1 – Q) Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Gexhaust is the premiere exhaust shop in South Florida We specialize in performance exhaust modifications and repairs. We are experts in the high-end automotive field. If you need an exhaust for your Porsche BMW or even Honda we got you covered all the way through with over 40 years of experience we will never steer you in the wrong direction. We currently have two locations one in Davie and another one in Oakland Park We just signed our first franchise for a West Palm Beach shop.
2 – Q) Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: My name is Golan Adony I go by “G”and I’m the owner and founder of G exhaust. I started this business because there was a extreme need in South Florida for a solid exhaust shop/ performance shop. Unfortunately I never finished high school but I started working with my dad at his mechanic shop around 15 learn the basics of mechanics in general and found my passion for cars. When we first started we were extremely slow maybe one to two cars a week with the introduction of an Instagram page and social media presence and constant evolution in the branding We are on track to do about 30 cars a day consistently. We’ve been in business for about a decade now and every year I’m proud to say we have grown almost 30% year-over-year with this last year introducing franchising we should continue that growth and soon take over the United States with the G exhaust brand.
3 – Q) What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: I’ve always had a passion for cars in general and I always knew I wanted to do something in the automotive field one day I was passing by the shop and I saw the for rent sign I decided to give it a chance. Fortunately it was already an exhaust shop and my job was to learn the business in and out and brand the hell out of it. And that’s exactly what we did!! With a combination of great customer service competitive pricing and branding we ended up taking over South Florida.
4 – Q) What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: A couple pieces of advice I would give to aspiring entrepreneurs
1. You can’t succeed at anything if you don’t start something. Especially in your early twenties try as many things as possible.
2. you will never build anything worth building unless you give it 110%
3. if you really want to be successful you have to be okay with putting your head down and grinding for 10 years straight without seeing any major compensation be okay with doing the work Don’t let other people success discourage you or veer you away from your goal!!
5 – Q) What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: #1 extreme determination
#2 constantly evolving always learning
#3 spend money wisely Don’t spend on stupid materialistic things if you want to be successful focus on what’s important not what other people think is important.
6 – Q) How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: I literally start working the moment I wake up I would say about 18 hours a day. Irritate a couple hours here and there to eat and hit the gym.
7 – Q) To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: I mainly attribute my success to my team I built around me. Building an Empire is not done alone you need to have good people around you with the same interest and I’m extremely grateful to have them around.
8 – Q) How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: Marketing is a full-time job at the shop We do everything from t-shirts to lanyards license plate covers keychains stickers etc… which does two things brand your business and leaves your customers extremely happy because you gave them a free gift you come by not with some solid organic posting on social media an amazing website thanks to Blck Panda!! And some social media marketing to funnel in some new customers if you have the right people in place that system should work 10 out of 10 times. The most successful form of marketing is word of mouth by far!!
9 – Q) Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: Fortunately I am self funded I’ve never really needed to find investors. I did it the old school way slowly made some money slowly saved some money and over time it worked out really well
10 – Q) What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Keep your head down and grind Don’t stop hustling vacations are overrated
Don’t buy anything you don’t need save your money and stack for opportunity.
11 – Q) Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: I see myself overseeing the franchise locations with at least 50 to 100 shops
Consistently branding evolving growing.
12 – Q) Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: I really like what Elon musk is doing with Tesla I’m not a big fan of the car itself but Elon is the man he initially started branding a high-end electric car to the wealthy people eventually niche down made something a little bit more affordable made it extremely sought after and now everybody wants a Tesla let alone he’s building rocket ships to save humanity the guy is special!!
13 – Q) How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Great employees are hard to find it’s one of the most important things in a successful business if you find somebody good you hold on to them give them whatever you can.
14 – Q) How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: Unfortunately I never give up on my ideas I try and try and try and try and until I can’t afford it anymore then I would cut my losses. Not the best advice but it’s just what I do.
15 – Q) What motivates you?
Ans: I’m motivated by seeing the people around me becoming successful
16 – Q) What are your ideals?
Ans: I’m a big believer in working hard staying humble always learning taking care of yourself and eating right. Make it a mission to learn something new every single day
17 – Q) How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: I’m extremely observant so as soon as I see something I like or something relatable I try to flip it into a new fresh idea a great business owner is a great problem solver. You have to be extremely self-aware to be a good problem solver keep your eyes open for anything you can use to help your business get better.
18 – Q) How do you define success?
Ans: The ultimate form of success is climbing the mountain with your loved ones The people who grind with you day to day once you see them get the house on the hill you made it!!
18 – Q) How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: Make customer service your number one priority Make sure you’re keeping their wants and needs at the top of your list.
19 – Q) What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: I love being able to work for myself I love being able to support people’s families and build something great at the same time.
20 – Q) What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: The most satisfying moment probably has to be when I sold my first franchise that was definitely a milestone for us to see that come to fruition was definitely a satisfying moment!!
21 – Q) What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: Not everybody is built to be an entrepreneur some people don’t want the responsibility of having all the responsibility there’s nothing wrong with working for someone if that’s your choice by all means just be Great!!
The main difference would probably be are you trying to build your own road or do you just want to drive on someone else’s That’s the choice you have to make!!
22 – Q) What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Ans: We built a business around family We treat each other like brothers and make sure one another is always okay. I feel that we spend more time at the shop than we do at home so if we can build a family here then we can be successful together!!
23 – Q) In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Visionary
24 – Q) If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans: I don’t think so to be honest I’m extremely grateful for the position I’m in
25 – Q) How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
Ans: I Definitely focus on being an entrepreneur more than being a family man. It’s honestly just the life I chose I don’t mind it.
26 – Q) How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: When you’re looking for a location for your business you want to take into consideration the traffic the foot traffic what kind of clientele is in the area what is popular in the area take all those factors into consideration before making your decision
27 – Q) Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Yes 100% Don’t make stupid decisions save your money stack for opportunity like I said and be a good problem solver
28 – Q) If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: Albert Einstein I would love to pick that guy’s brain
29 – Q) Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: Probably my mom and dad I want to make them proud so bad that they drive my success.
30 – Q) What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
Ans: Think and grow Rich
31 – Q) What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: Definitely was not smart with my money in the beginning spent on a lot of materialistic things that didn’t matter when I could have invested more into the business and in my portfolio
32 – Q) How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Ans: You can prevent mistakes by setting up operating procedures it’s a very important rule in business preventative maintenance!!
33 – Q) What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: I love to cook workout do some kickboxing anything car related really
34 – Q) What makes you happy?
Ans: Unfortunately I’m still trying to figure that out I realized that what really makes me happy as of right now is seeing other people succeed at least me having a small part to do with that.
35 – Q) What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: I work 24/7 how much of a personal life at times
36 – Q) If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
Ans: What is your end goal!!
