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Business Leadership Series Podcast Features Frigibar’s Shuly Oletzky

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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.”

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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.

Frigibar President Shuly Oletzky to Speak at Small Giants Summit 2016 in Denver

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In-person events present a great opportunity to meet with and learn from others. Frigibar Industries President Shuly Oletzky will speak to fellow entrepreneurs and business leaders at the upcoming 2016 Small Giants Summit in Denver, Colorado, which will take place June 12-14.

Oletzky, who took over Frigibar Industries after her father passed away in late 2010, will share her experience, insight and advice for others on the important topic of succession planning.

Shuly left her corporate job in real estate to take over the business, but did so unexpectedly and without a clear path due to the lack of succession planning. Although her father Sheldon Oletzky had built a well-respected business and was an admired leader, as Shuly puts it, “he thought he would live forever.” When he fell ill, no plan was in place and Shuly was left to make a tough decision about the business without knowing what her father wanted (until later) and without guidance and time to prepare for the shift.

“Instead of being able to enjoy the last few months of my father’s life, we were scrambling to get as much in place as possible with the business and figure out what to do,” Shuly stated. The business was saved, but at a steep cost. About a year after taking over the business, Shuly learned from a family friend that her father did indeed hope she would take over the business, but didn’t want to put pressure on her, so he decided to keep his wishes a secret.

Unlike Frigibar, many businesses never recover after a business owner leaves behind a company without a plan. Shuly will try to leave summit attendees with sometools they can use to navigate the process of planning for succession. “If I can help even one business forego what I went through with my talk and ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the importance of succession planning, the time and effort I put into it will be more than worth it,” says Shuly.

Founded by entrepreneur and thought leader Paul Spiegelman, the Small Giants Community exists to identify, connect and develop values-driven business leaders. The community was inspired by author Bo Burlingham’s book, Small Giants: Companies that Choose to Be Great Instead of Big. The book profiled fourteen companies that had unique founders and processes that set them apart from the millions of small businesses that do business and management as usual.

For more information and to register for the 2016 Small Giants Summit, visit the Small Giants Community registration page.

Stay tuned for information about Shuly’s talk and a video of her presentation on succession planning. For more from Shuly, visit her blog at ShareIdeasWithPurpose.com.

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

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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.

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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 in Huffington Post

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Frigibar Industries, Inc. President Shuly Oletzky is a passionate entrepreneur and philanthropist who took over the family business from her father, Sheldon Oletzky, in late 2010. After over 40 years providing quality marine refrigeration products manufactured in America, Frigibar is the most trusted and reliable brand of refrigerators and freezers that travel on-board vessels of all shapes and sizes around the world.

When Shuly isn’t helping customers enjoy their lifestyle out on the water, she’s travelling, learning from others, building relationships, and volunteering in the community, including serving on the Board of Directors for Easter Seals Florida, who are hosting the “Get Down to Business Lunch” on January 20th in West Palm Beach.  Shuly is also a 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).

As an alumni of the program hosted by Goldman Sachs, Shuly has the opportunity to submit articles to the Huffington Post. Over the past four months, Shuly has been featured on the Huffington Post small business blog three times. Here are the featured pieces and a short description of each.

–       7 Reasons to Plan for Succession in Your Business Today

Shuly highlights the importance of succession planning and seven reasons business owners and entrepreneurs should start planning for succession as soon as possible.

“When transitioning to President of Frigibar Industries, Inc., our family business for over 40 years, there was no succession plan. Instead of being able to jump into the position and begin working on building the company, several months were spent putting processes into place, organizing documents, and learning how things were done in the past — all of which could’ve been done months or years earlier.”

–       10 Tips to Turn In-Person Events into a Secret Weapon for Your Business

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In-person events have been one of the most beneficial activities to both Frigibar and the growth of Shuly as a business owner. From forming new partnerships to meeting new mentors, each event has brought value back to her and the business. This article covers 10 ways any business owner can turn an event into value.

–       Booth Tips: 9 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Appearance at a Trade Show

Without a retail space, Frigibar relies on boat shows to give customers and partners access to freezer and refrigerator units. Shuly shares her advice to other entrepreneurs and sales professionals on how to get the most value out of appearing at a trade show or conference.

“To help you make the most out of exhibiting at a show without regretting your investment, here are nine ways to get more out of your next event or trade show, created with the help of one of the many valuable connections and friends I’ve made at an Inc. event, Nuphoriq Co-Founder and CCO Jamie Pritscher.”

To connect with Shuly, follow her on LinkedIn, Twitter, or email her at Shuly.Oletzky@Frigibar.com.