In this concise interview, Professor Pete Alexander hosts John Farhat, owner of Farhat Services Company and LaQuantor, to explore his entrepreneurial journey and leadership insights. Farhat describes his two businesses—a strategy‑focused consulting firm and a telephone‑system company—highlighting the ever‑changing nature of the consulting industry that keeps him energized. He shares a practical work‑life balance tactic: making his home office deliberately uncomfortable to force a clear separation between work and personal space. Farhat recommends fellow financial‑industry leader Ken Wentworth (Mr. Biz) as a future podcast guest. He emphasizes that business leaders bear responsibility not only for their own success but also for the wellbeing of their employees and their families, urging leaders to support and protect their teams. He recounts his first job as a middle‑school radio show fan‑mail reader, a nostalgic experience that sparked his communication interests. Finally, he provides contact details—cell phone, a Calendly scheduling link, and the quirky website fscix.com—so listeners can connect with him.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
Hi, my name is John Farhat, and I do own a couple businesses. I'm in Columbus, Ohio. One of my businesses is called Farhat Services Company, and we do consulting work from a strategy perspective. We help our clients work their strategy into an IT-able solution, because if your strategy is not quote-unquote IT-able, then basically you're working on fiction. And as a part of our other own companies, we have a business telephone system company that's called LaQuantor.
John, it's great to have you on the show. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
I think it's great that our industry is constantly changing, so one day does not run into the next. Every day is different. Every day brings new challenges, new ideas, new thoughts, new ways to do things. And I keep getting excited about the creation process and working with new things and helping clients create new things. And so it's never dull. And there's not a single day that I wake up thinking I should stay in bed. Every day I wake up and I'm ready to go, I'm ready to move, I'm ready to do things because it's just exciting and we're on the forefront of everything you read about.
Mm, that sounds great. Question number 3: I hear from other business leaders that staying in a good work-life balance for them and their team members is a challenge. What are your thoughts?
It's actually very difficult to achieve that because as a, as a business leader, you're always thinking about the work, you're always thinking about the company, the product, the service, how you can make it better. And it is very difficult to turn that off when you get home. So for me, I recently have started working with a strategy of making my home office as uncomfortable as humanly possible. And by doing that, I I can do a little bit of work, but to really be able to do a full day's worth of work or multiple hours worth of work, I really have the need to go to an office to actually work, which then allows me to create that separation between home and work. But it's still very, very difficult to find that work-life balance.
That's a great idea, though, to make the home environment less conducive to work so that you have to make the conscious effort to go into the office if you're going to do any long-term work.
Yeah, it works. But it's still up here. It's always, it's always working.
Great. Question number 4. What other successful business leaders like yourself should be on my podcast?
I think one of the people that I can think of that would be great for the podcast is Ken Wentworth. He goes by Mr. Biz. And he has a radio show called Mr. Biz Radio. I've appeared on that show a couple of times. I think being in the financial industry. I think he would be a perfect person to talk to, especially in, in relation to everything that's going on at the moment.
Perfect. I appreciate that referral. I'll reach out to him. Question number 5: What insight or advice would you give to other business leaders?
You are responsible as a business leader, not just for yourself, but as a business leader, you are responsible for every person who is a part of your team. And your responsibility extends into getting them over obstacles, making sure that they are and can be successful, as well as making sure that you take care of their livelihood. Because you're not responsible just for yourself and your family as you would in a small business, but as you have employees, you're responsible for the employee and the family of that employee. And it's easy sometimes to think of business people as heartless and more, you know, on the money-grabbing end. But the reality of it is each business person that I know cares very deeply about their associates, employees, vendors, and they want to do the right thing for everybody. And it's very difficult because that responsibility extends not to just that person, but to their family and their extended family. So you have a lot of responsibility when you start a business and when you're a business leader.
Mm-hmm, and it's, you need to be able to manage those people effectively and have, they have to have your back and you have their back in order to be successful.
Unless you do that, there's no way to be successful.
Exactly, very, very wise. And question number 6, tell me about your first job.
Well, my first job, it's funny, this was way back in middle school. I used to do theater when I was in middle school, and that led to me having a job on a radio station where it was more of a children's show on Thursday afternoons. And the last 5 minutes of that show, it was my time to read the fan mail to the show and help them respond. So I still hold that job as dear to my heart. It's I haven't done this in a very, very long time, but it's, but it's a job. I got a check and therefore it counts as my first job.
Absolutely. And it's a really fun story to tell as well. How neat. So John, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find you?
Oh, I can be reached at, on my cell phone at 614-582-1061. I am generally not in the same place a lot and I, I'm in my car and drive a lot. And so the easiest way is the cell phone. But you can also go to my website and schedule a meeting with me using the Calendly link on the top right-hand side. And the website is— our company is called Farhad Services Company Inc. And then we couldn't think of anything more boring than that. But then my then 10-year-old daughter said, we have to have an X in there because putting an X in anything makes it cool. So our website is fscix.com.
Excellent. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, or iTunes and search for the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
