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.

Nickname Theory

I've been thinking lately about my chronic habit of giving Tobacconists nicknames. As I think of it, giving people nicknames is a common Cuban trait. Cuban nicknames can be super-obvious like "Chino" for anyone of Asian descent, or bizarre, like "Miacere" which means a group of smelly monkeys. Whatever the case, nicknaming gives me pleasure. Over the years we have had Tobacconists nicknamed BIG, CRACK HEAD, SHAGGY, CHICHO, O.G., YE OLDE, STRETCH, SMOKEY, CHE, CRAZY EYES, and MUNCHKIN, just to name a few. Sometimes even customers merit nicknames, either created by Tobacconists or their peers.

The key to nicknaming is getting approval first; no one should be called anything they do not approve of. I have Tobacconists working for nearly a decade that never got a nickname, either because they wouldn't approve it, or because it did not come naturally; that is OK too.

So, what is the point of a nickname? Without writing a book here, I think a nickname is a form of affection. A way to share humor and bond. As any retail Tobacconist knows, our work is not all fun and games: things need to be cleaned, priced, displayed, maintained, and everything breaks, frequently. Retail Tobacconists actually have a lot of stress, so a nickname can help remind us not to take everything so seriously. While this is not a management theory like Tobacconist Whisperer, I believe there is a good lesson here:

Work hard, but don't forget to have fun and savor your time. Being a Tobacconist is serious business, but life is too short to be serious all the time.