PCA Magazine Winter 2020

38 PCA The Magazine | WINTER 2020 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG This has been challenging forme, balancing theworld of production and theworld of sales and distribution. I have traveled extensively in an effort to visitmany of our retail shops, andwould love to visit all of them, but that is the challenge. We are a small company and each personwears a lot of hats. How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors? I think I have a unique experience and perspective, havingworked retail in the height of the cigar boom, then moving toNicaragua and working production. I developed a unique skill for blends and now I have great branding to complement these blends. Our branding is important—it’s rooted to theNicaraguan history and culture, which is important tome. I couldn’t do it without AlexGarcia, our Art Director, whoworks withme to create all of our graphics and brand identity.We’ve been friends since around 2003, andwe have really similar interests and that comes through in the product. Every brand is a homage to something that hasmade a huge impact inmy life. What have been some of your biggest challenges or obstacles since starting Foundation and how did you overcome them to get where you are now? The FDA is definitely the biggest challenge—not having clarity, and the dark looming cloud all the time. I have FDA lawyers andwe are constantly communicating, but the cloud still hovers. Another challenge is that I’ve been on themanufacturing side since 2003, but now I’m learning all the other aspects of the business: sales and distribution, managing sales reps (managing people is definitely a challenge) andworkingwith customers across the country. I amvery appreciative of the peoplewho support our products andwant to be sure each person knows howmuch thatmeans. It’s difficult because it’s hard to always express the gratitude I feel, especially because it’s so busy, and I’ma people pleaser. By not taking on investors, it’s enabled incredible organic growth, but this alsomeans wearing a lot of different hats— I’mhandlingHR, marketing, packaging, quality control …. Luckily, we’ve been able to grow and add onmore people, and we’re hoping to hiremore in the next fewmonths. What has been your biggest success so far in your business? First, having established so many great relationships with retailers and having themsell my product. Regardless if they’re a bigger, smaller ormedium-sized retailer, having people support my products is a huge success forme. Itmeans a lot. Also, being named theNo. 3 cigar of the year from Cigar Aficionado and being named theNo. 1 consensus cigar of the year two years in a rowby Halfwheel! What habits have helped make you successful ? • Surroundingmyself with good people and peoplewho are smarter thanmyself. • Being straight-up no BS , especially on the operational side of things. •Developing strong communications, reinforcing communications and overcommunicating. •Good leadership team. • I try toestablishahealthywork/ lifebalance andpractice turning myphoneoff. I alsowant and encourage allmy employees to have apersonal life andenjoy it! Anything you would have done differently? To be perfectly honest, I don’t really look at things in life that way, because I take everything in life as a learning experience. I think things happen to help you evolve and growas a person. They’re not stumbling blocks but stepping stones. Other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success? Hiring AlexGarcia aka Thief Operandi asmy art director. Couldn’t do it without him. How do you go about Marketing a premium cigar? It’s a combination of good assets (video, animation, print work, photography, social media) andworkingwith the retail stores, because they’re directly connected to the consumers. It’s important that retailers really understand our products and the portfoliowe have to offer. If all you had in your humidor is Foundation, you’d still have something for everyone, based on both price point and blend. From theHighclere CastleCigar toThe Tabernacle to the El Güegüense A S O L I D F O U N D A T I O N “I THINK THINGS HAPPEN TO HELP YOU EVOLVE AND GROW AS A PERSON. THEY’RE NOT STUMBLING BLOCKS BUT STEPPING STONES.”