Scott Lesizza of Furniture Advocates: “Why it is so is important for a founder to find a mentor”

Find a mentor. It’s tough to learn everything through mistakes, although you can learn more sometimes from mistakes than successes! When I was at my first company it was an “every man for himself” environment. I sought out the high achievers and mimicked everything they did. The guys that were the best on the phone, I’d borrow some of their material. One salesperson who is still in the industry today would always chuckle while talking on the phone. The chuckle made the prospective client let their guard down and relax. If you got a chuckle back, you were going to close.

I had the pleasure to interview Scott Lesizza.

Scott is the founding principal of newly launched Furniture Advocates, a brand agnostic furniture consultancy that helps firms make strategic and timely furniture decisions. With 25 years experience in the industry and a passion for design and commercial furniture, Scott teamed up with project management veteran Joan Simari to launch the company, offering comprehensive furniture management services to the A&D community. Joining the commercial furniture scene in 1994 as one of Humanscale’s earliest employees, Scott, a native New Yorker, got his start selling ergonomic products on Wall Street trading floors. After eight years, Scott ventured out on his own and founded Workwell Partners in 2002 — a furniture dealership with unmatched customer service and a wide variety of product offerings. Scott grew Workwell and its portfolio to be robust and include some of the world’s most recognizable companies, including ING Bank, Goldman Sachs, Google, Healthfirst, and Boies Schiller Flexner LLC. In 2016, Scott debuted Slyde Innovations, a designer and manufacturer of innovative storage solutions that address the rapid shift towards the agile workspace. Always seeking to accommodate client demand for custom storage solutions, Slyde was the perfect answer for offices and is recognized as one of the premiere manufacturers in Agile Workspace products today. Scott is frequently called upon to contribute as a thought leader to articles, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Business of Furniture, Fast Company and Wired.

Thank you for joining us Scott! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I graduated college in 1994 and the job market was very cold at the time. Believe it or not, I wanted to be a NYC police officer first, but they were not hiring. The jobs that were readily available were in sales. I ran into a fellow rugby player from college on the way to a job interview who worked at a company that is now known as Humanscale. He got me an interview, and I landed the gig. It has sort of been a badge of honor for me because I literally started from the bottom and worked my way up to a high level in the business. I take a lot of pride in that.

Can you share your story of “Grit and Success?” Can you tell us a story about any hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

When I started my first company, Workwell Partners, I was young, ambitious, yet blind to the ways of the world. We saw a niche market and an opportunity, and didn’t think about all the obstacles and politics. We would cold call and pound the pavement, and we’d get ten nos for every one maybe. We would occasionally meet someone that appreciated what we were doing and was willing to take a slight risk with a new company. They would give us one small project, which then turned into larger ones. It took us almost two years before we landed our first major client: Homeland Security’s 200,000 square foot New York City office. The head agent respected us and went against recommendations to use a competitor. The office turned into a great space that helped put us on the map. The moral of the story is sometimes it helps not knowing what’s next — and always, always keep fighting.

Where did you get the drive to continue when things were hard?

I lived on my mom’s couch in her studio apartment for six months after school. That gave me the feeling that I had no other option but to succeed. There is no greater motivation than sleeping on a couch in a NYC studio apartment as a 21 year old.

So, how are things going today? How did Grit lead to your eventual success?

I embraced my entrepreneurial side a little later in life. I very much enjoy identifying business opportunities that can help fill a customer niche, doing them first, and doing them well. My current company, Furniture Advocates, focuses on managing large scale furniture projects as a brand agnostic advisor, and due to the continually increasing complexities of the furniture industry, the timing for a company like ours is perfect. It’s always a grind, and you need to embrace it. We are out there pitching Furniture Advocates every day to a very receptive audience.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I made a cold call to a prospective client who was having a tough day. He asked me if I was sitting next to a window (I was). He said “great, now open it up and jump out.” To some, that would have been the end of their sales career. To me, it was motivation to make the next call.

I also have a tendency to trust first until proven wrong, which I think is a great quality, but can sometimes get me into trouble. One of the manufacturers we were aligned with made the decision behind our backs to move to an exclusive, one dealer model, and that one dealer wasn’t us. The owner of the chosen dealer approached us at a cocktail party and told us that we were out and we could either join him, or close shop. We had done very well for this particular manufacturer and thought that we had a great relationship. We drove three hours to the CEO’s office the next morning and barged into his office uninvited. He reluctantly confirmed the news. Long story short, it ended up being an unwise decision for the manufacturer and we ended up partnering with a much higher profile manufacturer, but I learned to trust but verify, and to always develop key relationships with people in the know so you don’t get blindsided.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

There is no one else doing exactly what we do. It would be much easier for me to continue on the furniture dealership route but I don’t feel passionate about being one of 30 furniture dealers in the Tri-State market. I do feel passionately that there is a niche for someone to advocate vociferously on behalf of the client’s furniture requirements. For many of my clients, they are facing a very complex process, with very little visibility to all of the changes in the industry, and to space planning itself. It can be overwhelming. I like to think we take a lot of the anxiety out of that process. A furniture dealer serves a very important role, but giving objective advice when so much of what you represent is dictated by your aligned manufacturer partner is not possible. In my previous role, I had so many situations when a client’s design firm would make furniture recommendations and the minute the designer left the room, the client would ask me for alternate options that were less expensive and had better lead times. I was always very respectful of the designers role, and we were allies, but after hearing this on five different projects, I couldn’t help but tell myself that there was a disconnect.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Delegate well and find good partners that complement each other so you can focus on what your core strengths are. If you’re a sales and marketing expert, find someone that can focus on the operations and project management side of the business. Trying to do too many things will burn you out, and will not translate to a good product.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

My father. My father passed away many years ago and I was recently going through some of his old boxes in storage. On his entry visa, it said that he was a “stow away.” I never knew that. He came to this country on his own right after World War II. He worked his way from busboy to owning one of the more popular Italian restaurants in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood back in the 1970s-1990s. He did this through hard work and determination, and with a 5th grade education. That’s the American dream in a nutshell.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I’m just now at a point where I can focus more on helping others. I’ve volunteered to coach football here in NYC, and I’ve mentored many people in the business world, because I’ve always felt that I could have benefited greatly from having a mentor.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started my company” and why?

1. Find a mentor. It’s tough to learn everything through mistakes, although you can learn more sometimes from mistakes than successes! When I was at my first company it was an “every man for himself” environment. I sought out the high achievers and mimicked everything they did. The guys that were the best on the phone, I’d borrow some of their material. One salesperson who is still in the industry today would always chuckle while talking on the phone. The chuckle made the prospective client let their guard down and relax. If you got a chuckle back, you were going to close.

2. The best service or product is not always offered for the best price. There are always agendas and political motivations behind decision making at large corporations. Part of our job is to filter through that to get to the key decision makers or factors. I spent an entire year and A LOT of money with a large company only to have the deal pulled at the 11th hour by a mid-level procurement officer. I did not realize his role (because I didn’t ask the right questions) and that was that.

3. Sometimes a client just isn’t the right fit. Learning how, and when, to pass on business, is an important skill.

4. You don’t need to chase every opportunity. It’s important to have a keen focus and to stay on track.

5. Right out of school, start working for a smaller start-up type company. You will get much more access to all different types of the business. You will also work directly with the CEO, which is an absolutely invaluable experience.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start 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. :-)

There are plenty of programs and opportunities for minorities and women in the business world, but the best way to understand the business world is to live it, and at an early age. Half of your college time should be spent, in my opinion, working for a business leader in whatever prospective field you want to specialize in. Providing kids with direct access to the business world at a high level would be hugely advantageous for building the foundation for a successful career.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Follow me and Furniture Advocates on LinkedIn: Scott Lesizza and Furniture Advocates.