Successful Rule Breakers: Buzzy Sklar Of Kintsugi Sake On How To Succeed By Doing Things Differently
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Everybody has a great idea every day but it’s those who are willing to take the chance and put their chips on the table are the ones who are going to succeed.
In the world of business and within every industry, there are forward-thinking leaders who go against the status quo and find success. Their courage to take risks, embrace innovation, and inspire collaboration separates them from the competition. Until 2002, Apple’s famous slogan was “Think Different”. This attitude likely helped them become one of the most successful organizations in history. This interview series aims to showcase visionary leaders and their “status quo-breaking” approach to doing business. As part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Buzzy Sklar.
Buzzy Sklar is the Founder and CEO of Kintsugi Sake, one of the only American-made sake companies. Sklar is a South Florida hospitality veteran and was the former CEO and Founder of J.F. Haden’s Liqueur and Tropical Distillers. Sklar is no stranger to success and has been the consummate entrepreneur understanding what it takes to take something from an idea to fruition. His expertise and rule-breaking mindset is what has led him to success by breaking barriers and changing the spirit industry by going in a different direction.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story”? Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up as a middle class, public school kid in Brooklyn NY.
Can you give us a glimpse into your journey into this industry and share a story about one of the most significant challenges you faced when you first started out? How did you end up resolving that challenge?
I was in the restaurant/bar business for 20+ years. Once you get hospitality in your blood, it is tough to do anything else. I have always loved the adult beverage biz and launched my first company one month prior to the pandemic. I exited that company in September 2023 and started the Sake company in October of that same year. One of the biggest challenges is having the right partners, if you’re going to have partners at all.
Who has been the most significant influence in your business journey, and what is the most significant lesson or insight you have learned from them?
From a total business perspective, it would have to be Boogie Wineglass who hired me to work with him at merry-go-round stores. He always told me to be upfront and honest, even when it’s tough. And always make the tough phone calls first.
Can you share a story about something specific that happened early on that you would consider a failure but ended up being a blessing in disguise or ended up being one of the most valuable lessons you had to learn on your own?
I have had quite a few businesses that failed but the biggest lesson I’ve learned is keep getting back up to the plate because with each failure you gain experience and knowledge.
Leading anything is hard, especially when grappling with a difficult situation where it seems that no matter what you decide, it will have a negative impact on those around you. Can you share a story about a situation you faced that required making a “hard call” or a tough decision between two paths?
Like the Robert Frost poem says, you’re always gonna have to make a decision that will lead you or your company in a certain direction and you have to stick with that decision and can never look back. There’s not one particular situation I can think of because these decisions are made on a daily basis in business.
Let’s shift our focus to the core of this interview about ‘Successful Rule Breakers’. Why did you decide to “break the rules”? Early on, did you identify a particular problem or issue in how businesses in your industry generally operated? What specifically compelled you to address this and want to do things differently? Please share how you went about implementing those changes and the impact they had.
Taking a product that is so known as one country’s product (like Sake is to Japan) and deciding to make it domestically is a pretty big break in the rules. But I know since we use the best water sources and the best rice and still stick to the Japanese traditions on how to make it, it will have a tremendous impact because of the domestic production lead times.
In the ever-changing business landscape, how exactly do you decide when to adhere to industry norms versus “breaking the rules” and forging your own way? Can you share an example?
In business, you always needed a differentiator or are you just following someone else’s path so I wouldn’t always call it breaking the rules, but you need to do something different that is significant — not just doing something different to be different
What guidance or insight can you offer to new entrepreneurs trying to follow existing and accepted industry norms while at the same time trying to differentiate themselves in the marketplace?
Be purposeful with what makes your product different from the rest, make sure there is a need or want for that product. Like I used to say in the spirit’s end of the liquor business, you can’t just make a lettuce flavored vodka, just cause it’s different because you have no market for it. You need to truly hone in that your differentiator has a place in the market.
Here is the main question of our interview. To make an impact, you have to champion change, get creative, and take risks. Please think back about the decisions you’ve made that have helped your business get to where it is today, and share your top 5 strategies or decisions that helped you succeed by doing things differently. If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1 . The biggest thing is to own 51% of your company for as long as possible, that way you truly get to guide the direction.
2 . Showing up is 90% of the battle… You could take as many risks as you want in your business but do what you say you’re gonna do.
3 . Finding an uncrowded lane and going for it.
4 . Everybody has a great idea every day but it’s those who are willing to take the chance and put their chips on the table are the ones who are going to succeed.
5 . Build a great team. There is no “I” in team.
As a leader, how do you rally others to align with your vision? Also, how do you identify those who may not be fully committed or even silently sabotaging or undermining your efforts? What steps do you take to address these situations?
To me loyalty is everything, I myself am loyal to a fault. Those who are not marching in the same direction as the rest of the team will be left behind. Anyone who is trying to sabotage or undermine will be kicked off the team. I have no patience for unloyal people on my team.
Imagine we’re sitting down together two years from now, looking back at your company’s last 24 months. What specific accomplishments would have to happen for you to be happy with your progress?
That we are a nationwide brand and distributed in all 50 states. The largest sake brand in America.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
End childhood hunger in the USA…it is a much bigger problem then most know of.
How can our readers continue to follow you or your company online?
Our instagram would be best for both brands.
@kintsugisakeusa
@buzzysklar
Thank you so much for sharing all of these insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience as the Founder and CEO of multiple companies. He launched Choice Recovery, Inc., a healthcare collection agency, while going to The Ohio State University, His team earned national recognition, twice being ranked as the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. In 2018, Chad launched [re]start, a career development platform connecting thousands of individuals in collections with meaningful employment opportunities, He sold Choice Recovery on his 25th anniversary and in 2023, sold the majority interest in [re]start so he can focus his transition to Built to Lead as an Executive Leadership Coach. Learn more at www.chadsilverstein.com
Successful Rule Breakers: Buzzy Sklar Of Kintsugi Sake On How To Succeed By Doing Things… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.