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CEO Spotlight 66 October 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com to get to a level of profitability where we could provide significant financial support to melanoma and skin cancer organizations. How many employees do you currently have? We're still growing. Right now we have about 15 in the corporate office, with a large team of contractors and sales reps in the field nationwide. What do you look for in an employee? I look for people I can trust and who have a passion for what they do, they like their work, they have fun doing it, and there is integrity in what they do. I'm also a big believer in continuous improvement, getting better at something every day, every week, every month and so on. I mentioned Phil Miller earlier, and one of the great lessons I leaned from him was learning from your mistakes. Phil was laser focused on the solution and not on placing blame. I have taken that forward-motion mentality with me and hope to continue to instill that in the MDSolarSciences team as well. What do you do on your spare time? I have a home in Delray Beach, Florida, as well as here in New York City. I have the best of both worlds. My son lives in New York and my daughter and her family live in Florida, and I enjoy spending time with them and watching my grandchil- dren grow. We like to travel, and in my free time I like to fish. Also, because I'm always looking for a new challenge, I started taking guitar lessons, so we'll see how that goes! What makes MDSolarSciences products different from others? Our products were created by Dr. Rob Friedman, a noted dermatologist and oncologist, because he was seeing patients who had a small mole or blemish on their face and they believed it would be simple process to have it removed. Unfortunately, too often it was something more serious. He believed if he could get people to wear sunscreen regularly, he could prevent what he was needing to cure. He then gathered, on a volunteer basis, 12 other doctors and scientists to develop safe, effective and luxuri- ous formulations that people would enjoy wearing daily. For financing he went to wealthy people he had either cured, or cured someone close to them, and the company was formed. Our products are safer, more effective and more luxurious than what is sold in drug stores and mass merchants and only slightly more expen- sive. They are on par with the products offered by major cosmetic companies, but at a far more affordable price. And com- pared to all others, we are not simply an ordinary for-profit organization—we are an extraordinary company, one that puts purpose before profits, truly dedicated to the prevention and cure of skin cancer, while at the same time helping maintain younger looking skin. What was the transition into the president position like? The new things were about the specifics of the business starting with company history, understanding the vision and mission, and learning about the product line. That's normal whenever one joins a new company. The issue unique for me was I spent most of my life at a $3.5 billion company with 10,000 employees (I had over 2,000 employees in my pyra- mid), while in this early stage business you change the billion to million and the number of employees to less than 10. It allows you to be so much closer to the people, to what is going on. The unset- tling aspect of being small is that each decision by each employee is critical. In my former life if I made a bad decision it may have had a negative impact on 2,000 employees, but the company would survive. If I make a bad decision here, it could potentially put the company out of business and 10 people out of work. Who inspires you? People who have overcome significant obstacles in their lives are incredibly inspiring. When I hear stories about the challenges they faced and the drive and determination they had to overcome them, I am inspired and I am also humbled to know what a blessed life I have had. My challenges, past and present, pale by comparison, which keeps me working hard and keeps my outlook positive. How does social media influence your company? It allows us to reach people with our skin cancer prevention message, but also helps us to increase our relationships with a variety of influencers, fans and customers. Our product range appeals to such a broad range of clientele, it's a great way to keep in touch and make our consumers feel connected to our brand. It really helps us spread the word about our products to those who may not have heard of us, and also allows us to focus on the fantastic attributes of our products and how they fit into a healthy lifestyle and healthy environment. What is a piece of advice you can offer to entrepreneurs? Your success will come through learning and many great learnings are from your failures. Trial and error. Try again and again. Don't give up. You're creating something new, or doing something in a new way. You'll find your way by getting lost. ■Get Connected! @mdsolarsciences @mdsolarsciences mdsolarsciences.com Product images courtesy of MDSolarSciences, model image: Lumina images, gettyimages.com "Your success will come through learning and many great learnings are from your failures."