Steve Varsano's Commencement Speech to Embry-Riddle Graduates

An aviation living legend and trustee of— Mr. Steve Varsano, the founder of the Jet Business, the world's first street-level corporate aviation showroom. He has brokered hundreds of aircraft, generating billions of dollars in sales. He's an inspiration to past and future generations.

47 years. It's taken me 47 years to get from your seat down there to my seat up here. And all I've been thinking about sitting up here is what I would give to be back in your seats and be able to do all this over again. Good afternoon, parents, families, guests, faculty, trustees, and good afternoon and congratulations, graduates. Come on, let's hear it for you guys. You know, I remember when I was a little 14-year-old punk kid kid, washing dishes in a restaurant, when the first life-changing day of my life appeared. My friend's older brother was going for a flying lesson, and he asked me if I wanted to come up for a ride. Little did I know at that moment that my entire life's trajectory was about to change. My next life-changing day was actually sitting in the seats you're sitting in. But today, today eclipses almost every other accomplishment and milestone in my life, and I humbly thank all of you for the honor and privilege to speak to you on this latest, most important day of your life. I hope you guys realize what a lucky group you are. Most students in the world don't have a clue what they want to do before or after they finish university, but you discovered your love for aviation early, and you decided to surround yourself with like-minded people on an amazing academic campus. The Embry-Riddle name really means something in the world, and it has nearly a 100% job placement rate for its graduates. You are now part of an alumni that spans the entire globe. You have chosen well so far, but today, today you're entering the real world. You are now going to have business and personal and financial responsibilities bosses, subordinates, and deadlines. You're gonna have people that rely on you to produce something, and if you don't perform, you're out, fired. I know it sounds pretty scary, but don't look at it as being scary. Look at it as being exciting. Most of you are now gonna move and work with all new people from all different cultures in all different companies. You're gonna probably meet your new boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever they identify as or whatever the acceptable pronoun is. Are you really prepared for this next part of your life, which I call a period of radical adaptability? Let's speak in a language that most of you understand. We all know that you don't take off without a pre-flight check and a detailed flight plan. You obviously know your destination before you start your trip. You know what's in your control and not in your control. Focus your energy on what's in your control. Your life's path that starts tomorrow really should be treated with the same mentality. Where do you really want to end up? If you don't know right now what you want your resume to specifically say in 10 or 20 years from now, you're going to let the wind take you wherever it wants. Decide on what your desired career destination is and make the waypoints, meaning your choice of jobs and friends along the way from today, are the right steps to get you there. Sure, things are going to change as life goes on, but then you pivot, just like you'd adjust your heading to adjust for unexpected winds. But make sure your compass is always being readjusted and pointing to to the revised destination in everything you do and everyone that you're with. This is my first piece of crucial advice. Choose wisely. Surround yourself with the best crew. They say that you're the average of your 5 closest friends or the people you spend the most time with. If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. Get to a smarter room. It's no longer who would be the most fun to go out on spring break anymore. Surround yourself with people that, that you have positive energy, that know that they want to succeed. Stay away from anybody with negative energy. Be ruthless in cutting those people from your life professionally and personally. Being around the people who inspire you, challenge you, and who have admirable goals Being around the kinds of people I do business with every single day teaches me to be a smarter, better, and driven person. If you choose wisely in your early connections and foundations, you'll be better prepared when life throws you a curveball. Some days are just impossible to plan for. When I was just 24 years old delivering the very first jet I sold, the buyer's representative put a gun to my head at 37,000 feet to try to take my company's commission on the sale. I guarantee you, it was not a university course that prepared me for that. There's going to be lots of days with turbulence, thunderstorms, and obstacles. These days will all pass. Believe me, they always do. But in life, unlike in a plane, when you hit those obstacles, you have more time to stay calm, think them over, Before reacting, don't ever react instantly, verbally or physically, when you're filled with rage. That's your ego edging you on. Wait a few hours, think it through, then respond. If you don't, you're gonna seriously regret every immediate action initiated by your ego. It's a terrible human trait. Your ability to navigate through these challenges is gonna define your personality and your career. And it's gonna make you a more successful person. Just remember, choose wisely. These actions can make you or break you. Let's talk about commitment. I'm sure a lot of you have some fantastic business ideas, but ideas without execution are worthless. But here, the word execute is not a single moment. It means a long period of commitment. When the opportunity is right, you have to go full throttle, and don't spend your time waiting for perfect conditions, because you're never going to leave the runway. As Nike always tells us, just do it. You may think that because you started this college degree program here and you're celebrating that accomplishment today, that you're pretty damn good at commitment. But those were things that somebody else created and you just followed. Real life is not a color-by-numbers orderly progression to success. If your dream is to start your own company or to design or be part of a team to send a new spaceship to the stars or invent a new alternative energy or fly the latest and greatest technologically advanced jet in the world or just advance your career on the fly, remember one of the most important things about establishing your future reputation is do what you say you're going to do and deliver it when you said you're gonna deliver it. Be known for being reliable, not for making excuses. Believe it or not, this is a rare human trait. And from today, your word and your commitment is gonna define your personal brand. Yes, your personal brand. I know we usually think of brands as objects or products or, I don't know, companies. We usually think of companies, and usually we think about Boeing or Apple or even Embry-Riddle. If you're really looking to succeed in building your career by being known for creating something or standing for something, you need to create your own personal brand. So what exactly is a brand? Normally it's something that differentiates itself from from its competition just by mentioning its name. But it equally labels people. You have all assigned your family members, your friends, and your professors a brand, whether you realize it or not. And they've assigned one to you. So just think about this for a second. Every one of you have been profiled up to today. But tomorrow, tomorrow it's up to you to create this new brand. Seriously, this is the most important thing you can or will ever do for yourself. A good brand instills a certain level of trust, certainty, reliability, and value. It's the ultimate business and personal currency. It's super valuable, yet it's intangible. And even though it's worth a lot of money, It's basically free, and it's this intangible part that allows you to create it. You can't buy it or fake it. Well, not for an extended period of time, at least. Your brand may change through the years, but today, today, think about what you want to stand for when people hear your name in the future. Of course, it probably should be something very different from what you've had during your school life. Please take this advice very seriously. You can be somebody, you can be anybody, or you can be nobody. Choose to be somebody. And by the way, it's not something that you create overnight. I think it was Bill Gates who said that people usually overestimate what they can do in 1 year, but they underestimate what they can do in 10 years. Your entire world is changing tomorrow. Your comfort zone is going to be challenged to redefine where the perimeter of that zone is. Remember, you will never grow if you only do things that you're comfortable doing. Challenge and push yourself more frequently in your professional environment. When I asked people what they thought about my idea to open up a street-front showroom to sell private jets, a lot of people told me I should just check into a psychiatric hospital. I love seeing those idiots now. This brings me to another lesson: be passionate about what you're doing, and if you are, just do it. Don't let fear of judgment by others keep you grounded. Let me repeat this: don't let fear of judgment by others stop you from doing anything. Chances are, if you're that serious about whatever you're asking others, you are probably a hell of a lot more informed on that subject than anyone you're gonna be asking. When they say they'll believe it when they see it, you should respond, you're gonna see it because I believe it. Don't ask them should you do that. Tell them you're gonna do it. Remove any negative influences in your circle. If you believe strongly enough, that's the really own commitment you need. And when you decide to go forward, okay, remember, it is not always who or what you know. It's how you use who and what you know. And it all starts with execution. And those are the two key words: start and execute. Usually dreamers do neither. Doers do both. And once you push go and you start executing, never start executing and keep your binoculars focused on your destination and keep your boxing gloves nearby. My next piece of advice, well, it's really a request and one I'm sure you're not gonna expect to hear. Give your parents a break, okay? Actually, let's show your parents your appreciation for everything they've done to get you here today, okay? You know, people don't think like they used to 50 or even 20 years ago. Before you were born, words like AI, robotics, cryptocurrency, blockchain, VR, eVTOL, quantum computing, they weren't even in our vocabulary. Many philosophical, cultural, social, religious, and political views that were normal to say just a few years ago are simply not acceptable to say or are politically correct to say today. You are living in a different era than your parents experienced, and you are now going to be the ones who are going to be changing the world. And with this, you have this huge advantage, but you have the responsibility that comes with it. Your parents are not the place to be ruthless with. So Thank you, parents. Let's talk about entrepreneurship. I'm sure many of you have thought of, dreamed about an incredible idea that you think you can create an app and presto, overnight you're going to make a billion dollars. Of course, there are those who are lucky enough to have achieved this financial miracle, but I can guarantee you it wasn't being lucky and it wasn't an overnight success. So many startups fail, whether it's due to a business model that wasn't right, the product or timing wasn't right, or maybe money was running out, or the entrepreneur just didn't have that one trait of never giving up, perseverance. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Failing and feeling alone are just part of the job description. When I started my company, the jet business, there were plenty of times when I didn't think I was going to make it. I was running out of cash. The deal flow wasn't enough to support my overhead. A deal I needed to close to pay my bills just went on and on and on, and then it just died. I couldn't share my business problems or despair with my employees or my family or my friends. I had to smile and put on this air of positiveness. I had to jump right into business and social gatherings and act like life was incredible. I had to figure out a way to make it work. I should have won an Academy Award for best actor. When it's my company, when it's your company, okay, you're the only one who's going to care most about succeeding. No matter how much you pay somebody, if they aren't invested in your business, it's just a job, and they know they could pick up and leave at any time. As an entrepreneur, as an owner, you don't have that luxury, and you have to make some very tough decisions, which are usually not what people want to hear. But also, as somebody once told me, if you want to be someone who everybody likes, don't be a leader, don't be an entrepreneur, just sell ice cream. However, when you do succeed, when you close that sale, When you get that piece of legislation passed, or buy or sell a company, win a contract, better somebody's life, invent some planet-changing product, or whatever makes your company flourish, I can tell you there is no better feeling in your life. It's like fireworks in your brain. It's like an orgasm of success, and it lasts longer. By the way, you don't have to wait to hit that moment of success to feel those endorphins kick in. I'm sure the anticipation of you getting to the seat you're in right now has given you many positive shivers down your spine the last couple of years. Sometimes the long anticipation periods of life equally are as exciting and gratifying as actually reaching the destination. Finally, let's talk about mindset. Believe strongly in what you're doing. Be passionate. Be fearless. Be proud of what you do. Turn obstacles into challenges. Never, never, never give up. Your mindset is going to determine how far you get. I am 3 times your age, and I still don't believe in my head that I've hit my midlife crisis. Okay, there's so much to gain if you dare. Remember, don't be a dreamer, be a doer. It's a long road ahead. Persevere. There's gonna be plenty of setbacks, but the rebounds are always much, much more exciting. Every person I do business with is so much more successful than I am, far richer, and have done much more for this world than I ever will. But I am the happiest I have ever been in my business life and my personal life. Why? Because I focus and appreciate what I have, not what others have, and not what I don't have. The last words I'm going to leave with you are these: when you are working on any problem, issue, or project, and you think you've exhausted every single possibility trying to fix it, remember this: you haven't. Now go hit that ignition button, face your challenges head-on, make lots of interesting, amazing, and glorious mistakes, share your knowledge, your Spark your passion with others. Shock the future. Disrespect the impossible. Make this university proud of you. Make your parents proud of you. But most of all, make yourself proud of you. It all starts right now. Thank you again for allowing me to be part of this gratifying moment of this incredibly life-changing day. And go Eagles!