Reserve yourself a good half hour to take in everything I am about to say. What follows is a 3,600 word essay into my hopes and dreams, accomplishments and future goals, and carefully examines entrepreneurship. Whether you are familiar with me or not, this should clear up some misconceptions and give you an insight into several areas of my life. Grab yourself a glass of vino and welcome to the world of Johnny Meatballs!

If you never heard of me or never met me, what would be your first impression of what exactly it is Johnny Meatballs stands for and what it is that I do? If you Googled me and saw all the news articles that came up and the dozens of pictures and videos, would that give you a better idea? Would that urge you to visit me at one of my events and give you the urge to try one of my products and services? Would you think I was just a crazy “character” or someone with character you’d like to get to know? Do I have true substance behind my name and image or am I just a jack of all trades and a master of none?

Look, I get a TON of “haters,” but an equal amount of dedicated supporters. I am as flawed as anyone. My biggest difficulties are paperwork and budgeting—both in my home and in business. I am not great at all with “logistics” and those who see these weaknesses have taken advantage of me in the past. But you live and learn.

This blog has always served as a space for me to express my thoughts and views on a variety of matters. It’s also allowed me to utilize my first passion which is writing and to reflect all the different sides of me. I’m not just someone who makes and sells meatballs. I’m a multi-diverse cook, an entertainer and a writer. I’ve had blogs where I played the part of journalist and have interviewed big celebrities, and also reflected upon my own “celebrity status” as someone who was watched by millions of people during my Vh1 reality show days.

I’ve written poems and songs on here, shared stories, comedic observations, occasional musings into religion and politics, other topics including sports and cars, and of course food related studies and recipes. On several occasions, I’ve written a lot on business matters—and today, I will once again talk very extensively on entrepreneurship. I don’t have a business degree, for me, it’s all been trial and error and I don’t have a manager or a financial backer. If I did, perhaps I’d be a millionaire by now, because the only thing that has stopped me from having prolonged financial success at each and every thing I’ve tried is a lack of capital to expand. Although portions of the following come directly from my own business plan, it is in no way a solicitation for any funding but rather an exploration of all I’ve done and continue to do with limited funding.

So let’s examine what makes Johnny Meatballs. Am I unique or am I actually following a blueprint that the guys on “Shark Tank” would be very impressed by? Is branding and networking and the “human connection” done via social media as important as everything else? It’s a facebook world now, but is it as valuable as I think it is or is it just a glorified AOL chatroom that does not really translate into actual paying customers?

First off, what exactly defines an entrepreneur or a business owner? Does it all strictly go back to how monetarily successful you are as an entrepreneur or owner? To a potential investor, and often times to your counterparts, how much “profit” you make with your company is often a huge factor in accessing your “worth.” That’s a pretty obvious thing right? The idea that your “worth” is correlated to how much profit you make is certainly a logical statement. However, to me, there is a myriad of other factors that go into it. Intangibles.

The basic definition of the word entrepreneur is used to describe an individual who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on financial risk to do so. The term was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon as the person who pays a certain price for a product to resell it at an uncertain price, thereby making decisions about obtaining and using the resources while consequently admitting the risk of enterprise.

That definition alone does not mention anything about the word “reward,” yet it certainly mentions “risk.” So, that being said, if one is organizing and operating something that they are doing for the POTENTIAL of a reward, that therefore indeed makes it a business rather than just a hobby. And the “worth” of the business (or, the reward for the risk) is really irrelevant.

Ok, getting that out of the way, the exact amount of profits accumulated may technically not be the defining factor for defining someone as a business owner; however, in the real world it is obviously important—as I said—especially among your competitors and investors. But…and here’s where I’m going with all of this…the dollar amount you earn means pretty much ZERO to your public.

Whether you are rich or barely able to cover your expenses, your public should never know either way. This information should never be shared with them and it should never be something that is discussed outwardly in an attempt to boost your sales, because it only hurts it. The number one skill at the heart of an entrepreneur should always be marketing yourself and your product. “Success” is a subjective word and it’s a personal thing which is different from person to person.

I really have never seen someone famous (except maybe people like Donald Trump) on TV or on the radio boasting about money. They’re boasting about how good their product is, or promoting their next appearance or venture…the money part of it is a byproduct of that other stuff. And as I’ll reiterate, some of these “famous” individuals are millionaires and some are barely able to pay their bills. The bottom line is, this should be irrelevant to the public, and the financial details of all the marketing one does are celebrated in private. 

Why am I writing all of this today you may ask? Well, I’ve had several discussions with colleagues about this very topic, and these are just my thoughts on the matter as someone who considers himself to be an entrepreneur. To prove my point, consider the following logic. You as the reader of this blog certainly have no idea of my net worth, but if you are reading this in the first place you must feel that I do indeed have worth. You value my words to some degree (or at least have enough interest in my opinions to be continually reading this blog every week), and that has no connection to my monetary value.

So what are all the aspects of an entrepreneur? I think I will continue writing this speaking directly from my perspective, as I am not attempting to give out any actual advice here; my goal is more to simply explain my perspective on what’s important in business. Or at least, to my own business. And without revealing my net worth, I will say I have not yet reached the top of the mountain, but I will continually work and take the approach I have been taking in how I operate. Here’s one fact though to keep in mind…no successful entrepreneur will ever admit that they are indeed at the top of that mountain. You should never rest on your laurels and are always striving to do better and stay one step ahead. But I digress…back to me. Yes, this all may come off as shameless self-promotion (as I will admit—is basically most of what I do and how I market.) I am JOHNNY MEATBALLS after all!

You’re still reading this blog so clearly blogging is an important part of who I am and what I do. As are my youtube videos that I share on this blog and also on facebook. Ahh…back to facebook…that’s a HUGE part of Johnny Meatballs and I’ve at times disagreed with people who don’t see the “value” in it for business. Because again, directly correlating a dollar value or trying to quantify each facebook friend or follower as a specific paying customer is the wrong way to think. All of the things that I’ve done over the past 5 years as Johnny Meatballs are the business operations side of it, or to use that business term I mentioned at the opening, the “risk.”

The rewards all come as a result of the cumulative body of work—a combination of all the marketing operations. It’s pretty difficult to really sit down and analyze which area of all the operations generates the most reward. That’s more something for a business manager or accountant to decipher. Me as the business operator, I can only do what I do and allow the chips to fall into place. When you don’t have an unlimited budget to put yourself on billboards, you have to be creative. Social networking, old-fashioned in-person networking is what I do, along with bringing a level of entertainment into the picture. That’s the real reason I am the Johnny Meatballs character. A “non-character” type business owner may buy a TV spot to advertise their product. I can use my entertainment value to get a media spot while simultaneously advertising who I am and what I do…

Every time I make meatballs, whether it’s on a local talk show or a youtube video, I am teaching, telling stories, telling jokes, (maybe singing a bar or two), all while showcasing exactly what it is that I SELL. So maybe it’s hard to directly link exactly which customer may have caught a video of me making meatballs and came out and bought one from me, but I can guarantee there are customers who have done so. Even if it’s one person, that’s more than zero. And if the only risk is a small monetary investment and an investment of my time to make a video, that one person gained is worth it. Same with facebook friends. Same with twitter followers. Same with my blog readers. Add everything up, and you have a clientele.

While I certainly like the word entrepreneur, I really consider myself a “hustler,” building a resume to put me into a category of other individuals that are equally and more well-known than I am. I will repeat a line that I’ve used many times and that’s that you have to always sell the sizzle equally as much—if not more—than the actual steak. Now I’ve already admitted that I’m a shameless self-promoter probably bordering on annoying at times, so I will admit a little bit about my monetary portfolio now. Here’s the thing, I have tried a TON of different things over the past four plus years. This is my fifth year as Johnny Meatballs and I’m still always looking for unique opportunities and experiences to expand.

But, I have never sustained prolonged monetary success at any one of the things I’ve done. And that’s where my wife has been incredibly patient, and where some of my colleagues say I may be doing certain things “wrong” as opposed to focusing on just one area and making that area a financial success and building off of that. To me though, things aren’t just that cut and dry and don’t come down to financial figures, they come down to how much dedication you have. And I eat, drink and sleep Johnny Meatballs. You throw enough spaghetti against the wall, not all will stick, but some will.

I’ve written a book, recorded a song, I make “got balls” t-shirts and merchandise, gift baskets, and countless other things. But none of those individual things have made me reach the top of the mountain. I didn’t make the bestsellers list with my book; I didn’t get expanded radio airtime with my song. I sold some books and some songs on i-Tunes, but nothing that could “support” myself or my business as a whole. Now that’s another word that we should explore. Do you have to totally support yourself with your business to call yourself a successful business owner? It would be nice, but that’s really not the case. This goes back into the risk/reward discussion. Let’s take my book for example. How much of a monetary investment and investment of my time did it take to get that book made and were the rewards worth what I put into it? I can’t quantify either of those points with a specific answer because it’s always been a goal of mine to have a book published and it has led to more people reading what I write and in turn, those readers did translate indirectly into actual customers of my meatballs at some juncture.

So it’s impossible to quantify the “success” of that book based purely on how many copies were sold, because it’s impossible to say how many customers were generated from just the idea of me having a book published. What I mean by that is, even if someone didn’t necessarily buy my book, they knew it was out there, and the “buzz” it generated, led to other appearances, and led people into other avenues of my business. Everything you do to stay “relevant” gives you credibility with your peers and makes strangers who may not have heard of you curious. Whether they actually bought a book from the book “experience,” some bought a t-shirt or a meatball sandwich or simply became a facebook friend—which on the surface may not mean they are an automatic paying customer—but a potential future customer.

Another big thing I’ve gained from facebook is connections. I’ve hooked up with so many people—personally and professionally who share my interests and vision. There are also the gifts I’ve received, even more than the communication. People send me stuff constantly, a lot of the time it’s just because they know I am constantly posting things and I have a far reach so they want me to take pictures holding their items. In turn, they cross-promote me, which further expands the reach.

Some people may think I am super rich and mega famous just by the way I market myself with the self-promotion and how I carry myself as always positive and upbeat. There’s been many ups and downs and struggling, but you would never know this. It’s not important to know this. All that’s important is that I am dedicated to my business and want to translate that to you. It’s your job to either buy into me and what I’m selling or to go elsewhere.

Let’s get back to the different branches of the Johnny Meatballs tree and examine all that I’ve done. It all started with the basic delivery and in-home catering service, then went into on site mobile catering with my wagon…I did the frozen retail route selling to stores, I did the mail order route, sub-letted a deli for a while, sold meatballs to bars and clubs, worked out of a pizza truck…again, no one aspect has “supported” me, but I tried it all and will continue to try it all. Because the foundation is ME, Johnny Meatballs—which is the meatballs themselves—the springboard to all the other tree branches. All the branches are advertised and marketed collectively and all together. Maybe they are not all 100% monetarily successful, but I’ll repeat this point again: you are still reading this blog so there must be some purpose for my blogging.

I’ve been very reflective lately as I go into my fifth year as Johnny Meatballs (and coincidentally my fifth year with my relationship with my wife.) I’ve had several partners over the past five years and now I am completely on my own. I have my own truck, my own meatball cart, destiny is in my hands and I have nobody to blame but myself if things don’t go well. I have vowed to myself and to my wife, that if I don’t reach the top of the mountain this summer, I am retiring Johnny Meatballs. What is the top? Well, I always wanted my own storefront and that’s something I haven’t tried yet. But I won’t be thinking about that until the summer is over where I sit down and evaluate everything. Right now, I am focused on just going back to basics and hitting the streets and hustling.

In a lot of ways, this summer is a fresh start for me, as I am moving forward on my own and I have all of the tools in place. I also have everything that I have built over the past four plus years. And that’s not thousands of dollars at my disposal. So what is it that I have and what actually have I built?

While a percentage of my “fans” have come from my 10 episode reality show experience on Vh1, I like to take the credit for the fact that I have kept building that fan base little by little—it’s growing every day and “My Big Friggin’ Wedding” has been off the air for 2 years. And I’ve been back on TV and radio since then, granted in a much smaller scale, whether it’s been on News 12, Z100, or the multitude of internet based shows. I’ve collaborated with fellow foodies and reality show participants, I’ve done countless networking gigs and appearances. What has this all given me? No, not a bank account as deep as it should be. No, not a swelled head by any means. I am a regular person; I still get into the meat mixture and do the “dirty work.”

I’ve rolled THOUSANDS of meatballs since 2008. I’m not Bobby Flay, I don’t claim to be, but on some level, I have built a following. 5,000 facebook friends and nearly 10,000 fans on all my various pages, along with over 30,000 hits on my youtube vidoes, throw in a combined 1,000 more followers on twitter and Instagram, plus thousands more who read these blogs which are on two major websites. These numbers may be very small to some, or very large—it’s all about your viewpoint which goes back to my opening paragraphs about how one defines success and defines what it is to be an entrepreneur and whether one’s internet status is something to put a lot of stock into.

I am not exactly sure where I will be six months from now. Really, only God knows. I’ll say this though, at the conclusion of this season in the streets, I am hoping to have everything streamlined and truly determine which branch of this Johnny Meatballs tree will be watered and cultivated the most. Or, if the tree will be entirely chopped down for good. Either way, I am doing it all on my terms, and moving forward in the same way I’ve been moving since day one. With everything I have put into this and continue to put into this, I should certainly be compensated more than I am. That’s really not up to me though, I can only do what I can do and it’s up to you all to come out and visit my stand. I can’t control whether you do or not, just like I can’t control the weather.

I think I’ve shown over the years that I am a genuine person who has a quality product. At the end of the day, I just want to share my passion for meatballs with others. This passion is still burning and the summer of 2013 is guaranteed to be hot. Whether I go down in flames or catch fire into fame and fortune. Not that that’s my motive. It never was. I just feel that it’s time that my overall body of work translates into long-term sustained results rather than sporadic ones. I’ve had a lot of rewards but now seek the ultimate reward which is a culmination of all my collective efforts leading me into that next level.

First and foremost, I am a husband and a father and everything I do is to ultimately provide for them. My family and friends have all stood by me, enjoyed the good times and suffered through the bad times and I want nothing more than to give back to them. I made mistakes, there’s been disappointments, but there’s been celebrations as well. I don’t want accolades or pats on the back, all I want is to be the best and have my loved ones be proud of me and admit that I’ve been trying my hardest to never give up despite big bumps in the road.

I turn 32 in a few weeks and there’d be no better birthday gift to me than to have a strong start to this feast season. I got my gloves on like “Rocky,” and as he said: “It’s not about how hard you hit…it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

I hope things all fall into place and all my hard work pays off once and for all. And if not, at least I can say I did my best and will go out on my own terms. Just like in the original “Rocky,” I have gone the distance. But now it’s time for part II where I go for the final knock-out.