Without any further ados and/or adon'ts, I first thank him kindly for his time -- then give you one Mr. Jon Huber of Crowned Heads.
Who has mentored you and who have you mentored?
My biggest ‘life’ mentors have been my Grandfather and my Uncle. If I have any positive character attributes, I attribute them to those two men who demonstrated to me what a ‘real’ man is about, i.e., family, love, and integrity. Insofar as ‘career’ mentors go, I would say that Cano Ozgener (CAO International Founder) and George Brightman were two individuals from whom I garnered a great deal of knowledge. Cano was almost a ‘spiritual’ mentor in that he instilled the belief in me that you could make anything happen; there were/are no limits other than the ones we create. George Brightman (formerly of Cigar Aficionado magazine) really taught me a great deal about the industry as a whole, in particular how to actually build a brand. George was—and continues to be—a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about premium cigars.
As far as who I’ve personally ‘mentored,’ I’ve never directly taken someone ‘under my wing,’ but I would hope that I’ve had a positive impact on some scale on others who would aspire to get into this business. My track record of going from a cigar geek to a shipping manager to a brand owner should demonstrate that really anything is possible when you believe in yourself.
As far as who I’ve personally ‘mentored,’ I’ve never directly taken someone ‘under my wing,’ but I would hope that I’ve had a positive impact on some scale on others who would aspire to get into this business. My track record of going from a cigar geek to a shipping manager to a brand owner should demonstrate that really anything is possible when you believe in yourself.
What have you compromised and what won’t you compromise?
I’ve compromised on packaging our cigars in cellophane. I’ve been adamantly opposed to cellophane since day one; I’ve always felt that cello gets in the way of the ’sensual’ experience of selecting cigars, i.e., touch, smell, feel. At the risk of being crass, cigars in cello—to me—have always been like having sex with a condom; it’s fine and all, but it just isn’t the same. What I refuse to compromise on is any sort of marketing that makes a ‘personality’ appear bigger than the cigar itself. I’m in this business because I have a deep love and respect for the tradition of the craft of handmade premium cigars. I’m NOT in this business to become some quasi-cigar-‘celebrity.’
When is it a failure?
It is only ‘a failure’ when you stop trying. Never-never-EVER give up.
I’ve only just begun upon this journey. Crowned Heads began shipping cigars on November 8, 2011—just a little over 4 years ago. My vision for Crowned Heads is bigger than just ‘cigars,’ too. We’ve only scratched the surface.
Why do you succeed?
I suppose you would have to first define “success.” To me, success is finding what you love to do and are passionate about, and getting paid for it….like the old adage, “find what you love to do and you will never work a day in your life.” So, by that definition, I suppose I’ve achieved some success.
EDITOR NOTE: I have apologized privately to Mr. Huber for getting off on the wrong foot with him. Actually, it ... I ... was far more of an asshole than a foot. I wanted to publicly (Hi Mom!) apologize once again to a very fine gent.
Schmaltz aside, as I reach for my schmatta/hankie with which to wipe a tear --
PLEASE VISIT THE CROWNED HEADS WEBSITE.