I was speaking with the owner of the Cigar and Wine shop I frequent for my regular cigar meetings. Gary Teitelbaum is an entrepreneur and owner of Aficionado’s cigar store.
I asked Gary what words of wisdom he lives by:
Just cause your paranoid doesn’t mean someone’s not after you – in other words, competition is always out there. Don’t get complacent.
Surround yourself with people smarter than you – Gary knows his weaknesses and makes sure that the people he hires have strengths that make his business better.
Don’t let your ego get in the way – Listen. Listen to customers, employees, vendors. We always have something to learn.
Keep your cost down, run it lean and understand the principle of paying yourself last- Founders often make the mistake of treating themselves as employee number one . They aren’t. Take care of your people first!
