Ari Raptis of Talaria Transportation: Optimal Performance Before High Pressure Moments; How To Relieve Stress, Clear Your Head, and Prepare Yourself For High Stakes Business Encounters
I think visualizing what you want to achieve is the first step in getting to where you want to go. As an analogy, golf is a sport that requires an incredible amount of focus. When I’m on the course, I mentally imagine and envision the shot I want to take before I even make a practice swing. This allows me to get in the zone and stay present, regardless of any background noise or distractions.
As a part of our series about “Optimal Performance Before High Pressure Moments”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ari Raptis, a 30-year-old cannabis entrepreneur who was named a Top 40 Under 40 Rising Star by Marijuana Venture in 2020. Raptis founded Talaria Transportation, a privately held company specializing in secure logistics for the cannabis industry in 2017 and serves as CEO. Talaria is currently operating in 16 states and provides optimum systems for every facet of the market, including product, payment, cash processing, and lab testing transportation.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I am a thirty-year-old Philadelphia native who always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I knew I wanted to create my own career opportunities and be in a profession that would bring good to the world. Even at the young age of six, creating my own business was always a goal. This dream was definitely facilitated by the fact that my father built his own businesses and that my first job was working at the family restaurant. Though, I didn’t know exactly what being an “entrepreneur” entailed, I first ventured into the role in the third grade when I created my own pencil sharpening business. I was making $5 a day at 25 cents per sharpening. All of my earnings went straight to buying chocolate milk as presents to my class at lunch. Learning how to save came after.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career as an entrepreneur or business leader? We’d love to hear the story.
My father came to the U.S. as an immigrant when he was 17. Hearing his stories of how he worked his way up to build his own businesses has been an inspiration. I am lucky to have been able to watch and learn from him throughout my life. His determination and persistence to succeed in a new country is something that pushes me to work hard and be a leader who inspires my team to pursue success.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
When I was young, I worked at my father’s restaurants bussing tables for a quarter an hour or a quarter a table. I learned how to work hard from my dad. When I got a little older around 11 or 12, my father started to venture into additional restaurants and real estate. He let me sit in on his business meetings which were pivotal in shaping my approach to business. These experiences that I was exposed to at a young age gave me the ability and confidence to pursue my own entrepreneurial endeavors as an adult.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
As with any entrepreneur, I’ve made many mistakes and it’s hard to single out any one particular story or event. Regardless, I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how many missteps you take on the journey to success, as long as you learn something from them. If you can take those pieces of knowledge and apply them to future situations, you’re already a step in the right direction.
The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?
Dream and dream BIG. Taking the first step to that dream is always the hardest thing in life. Once you have taken that first step, set goals and be realistic of the time it will take to reach that goal. If you want to be a millionaire by 30 and you are 21 now, what is your goal at 22,23,24…? Also, I think it’s incredibly important to learn as much as you can about the industry you are interested in entering. Passion and hard work goes a long way, but educating yourself is essential to being successful as well as relevant as that industry evolves.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Books are a great, I read at least one a month, despite my busy schedule. Sharing the Wealth by Alex Spanos is one of my favorites mainly because he dreamed big and took a leap of faith. Alex grew up in California during the Bracero program, when four million Mexican workers left their families and came to work in the farm fields of California. What really impressed me about Spanos was that not only did he come up with the great idea of providing room and board, he stepped out of his comfort zone and boarded a bus to El Centro, Mexico for the yearly Bracero meeting. Even though Alex did not own farms to capitalize on the program, he still wanted to get involved because he saw the potential. A gentleman that he met at that first meeting asked if he knew anyone that could provide room and board for 300 farm workers. Not letting opportunity slip away, Alex said yes, even though he had nothing. Alex was on the first bus back to California to set everything up and the rest his history. This story resonated with me so much that I seized a similar opportunity when the cannabis program started in my home state. All I had was the drive and dream of creating something out of an emerging opportunity. I went to countless events, involving long drives, just to have a chance to network with other stakeholders and potentially get a customer. You have to be able to take a chance, especially in a nascent industry where no one has set a precedent yet for how things should be done.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
“We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in the high winds,” Ari Onassis
Every entrepreneur will tell you the road map they took was never easy. Often it feels as if all the odds are against you. Learning how to cope with these challenges is learning how to sail in the high winds. When we are able to forge ahead in spite of environmental oppositions that are out of our control, that’s when we do our best work. I believe this quote will ring true for most entrepreneurs. Building a successful business is fraught with unforeseen challenges and it’s how we deal with those experiences that shape who we are as entrepreneurs, our ability to adapt, pivot, and always move forward.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Talaria was founded on the goal of building the optimum logistics system for the evolving needs of the cannabis industry. Over the past three years, Talaria has expanded exponentially with the goal of delivering health safely and compliantly. This mission is more important than ever in the midst of the COVID pandemic. This year, we plan on launching a proprietary home delivery software platform, allowing medical cannabis patients and immune compromised individuals to quarantine at home while still receiving their medication in a timely manner.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. As a business leader, you likely often face high stakes situations that involve a lot of pressure. Most of us tend to wither in the face of such pressure and stress. Can you share with our readers 3 or 4 strategies that you use to cope with the burden of stress?
- Stay Organized — It’s easy to get overwhelmed when your schedule is overwhelmed so I often make to-do lists, it might be for the day or a full week. It sounds simple, but itemizing and prioritizing tasks is incredibly effective in defusing stress and maintaining a work/life balance.
- Look at the Big Picture — Sometimes when things are not going right, we start fixating on all of the negatives. This is when I remind myself to take a step back and look at the big picture. I take mental notes of all the positive things and focus on the wins rather than the losses.
- Take a Break — It’s important to take little breaks throughout the day to give your mind time to rest and reboot. Whether it’s a quick walk or run, getting outside and moving is a great way to release stress and let go of negative energy.
Aside from being able to deal with the burden of stress, can you share with our readers 3 or 4 strategies that you use to optimize your mind for peak performance before high pressure, high stress situations?
- Sleep — I always perform better when I’ve had a good night’s sleep, though that is easier said than done. Try to step away from your phone and eliminate screen time right before bed, it will help your mind prepare for rest.
- Preparation is Key — It’s easy to get stressed before a high-pressure situation if you aren’t prepared for it. If you’re making a presentation, take time to rehearse, know your key talking points and what you want to accomplish.
- Clear Your Mind — I think it’s important before any high-pressure situation to clear your mind. Fresh air and doing something outside is always a calming and centering outlet for me.
Do you use any special or particular breathing techniques, meditations or visualizations to help optimize yourself? If you do, we’d love to hear about it.
I learned a breathing technique from a childhood friend that the Navy Seals use and it helps me when I am stressed. First, expel all of the air from your lungs and keep them empty for four seconds. Then inhale through your nose for four seconds. Hold for a four count, before exhaling for a four count. Repeat until you feel calm.
Do you have a special technique to develop a strong focus, and clear away distractions?
I think visualizing what you want to achieve is the first step in getting to where you want to go. As an analogy, golf is a sport that requires an incredible amount of focus. When I’m on the course, I mentally imagine and envision the shot I want to take before I even make a practice swing. This allows me to get in the zone and stay present, regardless of any background noise or distractions.
We all know the importance of good habits. How have habits played a role in your success? Can you share some success habits that have helped you in your journey?
I’ve always had a strong work ethic that was instilled in me by my parents. This is essential to success and has helped me get to where I am today. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, he talks about the 10,000- hour rule, the idea that you need to put in that amount of time to reach greatness in a particular field. I truly believe you need to put in the work and practice, practice, practice. Whether that is working on your leadership and management skills or sinking 30-foot putts, if you don’t put in the time, you aren’t going to succeed.
What is the best way to develop great habits for optimal performance? How can one stop bad habits?
First, I would say you need to take a critical look at what is working and what isn’t. Once you can identify those bad habits, then you can start finding solutions. In some cases, you might be able to instantly stop engaging in a bad habit, in other situations, you might need to dig deeper and analyze if there is an underlying reason why you are doing something that is negatively impacting your overall goals. In essence, take the time to study who you are, your strengths and weaknesses, in order to optimize your performance levels.
As a business leader, you likely experience times when you are in a state of Flow. Flow has been described as a pleasurable mental state that occurs when you do something that you are skilled at, that is challenging, and that is meaningful. Can you share some ideas from your experience about how we can achieve a state of Flow more often in our lives?
I think we can all agree our minds can be our own worst enemy. Sometimes our brains like to take us down a negative path and derail us from our goals. For me, the “Flow” state involves being in the present and fully engaging with what is happening in the moment, versus thinking about the past. Getting into the Flow isn’t easy, but I definitely find myself more in that state when I am playing a sport or doing something active. I think the more we exercise this feeling, the more we are able to apply it to other situations, like a boardroom meeting or a speaking event.
Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Delivering health to as many people as possible, throughout the U.S. and across the globe.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
Mark Cuban — his story, pursuit of success, and overall drive is an inspiration. I read his book How to Win at the Sport of Business and it really resonated with my own philosophies and what it means to be an entrepreneur.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
