in 2013 and added three associate photographers to our team.  Thirteen years, numerous events and countless projects later our photography studio is respected by professional partners and trusted by a curated list of distinguished clients.  

Incidentally, I’m not sharing this history with you to brag or for a pat on the back.  Ultimately, I wanted to share how I got here because I believe that it takes a tremendous amount of hard work and tireless dedication to survive but I also know, from experience, that there are steps you can take to do much more than just survive…you can THRIVE!

Each Tuesday I’m going to welcome a successful business owner or entrepreneur for a no holds barred conversation about important business topics such as branding, marketing, sales and the experience you create for your partners, clients and brand fans.  We’ll identify and discuss the perils and pitfalls of business ownership and entrepreneurship (of which there are many).  In addition to sharing some stories and anecdotes from my personal and professional life, I am going to encourage my guests to do the same because they are oftentimes emotional, entertaining and a great way to see how the secrets we share can be applied in real life situations.  Ultimately the intention of this podcast is to provide you with inspiration to set daunting goals of enormous proportions, motivation to crush those goals and education to increase efficiency and maximize your return.  That’s right, this podcast is a weekly catalyst for you and your business. Who doesn’t want to succeed faster and with less work?

Well, there you have it.  That’s a little bit about me, my journey and what you can expect from the People First Then Profit Podcast.  As a loud and proud Relationship Marketer I anticipate that my guests and listeners will form an ongoing community of professionals committed to everyone’s mutual betterment and success.  We’re stronger together and we succeed together!  I welcome you to the People First Then Profit revolution. 

Listen to the People First Then Profit podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-3-1-welcome-to-the-people-first-then-profit-revolution/id1500987210?i=1000488488127