The Certified Medallion: Leveraging TU

We tell all TU Apprentices and Certified Tobacconists that getting Certified and passing the final exam is just the beginning of the process, albeit the hardest. Ultimately, Certification must be leveraged by wearing the Certified Pin and using the Certified Medallion, on business cards, store signage, and your website. After all, if you get Certified and never mention it to your customers, co-workers, vendors, and the community around you, then the benefits will never materialize. While TU is no magic bullet for what ails our industry, the ability to leverage it is a massive competitive advantage.

PS: every CRT store gets a framed diploma with their logo, store signage stickers, and the right to use the Certified Medallion as long as they maintain one CRT. Individual CRT receive the Certified Pin, a personal diploma, mouse pad, and more...

Einstein Smoked!

Yes, it's true, Einstein smoked: pipes and cigars.

Albert Einstein's contributions to modern science are so extraordinary that it may take generations and hundreds of years for science to catch up with his theories on space, time, gravity, light, physics, etc... Ironically, Einstein had speech problems as a child and was probably missing portions of his brain, while other parts seem to have 'compensated' and given him extraordinary thinking, visualization, and conceptualization abilities. In fact, we are all a little bit like Albert Einstein in that our brains have different strengths and weaknesses and there are many different ways to be 'smart'. Intelligence takes on many different forms and varietals.

Albert Einstein, Berlin, Germany 1931. Photo from Fortune Magazine March 6, 2000.

Albert Einstein claimed that he thought through images, rather than verbally. That is why he spent much of his time ruminating, meditating, thinking, and walking the grounds of the Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton University, with a pipe or cigar in hand, of course.

As the proprietor of the retail tobacconist in Princeton, NJ, I like to think that Albert Einstein would be a customer if he were around today. After all, many of Princeton's esteemed intellectuals and luminaries are my customers, and they love their luxury tobacco. But this is not just a 'puff' piece about smart people smoking tobacco. Luxury tobacco is something we use out of choice, not addiction. Furthermore, we smoke great cigars and pipe tobaccos to savor our time, ruminate, decompress, gather our thoughts and emotions, and revitalize ourselves, among other reasons.

Just as our 'brains' are different, so are the things that bring us pleasure, happiness, joy, and peace. America's founding fathers recognized the inherent importance of individualism and freedom, so they anchored our country's constitution and values on the 'individual pursuit of happiness' and human freedom. For better or worse, good, bad or indifferent, human beings must be free to choose their own destiny and guide their own lives.

What would Albert Einstein think about S-CHIP, FDA tobacco regulation, extreme tobacco taxation, smoker demonization, smoking bans, and tobacco denormalization? Where would civilization be without Albert Einstein's genius? Who or what power has the legitimate authority to tell him (or us) how to think? What to enjoy? After all, we hold the truth of human freedom and equality to be self-evident.

The greatest tragedy to result from smokerism and anti-smoking laws will never be known. The greatest cost from impeding human freedom is the opportunity cost: those things, ideas, moments, realizations, and appreciations that will never exist, because the opportunity was lost. But these losses, while intangible, are as real as light, gravity, and time. Ultimately, every law that restricts individual freedom and choice retards our culture and undermines real progress and quality of life.

Puro Integritas

OUR MOTTO

A hybrid of Spanish, Latin, and double entendre, PURO INTEGRITAS refers to 'Pure Integrity' and 'Cigar Integrity'. It speaks to our Vision & Mission and guides all of our actions. If words have the power to shape and transform lives, then this is Our Motto.

Background & Perspective on TU

I am spending hours per day responding to emails from Tobacconists and Consumers alike. Its amazing how popular an unpromoted endeavor can be. I fully understand why there are so many questions and I would like to take this opportunity to give a little Background & Perspective.

Above all, TU must be a transparent organization. While most of our services are free, we do (or will) disclose all of our income(s) to maintain our independence and credibility. We do not accept advertising and sell or certify products. Currently we are working on a Product Placement (PP) revenue model which will allow photos/specs of products to be placed in the Academic Curriculum by credible industry members - these are not advertisements. PP are intended to be an equitable and affordable 'service' that allows all industry members to share in TU. (I will write more on PP in the future - still in development.) While PP are intended to pay for the internet site(s) and maintenance, eventually we will have Sponsors which will fund Content Development (i.e. content previews) and Certifications (however, we are Certifying now without Sponsors). That's the plan...

To date, including time and money, I have invested at least one million dollars in TU; while we have had $100 in income from our first CST. It has been my full time job for 5 years and I have drawn from my staff of 12 Tobacconists to do it. And now we have a Academic Administrator to help with everything I can't do. In addition, there have been legal, administrative, computer, programming, art, design, printing, travel, and many more costs. Sadly, there is no guarantee that I will get any of that money or time back. We are working with a completely new economic model (i.e. no ads, free services, etc...) but I have always believed that if we create New Value & Opportunities, that everything financial will work itself out . That's the plan...

Currently we are doing our *Pilot CRT Certifications and CST Certifications. We are building a grass roots movement of Credible Certified Tobacconists. While I would rather be spending 'Sponsor' money at this point, we must first prove to our industry that a demand truly exists. As Tobacconists, we demand respect, credibility, and support; through Certification we are showing that we are willing to earn it.

The following email gives a quick rundown on many common questions, so I will simply cut and paste it here:

"Dear ----;

Almost everything you want to know is on our websites: check out the Certification, Certified Tobacconist, and Academic pages. And there is also supplementary information on my blog. We have been Certifying Tobacconists and Consumers since 1996, but the Certified Tobacconist webpage only lists those over the last two years, since that is when the Tobacconist University Code of Ethics & Standards, and other materials were used as part of the Certification. Before that we Certified just under 200 Tobacconists and Consumers under the Cuban Cigar University name: that was a program I used for my retail stores and customers - the development of Tobacconist University started full time in 2003 and that was intended to benefit the whole industry.

I am sorry that the Certification information on the site is not more succinct. Over the next year, as we get funding, we will streamline the Certification information and make it easier to digest. Currently we are doing Pilot Certifications while we refine our Email Seminars and the infrastructure to Certify Tobacconists throughout the country. We are transitioning from a research, development, and publishing organization to a Certification driven organization, and that will take some time. This is an exciting period for us, since over the next 30 days we will add 20 Certified Tobacconists to our family. Certifications will double every 3 to 4 months after that. Right now our focus is on CST and CRT. By 2009 we will be much better equipped to Certify Consumers (CCT), since we will have Certified Retailers in place to recruit and administer the test.

In addition, the development of TU has been intentionally quiet; we have avoided press and promotion in order to focus on our foundation and fundamentals.

If you would like to look at the Certification contracts (CRT), the username/password is Tobacconist/Pride. There is some technical information there you may find useful. In brief, CRT Certification is Free, and the CCT cost is $200 for a lifetime.

Currently we have 5 retailers going through the Pilot Certification programs. The first step towards Certification is accepting the Code of Ethics & Standards. They receive E-Seminars twice a week for six weeks and then schedule to take the final exam. Hopefully, later this year the E-Seminars will be available online ,for free, for you to see/receive at your leisure. As we get Sponsors, hopefully this year, we will begin Certifying at will and our growth will be exponential. The main challenge/bottleneck is that the test must be administered by a Certified human being, it cannot be taken over the internet, so that poses some challenges we are preparing for now.

I hope this answers some of your questions….

If you happen to live near a Certified Retail Tobacconist, then they will be able to Certify you as a Consumer….. but you may have to be patient. If you are ever in Princeton, NJ we can Certify you ourselves.

Recuerdos;"

Disclaimer: Posting this blog has saved me countless hours of emailing.... thanks for reading it.

*Writing this prompts me to release/post a couple of the Pilot CRT E-Seminars... stay tuned for that.

Tobacconists - Human Assets: content preview

"The first sign of decline of an industry is loss of appeal to able people."
- The Daily Drucker (Harper Collins 2004)

Ultimately, a business is only as good as its people. The success of luxury tobacco retailers is limited by how many good Tobacconists they have - I know this because I live it.

The Human Assets of a company are the most valuable because you can always borrow money or lease a space, but great people are hard to come by: that is the essence of Tobacconist University. That is why we are not a retailer organization, trade group, or consumer magazine. We are focused and committed to educating, training, and developing the greatest resource in our industry: Tobacconists.

If you ask 100 people "who are the most important people in our industry (not including consumers)?", 99% will answer 'Cigar Makers'. But, they are wrong. Tobacconists are the most important people in our industry because they consummate the relationship between cigar makers and customers; they bridge the gap between producers and consumers. Where would the Fuentes and Padrons be without Tobacconists? They would be lining the shelves of supermarkets, convenience stores, and drug stores. I will live [ and die ] knowing that retail Tobacconists make this industry great. That is where I fell in love with luxury tobacco, and that is where consumers do too. You can't get to know real products through the pages of a magazine or on the internet.

If you own a retail shop you already know the greatest challenge is finding and retaining good people. Tobacconist University EDUCATES, TRAINS, PROMOTES, DEVELOPS, & INVIGORATES our industry's greatest assets - a historical first! All of these benefits increase employee Value, Commitment, & Retention, improving your business and competitiveness all at once. Leverage these resources to your advantage and you will succeed. Invest in your people and the long-term rewards will be exponential! Put people first and the profits will follow.

Hiring Tip: Hire Passion & Smiles. All Great Tobacconists are naturally endowed with a passion for the products and a genuine desire to share that.

University Means University

As we see it, the function of a University is to TEACH, LEARN, & RESEARCH, which is precisely what we do at Tobacconist University. In that process we are endeavoring to support Retail Tobacconists (B&M) and Preserve Luxury Tobacco For Generations To Come. Our educational platforms are absolutely free to consumers, Tobacconists, and the rest of civilization. In addition, we do not accept or allow any advertising, nor do we sell any products. Our Vision is to set the highest Standard of Excellence in Product Knowledge, Appreciation, and Professionalism throughout the Luxury tobacco industry. Our Mission is to Educate & Certify the most knowledgeable and honorable tobacco connoisseurs in the world. We even have a Code of Ethics & Standards for our Certified Tobacconists, and we expect it to be honored, or else...

All of this is completely new to our industry and it usually takes people a while to comprehend what we are doing: 'invest in education?', 'train Tobacconists?', 'what is a Tobacconist?', etc... Many people can't even pronounce the word Tobacconist, much less understand its significance. The reason it has taken over a decade to get to this point is because we are serious about our profession, industry, and building credibility. Tobacconist University is a value-proposition for a new generation. Perhaps it is the confluence of smoking-bans, hyper-taxation, and societal condemnation that requires such a distinctive institution. Or maybe it was long overdue: the first Sommelier organization did not open in America until 1954. Regardless of the reasons, OUR TIME HAS COME. We are currently Certifying Tobacconists through our Pilot Programs in over twenty States; and our growth will be organic and exponential.

With that said... I would like to officially proclaim my disdain with any company, either manufacturer, distributor, or retailer, who uses the words "College" or "University" in their name or web domain to lure customers while offering little or no substantive education. This shameful ploy has become more prevalent in our industry and it is truly disingenuous.

Every great Tobacconist I have ever known has sacrificed income and time to pursue their own passions, and then shared of themselves without hesitation. I can promise you that every Certified Tobacconist, including current Apprentices, have gone to extraordinary lengths to educate themselves and meet our highest standards; Standards which exist to honor this extraordinary industry and its consumers. In fact, a Certified Tobacconist, by definition [or default], is making sacrifices and giving of their time simply because it is the right thing to do: there is no paycheck or product at the end of our journey. Certification is the manifestation of great passion and conviction! So, rather than just condemn greedy, shady, and disreputable merchants, I would like to personally congratulate all of our current, past, and future Certified Tobacconists for 'walking the walk'. Ultimately, when we say we are Certified, it means something; and we are called Tobacconist University because that says it all.

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action"

- Herbert Spencer