Good Mentoring Makes a Tangible Difference

A phone call from a business associate jarred me into changing my topic for this month’s column.The call came from Andrew Boico, a SEN Design Group member from Roslyn, NY, telling me that his father had died from cancer the day before. He was only 71 years old.

When I think of Don Boico, CKD, I think of one of the best mentors I have ever encountered in the kitchen and bath industry.

I met Don nearly 35 years ago while serving with him on the National Board of Directors for the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). He had a sharp business mind that went along with his searing wit, and he was never afraid to debate an unpopular position on a trade association issue.

When I started the industry’s first buying group for kitchen and bath design firm owners in 1994, Don was among the first 25 charter members. He also accepted an appointment to our Advisory Council, helping to guide us through the formative first six years. It took nearly all that time for our group to gain traction within the industry and show a healthy bottom line.

Don ran a very successful, highly profitable operation on the north shore of Long Island.

His name lent credibility to our fledgling group, and that helped to attract additional members and vendors to join us. He did not need to volunteer his time, wisdom and energy to support us. Rather, he wanted to because he believed in the group’s mission. He had also made a commitment, and his word was always good.

When the buying group experienced setbacks in those early years, Don would pick up the phone and call me, offering prudent advice and words of encouragement.

Those selfless, voluntary actions meant a lot to one’s psyche because, all of a sudden, hope was replacing fear. You were able to summon up the courage to soldier on.

As our organization grew, the Advisory Council suggested that we assign mentors to new members who would be attending one of our semi-annual conferences for the first time.

The purpose would be to enable new members to “learn the ropes” from veterans and, therefore, be assimilated into the group more easily.

At every opportunity possible, I always assigned new members to Don because I was confident he would do a great mentoring job.

He always did, regardless of whether the new member was a large, successful dealer like himself or a small, struggling one like he had been many years earlier when he sold cabinets from the trunk of his car.

You could say that he was an “equal opportunity mentor,” being uniformly gracious, attentive and helpful no matter the dealer’s level of development. “I enjoy helping others become more successful,” he once said to me.

For dealers to get ahead, having a mentor can make a huge difference to a firm’s revenue growth and bottom line. When owners face critical strategic decisions almost on a daily basis, and have virtually no one to help consider the options open to them, it is understandable why so many dealers experience protracted difficulty in reaching higher levels of performance.

Mentors can drastically reduce the learning curve in this industry and help get kitchen and bath dealers on the right road to greater profitability in a hurry.

Don Boico, CKD had the key essential characteristics to look for in an effective mentor:

1. Industry-Specific Experience. To be sure, there
   are retired, successful businesspeople affiliated with organizations like the Small Business Administration (SBA) that can be helpful. However, in my experience, it takes them quite a while to learn enough about our industry to apply their knowledge effectively.
   
   Belonging to industry peer groups makes it relatively easy to identify and enlist an outstanding mentor like a Don Boico.
   
2. Business Smarts. Most experienced industry dealers are excellent designers and salespeople. They may display a veneer of success, but really have not mastered the financial side of the business. Can they properly interpret financial statements?
   
   Do their gross and net profit margins substantially exceed the industry norm? Have they developed successful, multiple locations?
   
   To his credit, a lot of Don’s business acumen was intuitive. When you heard him speak, you just instinctively knew his carefully reasoned advice was spot on.
   
3. Sharing Attitude. Don had a humble, patient and generous heart. He relished sharing his experiences, viewpoints and secrets to success.
   
   I have run across successful dealers in this industry who are loathe to offer up any information for fear of someone gaining on their record of success.
   
4. Availability. It is critical to find someone who would be available 24/7 either by phone or by e-mail. As a member of our SEN Advisory Council, Don made it clear he would take my call at any time. Fortunately, I never had to abuse this privilege.
   
5. Integrity. Having your mentor follow through on any assignments – whether self-imposed or otherwise ­– inspires confidence for small businesspeople. Don always did what he said he was going to do, in the time frame he promised.

Find a great mentor like Don Boico, CKD to help you regularly work on your business, not just in it, and you will no doubt achieve great strides in your firm’s development. It did in mine.

I will miss Don a lot. He left us too early. His warm, kind and giving spirit is something I will always remember … and try to emulate.