Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life?

I grew up in Toronto Canada. My childhood was great, had 2 loving and hard-working parents that taught me the power of hard work early. They always pushed me to do my best and encouraged me along the way. As a child, it really helped me realize that the harder I worked the better the result and I think I carried that with me throughout my life and it’s something I hope to pass on to my kids as well.

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

Nothing really. That’s not to say I think I know everything, but I do believe that we come to learn things as we are able to understand the underlying lessons of what we are learning.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

That smoking needs to be addictive in order for consumers to buy it. I can’t think of other CPG products that have that same thought process behind them. At TAAT we want to provide smokers a nonaddictive option so we can actually give them the power to choose back.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t… either way you will be right. I truly believe I can do anything I put my mind to and that’s something I learned from Think and Grow Rich. It is absolutely true that before you venture off into something, you need to believe you can achieve it, and if you do, you will be surprised at how often you succeed. But never underestimate the importance of the team you surround yourself with. Belief will get you started, the team will take you to the finish line.

What is your morning routine?

Usually wake up around 6 am, work out for an hour, my wife and I get the kids ready for and off to school, have a coffee, read some emails, get myself ready, go to work.

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life?

I like to read a lot about business and learn from what other companies did to succeed and fail. Even in different industries, there’s always a lot of good learning you can apply to your business.

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently?

Before I go into meetings I like to have a clear understanding of what the objectives are and what we need to accomplish in the meeting. Otherwise, they have a tendency of taking twice as long and you will accomplish half as much.

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It is easily one of the best business books ever written and provides a step by step on how to reframe your thoughts to drive success.

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often?

Babe Ruth held the record for most strikeouts in baseball for 29 years until it was broken… by Mickey Mantle.

“You won’t hit a home run every time you step up to the plate, but you will never hit a home run if you stop believing you can… so just keep swinging.”