Posts

Business Leadership Series Podcast Features Frigibar’s Shuly Oletzky

/in , /by

Our paths as entrepreneurs, just like our businesses, our unique. While these routes can’t be replicated, there are valuable lessons to learn from the failures, successes, and words of advice from others.

Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution and the host of the Business Leadership Series Podcast recently interviewed Frigibar President and SuccessionProof Founder Shuly Oletzky. The podcast focuses on inspiring their audience of entrepreneurs and leaders to be “the best leader (they) can be.”

Business Leadership Series_Final _11012016
In the episode, the two discussed Shuly’s unexpected ownership of the family business (Frigibar Industries, Inc.), relating to customers, succession planning, work-life balance, and more during the 41-minute conversation.

Shuly succeeded her father as the President of Frigibar Industries after Sheldon Oletzky fell ill. With no plan in place or previous discussion of who would take over the business, Shuly left her career in real estate. Five years later, Shuly is the President of Frigibar and sharing her story with others, but there were many hurdles to overcome and help needed along the way.

The biggest piece of help came from her employees, whom she consulted with before deciding to take over the business. “It was an amazing teamwork exercise and experience,” Shuly said. While she gained experience and a stronger connection with her employees from the ordeal, she lost important time that could’ve been spent with her father, began her role at the bottom of a steep learning curve, and the uncertainty and stress of the situation took a toll on the family and employees.

Earlier this year, Shuly applied to share her succession story with the Small Giants Community at their Summit in Denver. “From the speech came the term succession proof, and I went from there,” Shuly, who created SuccessionProof to help other businesses and entrepreneurs avoid succession planning nightmares. Shuly shared the four-step plan, which includes having the conversation, making a plan, teaching and fostering, and being nice. Curious as to why being nice is an important aspect of a succession plan; Derek asked Shuly to elaborate. “My dad was a very well-liked and well-loved person….The connection they had with him transfers into the beginning of their relationship with me. If that’s negative to start with, you’ve got a tough mountain to climb,” explained Shuly.

shuly-quoteThe importance Shuly places on being nice and helping others translates into her philosophy on customer service. “You don’t sell stuff — you create friendships and relationships, and people buy stuff from you,” said Shuly.

“I’m very, very passionate about customer service. I am just as happy to help somebody find the right product even when it’s not ours, because that’s still an experience they have with our company,” said Shuly, who loves the friendly nature of the marine industry. “It’s very social — people in the industry are there because they’re having fun and this makes them happy. It’s fun to be around happy people,” she continued.

The interview concluded with a conversation about content marketing, which Shuly has utilized to her advantage to raise awareness of the handcrafted marine refrigeration products Frigibar manufactures in the U.S. “You have to market. If you don’t market, no one knows you exist,” said Shuly.

Don’t stop here! Read more and listen to the full interview here on TheArtistRevolution.com. Want to hear more from Shuly? Read her work on the Huffington Post business blog.

Feeling Balanced: Frigibar President Shuly Oletzky on the Business Rescue Roadmap Podcast with Stacy Tuschl

/in , /by

business-rescue-roadmapEntrepreneurs are frequently labeled workaholics, and probably rightfully so. Owning and operating a business requires thick skin, hard work, and usually, long hours. During episode 46 of the Business Rescue Roadmap Podcast with Stacy Tuschl, Frigibar President Oletzky was asked what is “work-life balance,” is it possible, and how she defines it. “It depends on how you define balance. What does balance mean to you? For me, balance means doing the things that are most important,” Oletzky said, which is exactly what she’s doing.  “I’m working, but I’m with my friends…as long as I’m accomplishing what’s more important to me at that particular juncture, then I feel balanced,” she continued.

Shuly’s path to entrepreneurship is as unique as the niche luxury marine refrigeration units Frigibar manufactures. “This business, Frigibar Industries, has been our family business since 1971. My father (Sheldon Oletzky), was diagnosed in late 2009 with ALS, and unfortunately, we didn’t have a plan in place. As his health started to decline, and it was fairly rapid, someone had to step in. I started to help out part-time while we figured out what to do,” explained Oletzky. In 2011, she became President of Frigibar Industries full-time.

0912151952b

Shuly was new to the position and had plenty of innovative ideas and things she wanted to add to the business, the company had an established brand, loyal customer base, and served a specific purpose in the industry. “When I took over the business, it had a personality already. I didn’t have the luxury of creating my brand — it existed. I had to work within what our customers already knew about us and the reputation and brand presence we had, and find a way to intertwine my personality and the things that I wanted to see the brand and business become. It took a little bit of time to find that message and how to get that message across. I think we’re finally there and we have a great foundation,” Oletzky said.

The difficulty Oletzky faced when learning to lead the business taught her many lessons, including how to build great relationships. “I love people. I find that the process I had to go through when taking over the business and trying to learn things — I had to reach out to a lot of people,” said Oletzky. She also stated that making and building relationships has been “critical” to Frigibar’s continued success. “You’re (entrepreneurs are) in the people business, and you need to make sure you’re building those relationships and nurturing them,” Tuschl added.

One of the most important types of relationships entrepreneurs have to create and build are employer-employee relationships.

When taking over Frigibar in late 2010, not only the industry, but the entire U.S. economy was in a major recession. Employees were worried about their jobs and how many hours they would get a week. To help them focus on the business and helping her instead of understandably worrying about their financial stability, Shuly made the decision to guarantee their hours. It was a bold move that helped earn trust and showed the employees that she was looking out for them. “I work for my employees as much as they work for me, because if I don’t do my job, they don’t have one,” Shuly said.

When Stacy Tuschl asked Shuly about financial mistakes made in the past, Shuly said the biggest mistake made in the company’s past was not having a succession plan in place. “Most people don’t think of it (failing to plan for succession) as a financial mistake, but it really is,” said Shuly. “If you have a family business and children…you want to make a plan!” Although Shuly ended up taking over the business, her father, not wanting to put pressure on her, never told her that he wanted her to take over the business. After he had passed, Shuly was told by a family friend that Sheldon Oletzky, Shuly’s father, did indeed hope she took over the business.

Succession planning is a subject of passion for Shuly. This June, she will share her experience and how entrepreneurs can prepare for succession with over 100 business owners at the 2016 Small Giants Summit in Denver, Colorado. For more from Shuly Oletzky, visit her blog at ShareIdeaswithPurpose.com.

Listen to the Business Rescue Roadmap Podcast here, or download episodes on iTunes.

Frigibar President Shuly Oletzky Featured On Entrepreneur Podcast Network

/in /by

Frigibar President Shuly Oletzky joined host Eric Dye on the Entrepreneur Podcast Network to discuss personal, business branding and relationship building. Here is the full transcript of the interview.

Frigibar Featured on Entrepreneur Podcast Network

Eric Dye: Frigibar is in Marine Refrigeration, which sounds like a very niche industry. How does Frigibar stand out in the industry?

Shuly Oletzky: “Frigibar has been around for about 45 years, and one of the things that we do to stand out in our industry is to provide exceptional quality products for our customers that not only enhance their lifestyle out on the water, but also helps them solve common problems that they come up against on their vessel.”

ED: Being an entrepreneur for you is about more than just running a business. You write for the Huffington Post business blog, exhibit at boat shows, go to networking events and conferences. Why are these types of efforts important for entrepreneurs?

SO: “You have to let people know that you’re out there. Getting out there, getting to trade shows, writing articles that are important to your consumers and partners — let’s them know that you exist. This is key in making sure that your business survives.

It also helps me meet new people and collaborate on new ideas and opportunities. In addition to that, I’ve found a lot of mentors by going to different events and conferences that have helped me in my business. “

ED: With a luxury product, something at the top price point in the market, how do you approach customer service and why is this extremely important for a luxury product?

SO: “Customer service is important because it makes people feel special. It makes them feel like you care, not only about their problems, but about their best interests. We provide customer service to a level that if we’re not the best product of fit for them, we will help them find that best product or fit for them.

We also know that there are a lot of companies out there that don’t provide customer service. We’re happy to do it because in addition to making people feel good, it also helps build our relationships with our customers.”

ED: For something like a refrigerator or freezer, how can you demonstrate it’s value over a product less than half of the price?

SO: “Consumer education is extremely important. Helping the consumers to understand why our products are different and why it’s specifically designed to be in the environment in which they’re in. Being on a boat is much different than being on land, and we build a product that accommodates that.

For example, we have a customer that is very hard on our units. We do our best to learn what it is that they need, and accommodate them by altering the products. They know that the general refrigerator that they can buy at a store won’t stand up.

That’s one of the things that we can also do for our customers, is customizing the products to meet the exact qualifications for their needs.”

ED: Partnerships are something valuable to every entrepreneur on the planet. Can you detail how you go about forming partnerships with other businesses and some tips for our audience of entrepreneurs?

SO: “I have to like the people I work with. Making sure that we get along, that we have some synchronicity, and that we can benefit from knowing and working with each other is key. When developing partnerships and relationships with other businesses, it’s important not only to complement our business, but hopefully give them some value as well.”

Listen to the full episode here on the Entrepreneur Podcast Network

Concluding Tip

SO: “One tip that I like to share with entrepreneurs is to write thank you notes. People don’t write many thank you notes anymore. When you can share with a customer that not only did you value the time that they took to spend with you to learn about whatever product or service that you had to offer them, but that you remembered speaking with them and that you were there to help them when they are ready.

Be very careful to not try to sell in your thank you note. Thank you notes are just about being gracious and showing your gratitude for the fact that they took the time to inquire.”

About Shuly Oletzky:

Shuly is the President of Frigibar Industries, Inc., America’s foremost manufacturer of quality marine refrigeration products, including fiberglass cockpit freezers and refrigerators, deck and dock boxes, ice chests and refrigeration kits for boats and yachts. Frigibar is a family-owned company that has been serving the Miami, Florida community and beyond for over 40 years. Shuly also serves on the Board of Directors for Easter Seals Florida, is the Co-Vice Chair of Easter Seals Get Down to Business Lunch in Palm Beach, Boat Show Committee Member for the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), and is an alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Businesses program and Leadership Palm Beach County (LPBC).

Learn more about Shuly Oletzky at ShareIdeaswithPurpose.com