Issue 22: Ode to an Entrepreneur

This is a special edition of THE EDGE. In this issue, I’m going to be more real and transparent than I ever have during the past 14 years of living the life of an entrepreneur.

Last week, I lost two people I dearly loved. My last living uncle on my mother’s side of the family passed away on Monday, March 18, and my father-in-law, who passed away on Tuesday, March 19.

My father-in-law, Kenneth Maguire, reached a robust 92 years but declined in health since 2021. One small tumble from a kitchen table chair did him in. He entered the hospital on February 1 and spent the entire month there, plus nine days in March.

He was brought home for hospice and cared for lovingly by his 88-year-old wife who took on one of the most difficult tasks for any spouse. They had been married for 70 years, which is an incredible feat in and of itself. They had three sons, my husband one of them. We will miss his sense of humor, his love for Irish songs, and his ability to be thankful in all circumstances very, very much.

But the ode in the title isn’t about him. It’s about my uncle, Dominic Ciafardini.

Usually, I am private about such matters. Two years ago, I did share some thoughts about my father, who passed away. Mainly because he taught me how to sell.

But my uncle taught me how to persevere in pursuing my dreams.

Go Quest, Young Man…

Dominic was also a sales professional. When he was seeking a new opportunity at age 50, a recruiter told him bluntly that although he was a perfect fit for a particular job, it likely wouldn’t work. His experience outranked his boss who was younger than him. There was concern that my uncle would submit to his boss’s leadership, although truthfully—my uncle was the most likable guy you’d ever meet. However, my uncle had phased out of being a dutiful “company man” from the perspective of companies.

And so, my uncle began his quest to discover new opportunities, even if he had to make them happen. He became an entrepreneur.

First, allow me to add a definition of an entrepreneur. According to Dictionary.com, an entrepreneur is “a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.”

That described my uncle fairly well. Whatever task he undertook, he gave it his all. This was the result of his years of service as a U.S. Marine. He was dedicated, hard-working, innovative, resourceful, and smart. Not to mention, he was just a lot of fun to be around. When he hosted family gatherings, they quickly morphed into the equivalent of a block party. He collected friends easily and I was always being introduced to a new one.

Because his sales experience was in the medical field, his started a medical device business. When I was in my twenties, I did a short stint at his company. Packing medical devices. Although it was far from what I wanted to do with my life, I loved seeing my uncle during the week. His energy and determination inspired me.

Later, he wrapped up that business and started another, which I believe represented his true love. Food.

After all, he was raised in an Italian household that had two amazing cooks—his mother and grandmother. Not only did he enjoy eating, he was also fascinated with food prep. Many of his friends were professional chefs. He learned much from them, I’m sure, which led him to create Alimento Ventures, a spice and marinade company.

I remember how my husband and I attended his second wedding and were astonished by the meticulously planned five-course meal, each course carefully paired with a special wine or liquor. His proprietary spice blend was used on a beef entrée, and it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.

His creativity drove the company to experiment with new techniques and strategies. Again, I had the opportunity to help him with a marketing project and was excited to see him in action “behind the scenes.” He was always searching for a better way or more economical way to achieve business goals.

He understood more than most that marketing is storytelling.

And yowza, could he weave a tale! He had a natural storyteller’s gift for holding an audience’s attention. If you were present, you wouldn’t have been able to stop listening to him. His love of theater and involvement with his high school’s thespian society, the Purcell High School Queen's Men, was a big reason why.

You Are the Stone

Whether you realize it or not, you are a stone, thrown into a pond. The ripples expand outward, growing larger as they move away from the initial impact.

When you pursue your dreams, you are not only gaining ground for your vision. You’re giving others a vision to do the same thing. You never know the impact you’re making. When you see someone chasing their dreams, it permits you to chase your dreams. To forge your path. To feel satisfied and fulfilled.

We all would like to have that sense of fulfillment. I am honored I was able to witness my uncle reach that place. I am privileged that he passed his entrepreneurial spirit to me.

When I shared with him that I was launching my own business in 2010, he congratulated me. Later, he told me how impressed he was that I chose to do it at the tail end of “The Great Recession,” one of the worst downturns in our country’s economy. I told him that although it had taken years for me to figure out my path, I felt confident I had finally found it. We discussed a lot of business ideas while he shared a story from our family history that I had never heard before.

The Watermelon Story

My great-grandfather, Vincenzo James, was the original entrepreneur in our family. He and his wife, Rose, were migrant workers, picking fruits and vegetables. In 1918, he started his own produce company, Pic’s Produce.

At one point, during the 1960’s, my great-grandfather had a great idea. The business location was directly across from their Italianate home in Cincinnati’s historic district, Over-the-Rhine. There was a medium-sized lot in between the two buildings which usually accommodated a parked car or food truck.

During the hot summer months, Pic’s Produce decided to sell watermelon by the slice. They filled the lot with small tables and folding chairs. Then they charged a very reasonable price—something like 5 cents—for the watermelon slice.

What I found so touching was that this small offering allowed the community to gather together and connect. Everyone loved the watermelon slices, and they came from all walks of life. Even the mayor would visit often and sit next to a working man, both enjoying their sweet treat. My uncle said that rich, poor, educated, and uneducated—all sat next to one another and connected over a humble slice of watermelon.

The marketer in me noted that my sharp great-grandfather also likely enjoyed the profit he received by dividing a twenty-five-cent watermelon into twenty slices.

It’s All About Love

Love is a beautiful thing. It’s something we may use for our own marketing, but when it comes to integrating it into our daily work lives, we often can minimize its impact. We may reason that it’s not appropriate to show it. But my uncle didn’t care. He showed it and showed it big.

I think that’s why his funeral was so packed full of people. I could count on two hands the family members I saw in attendance. The rest of the crowd was a mixture of lifelong friends, co-workers, and professional acquaintances. He showed love to all of them. I estimated there were around 150 people in the funeral home and there was hardly any room to move around. I’m sure we broke the occupancy code.

My uncle’s son, who has become a very successful C-level leader for a global payments technology and solutions company, expressed a similar sentiment to Maya Angelou’s quote:

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Everyone who paid their respects to my uncle would agree. Dominic made them feel loved. Appreciated. Honored.

I discovered during the memorial that one of his favorite songs was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, “Love Changes Everything,” from the musical, “Aspects of Love.” I’ll close with the lyrics:

Love, love changes everything

Hands and faces, earth and sky

Love, love changes everything

How you live and how you die

Love can make the summer fly

Or a night seem like a lifetime

Yes love, love changes everything

Now I tremble at your name

Nothing in the world will ever be the same

Love, love changes everything

Days are longer, words mean more

Love, love changes everything

Pain is deeper than before

Love will turn your world around

And that world will last forever

Yes love, love changes everything

Brings you glory, brings you shame

Nothing in the world will ever be the same

Off into the world we go

Planning futures, shaping years

Love bursts in and suddenly

All our wisdom disappears

Love makes fools of everyone

All the rules we make are broken

Yes love, love changes everyone

Live or perish in its flame

Love will never, never let you be the same

Love will never, never let you be the same!

Go… pursue your dreams. And love big along the way.