Steve Varsano sold his first private jet at 23 to a Venezuelan buyer. Mid-flight back to D.C., two men pulled a gun and held him at gunpoint three feet away, demanding a commission he refused to pay.
Chapters
The first jet I ever sold in my life, I was held at gunpoint 3 feet away from me. It's a long story. So, first time I sold a jet, I was 23 years old. I flew to— in America— to North Carolina. We were signing a deal with a Venezuelan buyer. He had 2 of his henchmen representing him. We signed the deal. They were transferring the funds. We were flying the airplane to Miami, and then we were going to make sure the deal was completely closed, the money was received, and they were taking the airplane to Venezuela. I was getting back on a commercial plane, flying back to Washington, D.C., where I lived. We were halfway from North Carolina to Miami, and the two people on the plane with me said to me, "Steve, we have to talk to you about something." I said, "What's that?" He said, "We want to get our commission." "What do you mean you're going to get your commission? You're representing the buyer. There's no commission for you." "No, no, we need to get our commission." I said, "Well, that's crazy. How much money do you want?" I can't remember what it was. It was a significant amount, about the same amount that we earned. And I said, "No, there's no money for you." He said, "Well, don't worry about it. When we get to Venezuela, you'll be able to go back
