What was your first job?
I had a paper route delivering the Buffalo Evening News. I also did lawn maintenance in East Aurora, NY and in Clearwater, FL and had a dog walking service in Clearwater, Fl as well.

How old were you?                   
I started my paper route and lawn maintenance when I was 12 and started dog walking when I was 13. I kept those jobs until I was 15.

How much did you make?
I made $.02 per paper, $5.00 per lawn cut and $25.00 per week walking dogs.

How was your job different than you thought it would be?
All three jobs entailed working by myself with very little contact with others. It took more initiative to get the work done than anything I had experienced at that point in my life.

What important lessons or skills that you learned in your first job have been instrumental in your success?
Being so young, very little was expected of me by my customers. I enjoyed doing a better job for the customer than their expectations. I developed self-discipline and time management.

Which of those lessons, and how, carried into subsequent jobs after your first? How do you use those skills in your position today?
Self-discipline was the most influential lesson I learned from any early job experience. It allowed me to compete in high school and college swimming. I have also used it to assist in being self-employed and a business owner for the past 25 years.

Have you seen how lacking those first job skills had negative effects on others?
I have seen some very bright, high-energy young people whose personal achievements have been greatly diminished by a lack of self-discipline.

Is there a specific lesson you learned that you still use today?
Delivering newspapers and mowing lawns were low paying jobs and hard work for a 12 year old. I learned that if you delivered to your customers much more than they expected, many of them would tip you. So, for a little extra effort, you could substantially increase the pay you had expected to earn. You made quite a bit more money but you did feel a little like Eddie Haskell, the notorious brown-noser from “Leave it to Beaver.”

What advice did someone give you that you carried on or later gave to someone else?
What I later passed on to others was that a little extra effort in every job you perform would make a big impact with your customers. The compliments they would pay you for your efforts were very satisfying.

What people or outside factors motivated you the most to succeed?
My father was a very influential person in my life. I was among the oldest of his seven children and what he could not offer to me financially, he more than made up for with advice, encouragement and challenges. My life would have been substantially less successful without my father. Unfortunately he died when I was 26 and never had the opportunity to see the results of his efforts.

What obstacles that you faced had the greatest impact on our career path?
Being told by others as I was growing up that I couldn’t do something was a great motivator to me throughout my life. Over the years I have heard it so many times it actually brings a smile to my face when I hear it now!

What advice would you give to a young person starting his or her first job?
Make an impact, do more than you are asked to by your employer, and be an enjoyable person to be around. Most of the outcomes in business can be greatly influenced by your own attitude. Why not make it an enjoyable experience for everyone involved to be associated with you?

What is the most valuable advice you have for young people who want to start their own business?
Never doubt yourself, out-work others, have very high ethics and remain extremely humble. Become the kind of person others want to be around.

What should young people understand about the service industry?
I am currently involved in 3 businesses, all in the service industry. The future in the service industry is extremely high if you can deliver a higher quality service on time and above the clients’ expectations.

What do you find most rewarding about your position today?
Helping clients succeed with their respective businesses. Business owners are an outstanding group of people to work for. They truly value your service and friendship.