Meet the Sales Team - Elijah Haws

Elijah is one of our newest team members at Emilio Cigars, and we welcome him aboard. His enthusiasm and dedication quickly became apparent as he opened his first account, Cigar Connection in Arlington, VA within literally hours of joining our sales force.  He covers Virginia and Washington, DC for us at present, but may go farther afield if needed.

              Elijah Haws, on the far right, serving his country as a Marine Infantry Squad Leader

Here's a bit about Elijah, in his own words:

"I'm first and foremost a family man. When I'm not working I try to find time to do the things in life that I enjoy the most. Woodworking, fishing, reading, movies, music, photography, sports and being a gym rat are the things that really come to mind. I fell in love with cigars about 5 years ago. One of the things I love the most about cigars, especially B&M's, is the family atmosphere that it has. I have met so many great people, and made a lot of close friends, that I normally wouldn't have ever met if it wasn't for cigars. It's amazing how something so small can change and enhance our lives. I'm honored and privileged to finally be apart of the industry as a rep for Emilio Cigars and look forward to forging some new friendships and helping bring great cigars to great people. "

You can find him on Facebook and also follow him on Twitter . This fine young man is well worth getting to know.

So now we move ahead

Investing in people is always something of a gamble. Initially you  have to base your decision to invest on perceived value. It's not always easy, because just as in any investment not everything is known or disclosed, and therein lies the inherent risk.

The prospectus will always be glowingly optimistic, the expected yield ambitious, but the true return will always derive from the omissions, the failures to disclose. This is not in any way deceit, it is simply that few people are capable of the level of critical self examination needed to be completely forthright. Every day brings change, every change adds to the risk, and every new risk complicates the nature of the investment.

Here's the thing. If you've invested in someone, chances are they've invested, at least in some measure, in you. They're counting on you to be there when they need you. But if they're risk averse, as many people are after suffering loss and hurt, they'll omit more to protect the value of their own investment.

If you value them remember why you took the risk of investing in the first place. It's not always necessary to cash in your chips when the dynamic changes, but it is important to recognize the change, accept it, and then move forward in a positive new light.

The two most important words I've used here are "expect" and "accept."

Expectation is the root of all disappointment. If you don't want to be disappointed, don't expect, just accept. You'll live a much happier life, and you'll never lose again.

A growing concern

This past week has been one of the most fun and exciting for us since we began national distribution of our Emilio Cigars. On a personal level it is so rewarding to see the great reception we've been given in the marketplace, the enthusiasm of our sales staff, and the constant positive feedback from consumers.

What makes this last week so meaningful is that we're entering a period of time in which so much of our hard work is beginning to bear fruit that I'm almost overwhelmed myself, and that doesn't happen often.

For the consumers out there so anxious to get hold of Emilio Cigars the great news is that we've managed to add several new sales associates, and there are even more to come with whom we're currently in negotiations. In the southwest we're happy to welcome Eric Parkinson aboard. Although he is headquartered in Arizona it looks like he'll be broadening his horizons soon, and we look forward to what we are certain will be his success.

I saw a post on Facebook last week in which a young man I'd often taken note of said his dream would be to get involved in the cigar business. It took me just a few phone calls to make his dream come true. Andrew Yenchko will now be representing our brand in Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Thanks to the cooperative way in which we boutique manufacturers have begun to work, he will also be representing Ortega Cigars, 262 Cigars, and El Primer Mundo in those same areas.

Another new addition is Kevin Kurtz, who will be covering western Pennsylvania and Ohio, giving continued support to our existing retailers, and introducing us to new retailers and consumers in the area. I might even prod him to move a bit further afield as he has time.

In product news there's a lot of things happening. The rebranding of Grimalkin to La Musa is almost complete, and that release should happen soon. In addition the second blend in this series, the La Musa Melete should happen around the time of IPCPR in August.

Our Emilio AF Suave production is complete, and once everything is aged and packaged we'll be bringing that to market. This is a mild to medium Connecticut wrapped cigar that will be available in 5 sizes. On my next trip to Nicaragua, which is coming up soon, I'll be finishing yet another new blend with A.J. Fernandez that can hopefully be released early next year. There are also new sizes in production for both AF1 and AF2.

Our Draig K limitado will be released shortly. This line will be an annual release, with a different blend each year. As of now it looks as though the first Draig blend will have a production of 400 boxes each of corona, robusto, and toro. These will be allocated to our existing retailers through a complex mathematical process basically known as the Griffith Algorithm. I'll reward those who have been strong supporters.

Hopefully we'll be able to release our first cigar from yet another factory at IPCPR in August, a line we call Los Regalos. We're delighted with this project, and more details will follow in the coming weeks.

Is that all I have up my sleeve? Heck no. But let's just say this rather lengthy post, by the end of the year, will be considered nothing but a teaser.

But the customer asked for this...

When your customer asks for something, and you give them exactly what they want, fulfilling their expectations, you've done your job.

But if you know a better way, that will exceed their expectations, and you don't give them that, you've failed.

Emilio Website Updates

Over the next several days we will begin rolling out the new and hopefully improved Emilio Cigars Website .

As with many things we have done, and will continue to do, understand that we do listen. We do happily accept criticism and commentary, and we will forever strive to become a better presence in the marketplace. We will implement changes to the website, our bands and branding, and enedeavor to be the very best that we can be for you, our consumers and advocates.

Also understand that, for me in particular, this is my absolute passion. I want to bring you products I can be proud of, and that you can enjoy. I live and breath this motto every day: The tobacco drives the process.

I continue to appreciate all the support and enthusiasm from everyone, but in the end that means nothing if I disappoint myself.

I'm about the cigars. I'll worry about the other details over time.

For now, enjoy the new site. Visit it often to see how it progresses. As with all things, what we do we will always be a work in progress.

Grow with us, and we'll grow with you.

Thank you.

News Release: Draig K Limitado

We are pleased to announce that production and aging of our Emilio Cigars Draig K Limitado is complete, and the cigars are ready for packaging.

We are still awaiting bands from the printer, and the final version of the box art should be finished this week, so we are setting a tentative release date of June 1, 2012.

These cigars are limited in production, and will be allocated only to retailers who have joined the Emilio Cigars family as of April 30, 2012.

Once we have the cigars in hand our sales representatives will contact their accounts and advise as to how many will be available to each.

To get a feel for what this new release is all about have a look at this prerelease review by Charlie Greenbacker of Stogie Review

When we fail to tell

Communication is a curious thing, because unless it is clear and concise, and leaves no room for interpretation, confusion can ensue. Why? Because the listening party is left room to reach conclusions based on assumptions. When this happens disappointment can ensue, feelings are hurt, and damage is done to relationships, both personal and professional.

Communication must be timely to be of value, since even a perfectly communicated message or idea, delivered too late, can cause the same confusions and disappointments as cited above. A last minute change of plans, even when fully explained, understood, and accepted for what it is can turn joy and anticipation into bitterness and regret.

When we speak clearly, without evasion, and in a timely manner to people in our personal and professional spheres who are important to us our understanding of one another becomes ever clearer, and our bonds grow ever stronger.

When we choose to avoid the timely truth, even if because we sincerely don't want to hurt or disappoint, we do more damage than the truth itself could ever do.

Remember too that on any given day we haven't a clue how many other times this same scenario has played out for someone, and if you're the last in line to deliver bad news, you may be the first person they give up on.

Just my thoughts for the day.