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GENE SIMMONS Shares Secrets of Success with Hawaii Business OwnersFrom: Hawaii Reporter Posted: January 15, 2008 GENE SIMMONS (yes, that GENE SIMMONS of KISS rock n' Roll fame) was the keynote speaker at the 32nd Annual Small Business Hawaii (SBH) Business and Investment Conference in Honolulu last Wednesday, Jan. 9. GENE SIMMONS joined a long and distinguished list of former SBH keynoters including Steve Forbes, William Simon, Dr. John Rutledge, John Fund of the Wall Street Journal, Wally "Famous" Amos, Howard Jarvis, Governors, Mayors and Congressmen, among others. Many business people asked me -- before they heard GENE SIMMONS speak -- why would I invite a rock star to address a business conference, sprinkled with many top business and political leaders? My response prior to the speech was that I had not invited just a music legend -- most people (like myself until three years ago) had not the faintest idea of the depth and reach of this imaginative, successful and rich entrepreneur -- but I invited him for his marketing genius and many paths to success. (By the way, GENE SIMMONS doesn't like that word, entrepreneur, because he says, its too hard to pronounce, spell and most people don't know what it really means or even care anyway.) When my second of four sons, Stuart Matthew, now 40, was a teen, he loved GENE SIMMONS and KISS. I remember once telling him, "turn off that damn noise, and tear down those freakish hippy posters!" Stuart has had the last laugh now. When I first saw GENE SIMMONS three years ago on the A&E television hit, "GENE SIMMONS' Family Jewels," I was hooked. I don't as a rule like "reality" shows, especially those that featured the Osbornes and the family of gangster John Gotti. But Simmons is different. His beautiful partner of 25 years, former Playboy Playmate of the Year Shannon Tweed, their two personable over-achieving and respectful teens, Nick and Sophie, and Shannon’s sister Tracy Tweed, bring something different. The show is about GENE SIMMONS' business, family and life. And it's a good life. "Ozzie and Harriet," it's not. But the Simmons' series is about a family that does many things, is wealthy without being ostentatious, and lives by (without being preachy) solid core values. The kids from an early age learned a work ethic -- neither have ever been given an allowance -- and they know business. And business is what GENE SIMMONS is all about. They also know respect and how to negotiate with all kinds of people. GENE SIMMONS' background is incredible. Born in Israel, immigrating to New York at age 8 with his Mother who survived the Holocaust -- his greatest inspiration and driving force -- he spoke no English and was ridiculed for it. (Guess they didn't have enough lawyers and ACLU to file lawsuits for language adaptation in those days.) Today, he only half jokingly says, many of those people now work for him. He celebrates the careful branding of products and services. Without GENE SIMMONS, and his marketing acumen, there would not be a KISS band and legend, still going like the Energizer Bunny 35 years later. He has licensed more than 3,000 items under the KISS name, which he and his partner still zealously own and guard, from "condoms to coffins." He owns a book company, a record company, founded NGTV.com on the Internet, a Simmons Comics group, his clothing line, Moneybag, co-starred in three movies, has written three books, appears on many business and investment television shows as well as hosting his "GENE SIMMONS: Family Jewels." He recently did a smash show in Las Vegas, will be the subject of an upcoming celebrity roast and appears weekly on "Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice." (NBC-KHNL, Thursdays, 8 p.m.). He and his marketing partner, Simmons/Abramson Marketing, are the worldwide branding entity for the Indycar series, which operates more than 18 major auto races, including the fabled Indianapolis 500. And, contrary to what I and others erroneously thought in the 1970s, he and KISS never did drugs, and talks of the dangers of all substance abuse to young people, is passionately pro-American (the American Dream is GENE SIMMONS' reality), and strongly supportive of the U.S. armed forces. (He and Sophie recently made a tour of military facilities in California and visited veterans and the injured from past and present wars.) He is a man of many interests and a big heart. But getting GENE SIMMONS to Hawaii was no easy task. As you might imagine, he is in demand -- and pricey. It took more than four months of letters, emails, phone calls, and begging to get Simmons to take a chance on Hawaii and SBH. Along the way I became more acquainted with lawyers, television execs, the entertainment pecking order, giant egos, marketing people, airlines, hotels and car rentals. Without our superstar cosponsors, Jeff Stone's Ko Olina Resort & Marina, Robin Campaniano's AIG Hawaii, The Edwards family's 1 Hot Garage, Joe Nicholai's JN Automotive and others, it could not have happened. Part of the arrangement is that A&E is filming two half-hour Hawaii episodes to highlight the beauty and the business of our state. (The programs should air at mid-year.) In his keynote speech to SBH, before a packed, sold-out, admittedly curious audience in the Ala Moana Hibiscus Ballroom last week, he spoke not of the "Ten Points to Make You Rich Like Me," but of the many more points and paths to personal success and happiness. He stuck to the basics, like dependability, standing by your word, showing up, and the importance of a good work ethic. He was very specific and graphic. He stressed the fact that young people should do many different things and learn from each. GENE SIMMONS emphasized the importance of business relationships and of the art of listening. He was hard on some people in the audience who asked him questions after his presentation -- hard on them as a good mentor should be. He said they talked abstractly of their "ideas," but had not thought out the path to realization of those dreams and ideas. Simmons, however, has a real soft spot for women (Mothers in particular) and girls who he said should go to organizations like Junior Achievement early. (That made the local JA Hawaii execs in the audience want to shout out loud.) His speech ended with a prolonged standing ovation. Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann presented an official proclamation declaring "Jan. 9, GENE SIMMONS Day in Honolulu." Simmons was generous with his time afterwards. Yes, he signed autographs and took pictures, but he also listened to and engaged local investors with more than just business ideas. Simmons is always listening to new business proposals and has a sharp eye and sharper mind -- "dress British, think Yiddish" -- to stay ahead of trends, preferring to set them himself. Will there be some business and new Simmons investment in Hawaii? Possibly. For those of us who want a diversified and more self-reliant market-based Hawaii, and one that is taken seriously for its business opportunities, GENE SIMMONS, Inc. offers an outstanding opportunity. Stay tuned. In the meantime, after the Simmons speech, akamai business and investors told me, now we know why you brought GENE SIMMONS to Hawaii as the SBH keynoter. "He was the best ever." See additional photos at http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?392a330e-7f8b-4e8d-9eeb-0dab1ffb5d44 |
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