Why Do Socialist Countries Always Run Out of Toilet Paper? | An Interview with the Soviet Union Refugee and Successful Entrepreneur Roman Sharf

Show Notes

 Roman Sharf, a refugee from the failed communist  Soviet Union, joins us to share how he built his multi-million dollar online business LuxuryBazaar.com, the dangers of socialism and why communist countries always run out of toilet paper.

Roman Sharf’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoPXAn8QnYeVLvcW8z9LDmQ/featured 

 YouTube channel

1. 1. Learn About the People Who Have Died from the CoronaVirus – https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/health/coronavirus-united-states-deaths/index.html 
   2. 99% of Those Who Died From Virus Had Other Illness, Italy Says – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-18/99-of-those-who-died-from-virus-had-other-illness-italy-says?__twitter_impression=true
   3. The Flames of the Fear Are Fan by People Being On Their Smartphone 11.3 Hours Per Day –  https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2018/time-flies-us-adults-now-spend-nearly-half-a-day-interacting-with-media/ 

3/6/20 – Elon Musk – https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1236029449042198528 

3/11/20 – Elon Musk “Moral condemnation used not for morality, but as a weapon for manipulation is messed up” https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1237808277834084353

3/15/20 – Trump issues new guidelines on March 16 aimed at slowing the spread of the disease over 15 days. https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2020-03-23/trump-says-us-to-make-a-decision-on-coronavirus-outbreak-at-end-of-current-15-day-plan

3/18/20 – No new domestic corona cases in China – Elon Musk – https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1240753430001356801

3/22/20 – Misleading Headlines Exposed – 

1. 1. 1. “12-year-old girl with coronavirus is on a ventilator and fighting for her life”

• Out of 731 confirmed and 1,412 suspected cases of Covid-19 in children in China, one child, a 14-year-old boy, died, according to a new study that will be published in the journal Pediatrics in June. Also, nearly 6% of children’s cases were severe, compared with 18.5% of adults experiencing severe symptoms, the study found.

1. 1. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/22/us/georgia-coronavirus-girl-hospitalized/index.html

What Are Leaders to Do – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireside_chats 

3/22/20 – WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO! President Donald J. Trump – https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1241935285916782593

Businesses Are Adapting

1. 1. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/22/us/boston-photographer-thefrontstepsproject-trnd/index.htm

A Cure That is Worse Than the Disease 

1. 1. Steve Hilton – https://twitter.com/alx/status/1241937362697048069 

1. Yes, yes, yes and yes! Thrivetime Nation on today’s show we are interviewing the CEO and Founder of LuxuryBazaar.com, an online portal for luxurious high-end watches and accessories!  Roman Sharf, welcome onto The Thrivetime Show! How are you sir!?
2. I know that you’ve had a ton of success at this point in your career, but I would love to start off at the bottom and the very beginning of your career. What was your life like growing up and where did you grow up?
3. The Roman Sharf story is a refugee from the Soviet Union 
4. NOTABLE QUOTABLE – “I think there are a lot of people who, when they hear the word ‘socialist,’ get very, very nervous…It is time we had democratic socialism for working families, not just Wall Street billionaires.” – Bernie Sanders 
5. Roman was brought here by his dad to chase the “American dream”. Living in a 400 square feet apartment in Brooklyn at the age of 13, he was forced to start working. By the time he was 18 he had worked every job you could imagine, so he decided to enlist in the US Army. 
   1. South Korea
   2. 4 hour daily commutes (80 hour per week work week)
   3. 9/11
6. Tell us about your time in the Army..why did you decide to enroll in the U.S. Army?
   1. I felt like joining the Army was the best way to give back to the country that I loved and that has given me so much
7. How would you describe your experience in the U.S. Army?
8. When did you first figure out what you wanted to do professionally?
9. My understanding is that leaving the army you decided to pursue college and that at the age 26 you were actually the VP at a Fortune 500 company. What company was this? 
10. At the peak of your career, you decided to walk away and follow his dream of becoming a luxury watch and accessories dealer….why?
11. How did you start your first company? 
12. How did you go about funding your first company?
    1. The gentleman who approached me to start an ebay store provided a few watches.
    2. I kept saving and investing to buy more inventory
13. How did you go about getting your first 10 customers?
    1. From the internet. I was able to find a way to provide products for people online
14. When did you first feel like you were truly beginning to gain traction with your career?
15. I know that you are a serial entrepreneur who has experienced massive success and super low points…walk us through the highest high and the lowest low of your career?
16. How, you come across as a very proactive person…so how do you typically organize the first four hours of your and what time do you typically wake up?
    1. I spend my morning with my children
    2. I get to the office and hit email – I get close to 800 emails a day
    3. I use a notepad to write down things that need to get done, prioritize them and get them done.
17. Create operating procedures for every aspect of the business.
18. What are a few of your daily habits that you believe have allowed you to achieve success?
19. What mentor has made the biggest impact on your career thus far?
20. What advice would you give the younger version of yourself?
    1. Leave the bank earlier
21. We find that most successful entrepreneurs tend to have idiosyncrasies that are actually their super powers…what idiosyncrasy do you have?
22. What message or principle that you wish you could teach everyone?
23. You are super successful, but what do you struggle with the most…what is your weakness…what is your kryptonite? 
24. What are a couple of books that you believe that all of our listeners should read?
25. You’ve got the mic, what is one thing that you want to share with the Thrive Nation before you drop the mic?

Where did you get the idea to start the business?

1. My wife suggested that starting an online business would be a good idea and so we started it and the rest is history

Roman Sharf – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoPXAn8QnYeVLvcW8z9LDmQ 

LuxuryBazaar.com