I’ve always loved fishing. I love teaching people how to fish. So I started a service called the Hookup Outfitters. It’s expanded now to have thirteen guys. I think I’ve got the greatest job in the world.

Basically, I get to take people fishing for a living. Most of my clients are people just like me. People who love the outdoors, who love catching fish, love hearing about the industry, the area, and new techniques.

I actually went to college on a full ride music scholarship. And the year I went up to NAU in Flagstaff, the Pike fishing was really good. I got more addicted to that more than anything else and realized pretty quickly that music was great, but fishing was definitely where my heart was. So I took it and ran from there.

I think at some point in your life you have to start weighing out your options. You spend most of your life at work. Loving what you do and figuring out a way to get paid for it is crucial. In the fishing world, this is a lifestyle job. I’m not going to have a big Penthouse on Park Avenue anytime soon, but I wouldn’t want a penthouse on Park Avenue. I get the lake every day.

The office is definitely the biggest perk of the job. When you take a moment, and stop, take a deep breath and look around, you realize that no matter if it’s work or not work, that this is awesome. You can’t beat this.

“I started out as a graveyard security guard.  I was playing ball in college for maybe six months when my son was born.  I needed to provide for him.  The only job that I could take care of him and still go to school was an overnight position.  Which is when I found this security guard position.” 

Leon Young is now the General Manager of the new W Hotel in Scottsdale .  The hotel opens today. 

I think everyone has that crossroads you come to where you decide to either be someone that’s respected, or you continue just being someone that’s a post teenager.  Everyone’s a great general until wartime.  Then you separate the leaders from whoever else there is.  

The hotel industry really kind of saved my life.  Because it helped me swallow my pride.  I had to learn how to develop a thicker skin.  Learn right and wrong.  To stop saying, “I hate my job.  I need to quit.” To saying, “Today was a bad day.  Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad job.”

Typically people look at an overnight position as a role where no one sees you.  Or you think you don’t have any value to the property.  I looked at it just the opposite.

One of my mentors, he was one of those people who said you either learn how you want to do stuff, or you learn how you don’t want to do stuff.  He was one of the guys who showed me exactly how I wanted to do stuff.  

Once a week I’d walk in and give him his report because he wanted it fresh off the presses.  And he’d say, “Do understand what you just did tonight?” And then he’d walk me through it, so then I started understanding how important it was, and how important it was to him to make decisions based on this report.           

Pretty soon, I applied for the next position that opened up, which was the night audit agent.  Then the supervisor.  And then, I really…just had a passion for it.  I think whenever you really have a pride about your work it just shows. People recognize it.  And you’re able to progress from there.  

Again, for a W GM, you have to be progressive.  And not be afraid to color outside of the lines.  You really have to understand your role in the equation.  It’s not about you.  You’re an enabler.  You have to be the ultimate cheerleader. You have to be an entrepreneur.  You have to be someone who looks at a blank wall and says, “What else can I do with this?”  

What’s one piece of advice you would tell yourself at 18 years old?  

Education obviously is fantastic.  Although I didn’t go that route, I respect where college can take you.  But you have to temper it with work.  Work experience.  Beyond having hospitality 101.    

I can’t tell you how many people I know have gone to some of the best hospitality schools in the world.  Whether it be Cornell, UNLV, Switzerland …and they come out and they were so vested in the templated, textbook version of what a hotel is. When they actually are introduced to people, they decide that even though they’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on this education, hospitality is nothing like what they want to do.

Really test the waters in the areas you want to be in.  There’s tons of work programs, specifically for hospitality.  It’s not always what it’s cracked up to be.  Sometimes it’s better, sometimes, it’s worse.

Pursue the Passion interviews people who love their work.  A collection of interviews can be found at www.pursuethepassion.com. 

Alex Guarnaschelli, executive chef of NYC’s Butter, did not, after college, have the “frame of reference” to enter the culinary world with her art history degree in tow. So, the daughter of a cookbook editor did what anyone else would do: she took a road trip across the country with her three best friends.

After a year of introductory learning in the kitchen, Alex entered a work-study program in Burgundy, France. Often the butt of jokes during her first couple years in the kitchen, Alex was glad to be there, and learned as much as she could.

“Who cares if you’re a clown,” she says, “as long as you’re dancing in the circus.” Ready to come home, Alex’s mother suggested a short stint at a friend’s restaurant in Paris. In a story similar to that of California’s Paella king Gerard Nebesky, Alex’s three days in France became four-and-a-half years.

Alex’s first piece of advice for aspiring chefs is to “park gender at the door, and just survive and learn.” She recounts vivid stories of doing just so, in the often-intense, male dominated French kitchens where she spent her formative years. Another lesson gleaned from Alex’s life is to fear abandoning “normalcy” in the name
of following a dream. Alex quickly learned that feminine style had no place in the kitchen. She also, more drastically, chose France over marriage, a choice she stands by today.

“You have to get it out of your system,” she says, of fun and youthful choices, “so that when you hunker down, and choose something you’re truly passionate about, there’s no static on your mental radio, because you’ve lived a little bit to your own liking.”

Mark Starr, owner of David’s Pizza in Spokane, Washington, goes to work everyday to make a difference; success has been a pleasant byproduct. David’s Pizza sits adjacent to the campus of Gonzaga University, on the outskirts of a neighborhood of 3rd and 4th generation Spokane residents. The placement is fitting; Mark spends nearly all of his free time giving back to the community that sustains him. With a thriving catering business, in addition to the actual pizza parlor, Mark has empowered his employees to love the restaurant, and feel committed to what they represent. As part of this empowerment, Mark rewards good grades by paying half of his staff’s tuition at the local community college.

As liberally as he donates his time and talents, Mark has built an incredibly successful operation. His pizza has been voted best in Spokane 11 years running, and an informal survey of a Spokane tavern places his status, in Spokane, at Unofficial Mayor. Mark is a humble man, saying the only way to succeed is through long hours, and a deep sense of compassion. David’s Pizza does not advertise, relying instead on its public works, and of course, its pizza. Mark says, “Our advertisement everyday is giving you good food.” For what it’s worth, the food is fantastic.

Gerard Nebesky makes paella, and makes a pretty good living doing it. Standing outside of Renga Arts in Occidental, California, Gerard seems incredibly intimidating (he is not), for no other reason than he looks like the coolest guy on the planet, which matches well with the life he has lived.

At 18, Gerard flew to South Africa for his sister’s wedding; he came home a year later, inspired with a newfound passion for the culinary arts. After becoming restless again, Gerard moved to New Zealand, returning to San Francisco to attend culinary school, which led him to the restaurant business in Occidental.

After 11 years in the restaurant business, Gerard went back to exploring the world. It was during one of these adventures that he was introduced to paella, and life has not been the same since. Many people, from Teri Hatcher to Henry Kissinger, have enjoyed Gerard’s energetic preparation of Spain’s most famous dish. Gerard, formerly the art director for the largest printing company in the United States, warns against getting stuck in a rut; “if [your job] doesn’t work, just switch it.”

He calls his various jobs “a fun path to go down, for a while,” but never allows himself to get bored, because “life is just way too short.”

Arman Ausiello hasn’t made it; at least, that’s what he’ll say. The owner of Santa Rosa, California’s Ausiello’s 5th Street Grill warns, “once you sit on your laurels and think you’ve made it, you’re done.”

Arman, whose vitality makes his age a complete mystery, has owned successful bars for over 25 years; anyone looking into opening a bar would be wise to listen to his advice. Armen’s lack of college degrees is completely negated by a natural business sense and a work ethic taught in no MBA program. Ironic that a man so successful in a competitive business would offer this as advice:

“Don’t get wrapped up in competition. Do what you do, and be happy with it.”

Beyond his years behind the bar, every morning Arman cleans his entire establishment, and in doing so sets the standard for each of his employees. Many would call this work below the level of an owner, but Arman learned from his father to “just work,” and work he does. He makes sure to distinguish Ausiello’s as a neighborhood tavern/beer bar with a sports focus, not a sports bar. He does not draw his identity from thematic elements, but rather strives for consistency of service, food and environment.

This commitment to consistency has solidified Arman’s place in the community; the community is as well a part of Ausiello’s, with hundreds of framed pictures adorning the walls. These pictures serve to remind Armen who his people are, and exactly why he doesn’t need to change.

At 25 years old, many people have no idea what they want to do with their life. Javier Correa Jr., at 25, is the general manager and co-owner of the widely popular and rapidly expanding Sombrero Mexican food based in San Diego, California. One would be sorely mistaken to assume his age makes him unfit for such a vital role in a large company; Javier has been around the business, started by his father, since he was ten years old working the register. His work in the restaurants has offered him a vital connection to his employees through a perspective many executives never realize.

Javier appreciates his formal education in business, but acknowledges that the real education comes from the workplace. Javier and his father continue to nurture their business and will soon be expanding outside of the San Diego area, a move in which Javier feels confident because of many years of tempered growth. Resisting the temptation for rapid expansion, Javier and his father have built their company around reasonable risk for reasonable reward, while still allowing time for family activities, like the Sombrero sponsored racing team that has been known to win a race or two.

Although the company remains in the family, there is no unfair nepotism at Sombrero, and you’d be hard pressed to find a more competent GM of any age, anywhere.

On a lazy Saturday afternoon after our awesome interview at Wrigley Field, the PTP team casually strolled up to the highly acclaimed Charlie Trotter’s restaurant in Chicago. Seeing as how this was a restaurant that won the best restaurant in the U.S. in 2000 and was founded in 1987 by celebrity chef Charlie Trotter, we were pretty excited. As we approached the brownstone property we wondered if we were in the right place as the look of the building came off more like a misplaced historic home than a 5-star restaurant, but the gold plated Charlie Trotter “T” displayed amongst the vines climbing the brick wall eased our reservations . We rang the doorbell to the one of the two entrances leading to the restaurant and were given a warm greeting by Matthias Merges in his white chef’s uniform.

Read the full interview »

Deb knew from the beginning that she wanted to develop and run her own successful business. She spent much of her career building skills with a variety of organizations that would enable her to achieve that end goal. She investigated many entrepreneurial opportunities, but nothing seemed right…until recently. She is now pursuing a project in which she will bring together her education and experience. Hidden Orchard (www.hiddenorchardspa.com), will be a five-star luxury health resort one hour out of Chicago, where guests are inspired to “live well, for life.” This idea is essentially her advice transformed into substantive evidence.

Deb grew up in a time where women were expected to become teachers, nurses, or housewives. Attending the tiny St. Mary’s-of-the-Woods College near Terre Haute, Indiana, she had the ambitious goal to be financially independent. To that end, she studied to be a registered dietitian because it paid well, was interesting, and offered plentiful opportunities. After graduation she completed an internship at Mayo Clinic and later became a registered dietitian.

She worked a few years as such, but sought out a more challenging and financially rewarding career path. She went back to school and obtained her master’s from the Kellogg School of Management. Soon after, she landed a job with Allegiance Health Care, where she built, what she called, a foundation for life. She was referring to the fact that AHC allowed her to work with all different types of people and take on many different interesting positions in her time there. She watched her income quadrupled over the next six years as she acquired key skills in business and developed healthy relationships that would serve her well.

What this job did was tie her love for health with business skills like marketing, business strategy development, acquisitions and sales. She also developed a theory called the “silo effect,” her own variation of the infamous “corporate ladder.” If you start off in one functional area such as accounting, you then work your way up this “functional area” ladder. But, according to the “silo” effect, if you go too far up this ladder, you will have become a specialist, making it difficult for you to “jump” down from such a height. Being specialized, in the traditional sense, is usually something sought after because it gives you a vast body of knowledge in a particular field, making you an expert of sorts. Deb combats this idea of “expertise” by saying that as a specialist, you have merely sacrificed your capability in and understanding of the departments or sides of a business which you have avoided. This is sometimes referred to as the doom loop, meaning that at some point you are “doomed” to stay in that specialty. You either have to acquire these different skills early on to avoid this “doom loop effect,” or you have to make your end goal reaching the pinnacle of that particular area of specialization; like a partner in an accounting firm, or a judge in the Supreme Court.

After her time at AHC, Deb worked at various other successful companies, most of which were leaders in their industry. For example, Kraft Foods. She was successful in her career, which included stints as a CFO, but eventually realized her end goal. Her newly refined end goal was to bring a luxury health resort to the Chicago area. Even though she has conducted a year’s worth of research, at resorts like Canyon Ranch, her project is still in the developmental stage. While the Morrin Group is still two years away from operation, the fact is, her “end goal” would not be possible had it not been for the learning and ladder jumping she had done early in her career.

Here is some more invaluable advice that Deb offers students:

1. Do small favors for others whenever you can, without expecting anything in return. You will be amazed at the benefits this reaps (be careful to use good judgment and pull back from “users” politely). This is sometime referred to as the ‘Rule of Good Returns.’ Examples would be introducing people to each other to which a relationship would be mutually beneficial,, sending someone an article that is particularly pertinent to something they are interested in, etc. Think more about what the other guy needs out of your relationship than about your own needs. Your rewards will come.

2. Make as many friends as you can and keep good relationships with acquaintances. For toxic people, who are unavoidable, try to avoid engaging in a negative way but instead be polite and steer clear diplomatically.

3. Seek opportunities to learn from others (particularly older or more experienced people) and from situations. Mentors are great and often will be very generous with their thoughts and interest in helping you. Use them with discretion, as they can be worn out if overworked.

4. Build your skills by working in what you love for the best. An example is my cousin, Amy Kehoe, who worked with the Starwood Group, an interior design department for the Hotel W brand. The Starwood Group proved to be a great learning ground and credibility builder for her as she embarks on her own business of a similar nature. She spent about 3-4 years there, built relationships, and left to form a partnership alongside an older mentor.

5. Work hard and aim high! Life is not always easy, and doing what you love can be very hard work and lonely too! Hard work makes up for a lot of mistakes, flaws and problems. Everyone makes mistakes, and you will too! Just keep your aim high, your relationships good, your confidence strong, and work hard and you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish.

6. Spend as little money as possible on depreciating assets (such as cars, or disappearing assets such as expensive vacations.) Instead, put your money to work for you in appreciating investments (such as real estate, etc.) Even a graduate degree is one of the best investments you can make. On the other hand, have balance in your life and do make time for a pastime you love, be it sailing, skiing, tennis or golf. Build friendships based on your leisure activities and there again you will be amazed at the long-term benefits.

“Always place yourself in the company of people who are smart, hard working, kind and fun whenever you can: at home, work, or in your free time! But, also seek out diversity and learn from people with different value systems than yours. Just be careful not to assume that everyone will be kind, nice or helpful.”

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Mardi and Denny Moore’s tale was told to us over the screaming and wailing of six excited young boys all wanting their ice cream. The only thought of mine that I was able to hear was the song, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!” (The kids obviously didn’t stop until they got their desserts). But, in the silence that followed, we heard Denny and Mardi’s story of their career paths. It seems that the couple became fed up with playing the politics of Corporate America and found a much needed sense of peace with Scooter’s Frozen Custard.

When Denny was a young boy growing up, he remembers accompanying his grandfather on trips to the city to pick up fresh dairy, the Chicago Tribune and an ice cream cone from the local ice cream shop. Two square scoops of ice cream were placed on a cake cone and taken to the tracks to watch the trains go by. The two of them sat while Denny devoured his reward for companionship. Denny still holds memories of these trips to town dear.

As a grown up, Denny spent 30 years in the telecommunications business, while his wife Mardi worked in sales and later marketing. The greed, politics, and clamor in Corporate America finally wore on them and the two opted to leave their respective industries to work on their golf games. In the couple years of playing around with their savings, they developed an interest in frozen custard. Mardi remembers her first encounter with frozen custard. It was during college, at a stand in Indiana simply entitled “The Frozen Custard Stand.”

This interest led them to get into the “memory” business, (what’s the “memory” business? Did they say this? If they did, what were they referring to? If it’s the ice cream business, then the sentence should read…..”This interest led them to enter the ice cream business, (or based of their fondness of ice cream) the “memory” business, as they referred to it.”) In June of 2003, they opened up Scooter’s Frozen Custard, located on Belmont Ave at Paulina in (downtown?) Chicago. The store is uniquely situated in a quaint neighborhood in Chicago where people know their neighbors and their kids grow up together. It’s a place where trees give the sidewalks plenty of shade for those walking or riding their bikes to enjoy the summer. Realtors use Scotter’s as a point of reference adding to positive attribute of the neighborhood, while residents use it as a place to convene to share stories and laughter.

For Mardi and Denny Moore, Scooter’s is a place whose bad workdays don’t compare to the constant grind of Corporate America. The couple has put their bad memories of their corporate careers behind them in exchange for helping create memories in their local community in Chicago.