A Tribute To Fathers - June 20, 2010 - Segment Five

Caller George Martinez, Vice President of Tampico Spice, discusses his company’s history as a family owned and operated business. Tampico Spice was founded in Los Angeles in 1947 by Jesus Martinez, George’s father. Jesus initially started selling his spices to mom-and-pop markets, before moving on later to supermarkets. After that, the company progressed to dealing with industrial businesses, selling food processors that add the spices to their products, and more recently, they’ve started selling to food service distributors, who then sell to restaurants. For George, it was natural for him to follow in his father’s footsteps, since they are an Hispanic family and it’s often tradition that the eldest son follows in the father’s path. George realized that at a young age and prepared himself to do so, and George’s son came into the business voluntarily in 2008 after studying business administration like his father.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

A Tribute To Fathers - June 20, 2010 - Segment Four

Caller Larry Miller, Founder and CEO of Sit ‘N Sleep, talks about getting into the world of business with his dad. Sit ‘N Sleep was founded by Larry and his dad, Phil, in 1979 after a previous failed business never generated enough cash flow to stay operational. They came up with the idea of Sit ‘N Sleep—meaning furniture you can sit on and sleep on—when Phil was in Japan some years before, slept on a futon, and thought maybe futons might sell in the United States. Phil borrowed $10,000 from a bank and Larry borrowed $10,000 from his Aunt Stella, and they started with a 4,000 sq. ft. store in Culver City. It was years before they made a profit, but Larry says he was just too stupid to do anything else, with him and his dad really living without much, sometimes going months without getting a paycheck. However, Larry says he didn’t like the idea of working for somebody else, and he wanted to be independent and able to call his own shots. In regards to his own family, Larry notes that to be a good parent and a good businessperson, you can’t be a good golfer or a good fisherman; you pretty much have to do just those two things. His kids and family are very important to him, and Larry thinks the best thing he’s done in his life is not being a good businessman, but raising two great kids.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

A Tribute To Fathers - June 20, 2010 - Segment Three

Betsy and Renee are joined by Jonathan Lee Iverson, Ringmaster for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, to talk about his unlikely journey in becoming ringmaster for “The Greatest Show On Earth.” Jonathan, a professionally trained singer who once performed with the Harlem Boys Choir, was auditioning for a dinner theatre one time and it just so happened that the director of the dinner theatre was also directing Ringling Brothers. The evening after his audition, the director called him impressed and said he needed a singing ringmaster, to which Jonathan responded that he needed employment and the rest is history, Jonathan jokes. Jonathan is both the first black ringmaster in Ringling Brothers’ history, as well as the youngest. Being ringmaster, Jonathan observes, is like being “a glorified fan wearing gorgeous costumes,” and he is merely the person who has the opportunity to let the whole world know that Superman and Wonder Woman are in the building. It’s not hard for him to get out there and boast about what’s coming because he knows the performers can back it up. Or as Jonathan likes to put it, he’s the guy who gets to “talk the trash but doesn’t have to do the work.” He also thinks the same energy he tries to emit to the audience is what they give to them, and that it’s a two-way street where both sides feed off each other. Jonathan notes that it’s a real privilege to have that sort of trust for as long as Ringling Brothers have had it, which spans 140 years.

On the subject of family, Jonathan remarks that it’s not just family entertainment at Ringling Brothers, but it’s a family lifestyle. He actually travels and works alongside his wife—who is a dancer in the show—their children occupy the nursery and school at Ringling Brothers, and they travel on the world’s largest privately owned train, so everybody in the show has their own quarters. Consequently, when Ringling Brothers is building a show, they really understand what families want because they have families themselves performing in the show. It also speaks to one of the great traditions of the circus, which are family lines. Jonathan says that he works with people who represent 3rd, 4th, and even 10th generation circus lines.

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be at the Staples Center from July 14-18, at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in the Inland Empire from July 21-25, and then in Orange County at the Honda Center until August 8.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

A Tribute To Fathers - June 20, 2010 - Segment Two

Betsy and Renee continue speaking with J.D. Roth, Founder and CEO of 3Ball Productions, about how he balances his family life with his active work schedule. For J.D., the only things that matter to him in his life are his wife and his kids, and while he does work hard, he picks his moments. There are nights he might even go home, put them to bed, and come back to work, but regardless, he tries to work around it since there is nothing more important to him than being around his kids. As J.D. observes, “Kids will never listen to a word you say, but they watch everything you do,” which is why he also coaches their basketball teams and teaches at their school once a week. J.D. says that it’s a very family atmosphere in the office that starts at the top with him and his business partner, who both believe in being with their families and have their kids around the office all the time. J.D. notes that when everybody recognizes that kind of behavior is allowed, they know they can make that a priority in their life because it’s a priority to the people at the top of the company.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

A Tribute To Fathers - June 20, 2010 - Segment One

J.D. Roth, Founder and CEO of 3Ball Productions, discusses his experiences in the world of television production. J.D. has created and executive produced prime time and cable reality shows like The Biggest Loser and Beauty and the Geek, and says his business started with a passion for wanting to tell great stories. The best advice he can give someone who wants to start a company is “ignorance is bliss.” As J.D. explains, he had no idea at 21 years old that you weren’t supposed to go in a meeting and ask a network executive for millions of dollars to produce an idea. In J.D.’s opinion, too much information sometimes is bad and not knowing gets rid of any fear. In other words, “if you don’t know that it’s beyond limitation, you can ask for it in a confident way.” J.D. also maintains that knowing what you’re not good at is one of the most important things about running a business. It took him awhile to not want to wrap himself in every aspect of the company, and realize that if you hire really good people, you can step away and let them do their jobs. J.D. compares the situation to the theory of “a finger in everything, but a hand in none.” Once he backed up, he was able to put his hand in what he’s really great at, which is coming up with ideas for shows and then working with his production partner on the creative and executing them out on the field.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.