Steve Varsano left private equity in New York to open a showroom in London after noticing the U.S. market share dropped from 80% to 60%. He's eyeing a second location on Park Avenue and credits meeting someone in London with helping him commit to the move.
How did you end up in London, and why London? I read originally you're from New York.
Yeah, I am from New York. I left the business for a while. I was in private equity, working with guys doing some corporate takeovers. And then I decided to get back in the business, but the whole world changed because I left when sort of the US was the 80% of the market. And when I decided to come back in, it was only about 60% of the market. A lot of the activity was in these sort of foreign frontier markets, and I decided, you know, there's a real opportunity there. I was going to open up the showroom on Park Avenue in New York, which I'm still thinking of doing now as a second one, but I If I really be honest, I met a woman here in London. It's always about a woman, right? And then I reverse engineered the thing in my head. I said, wow, the international market's really ignored. It really needs one of these showrooms there. And here I am. I can make up a better story if I need to, but that's the real truth. Just like that movie Troy, man.
The whole war happened because of a girl. It's always about a girl. Hey, even Rolls-Royce.
Yeah, exactly. I will guarantee you, whatever man tells you that a woman was an influence on their major changes in their life, they're full of shit.
