Competitive Advantage: Rob Lombardi’s Tactical Blueprint for Decades of Business Success | S2 Ep. 173

0:05Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Founder Story. Today, we have Rob Lombardi. Rob, you have a very interesting story going from athlete to entrepreneur. And I can't wait to dive into exactly what translated from your time in sports to your time in business, because I've heard there's a lot of correlations. I also personally know a lot of athletes who are retiring, or they got injured, and now they're out of the game, and they have no idea what they're going to do with their life. But you are the CEO of Lombardi Interiors, which I can't believe has been around since 1964. before like that is insane like I don't think people are thinking about you know hopefully they can make it to two or three years in business but not you know multiple decades well let's start off Rob with how was that transition when you were an athlete and then you said okay I want to go into business yeah I mean it was it wasn't like a aha moment it was it was kind of a you know a step process.

1:07I think being an athlete, you know, gave me, I just always was competitive. So I wanted to challenge myself. You know, I wanted to always strive to be better. I had a growth mindset. You know, with tennis, it's a one-on-one sport. And, you know, in college, It was, you know, you're out on the court, you're calling your lines, you're coaching yourself, you're keeping score. So when I got out of college and made that transition, I knew I kind of wanted to rely on myself more. I didn't want to work for a big company. Although I did start in the corporate world, I always knew I wanted to work for myself.

1:55and just because it was more challenging. It was lonely and the tennis world is lonely too. You're out there by yourself, but that's kind of what I wanted. It was tough in the beginning. I think that was the biggest challenge, just being on your own. You don't have human resources. You don't have a tech department. You're doing that all yourself. And that's my personality. I've always been like that. So for somebody making that transition, I think it's something you have to want. You have to be comfortable with being on your own, challenging yourself every day, working hard, grinding it out. And anybody that's been an athlete at a high level understands that part, the training every day, you know, getting up early, doing things that people don't see.

2:57But in the business world, it's the same. And being a CEO, being running a business, that's definitely what it takes to be successful. So I think that's, you know, that's kind of my background a little bit. I never thought about how tennis specifically translates because it's not really a team sport. It's an individual sport. That's a great point. What other things did you learn being that you are in this individual sport besides the obvious, like you had said, waking up early and showing up? Was there other things that you felt translated over? Definitely. I mean, I think the mental part of the game in tennis translated well.

3:44I played soccer too, and it was a completely different mindset. With tennis, you're out there by yourself. You have to control your emotions. You have to keep that momentum, that positive momentum in a match. and that translates into the business world. You lose a project or you maybe lose a client and you have to just let it go and kind of move on. Otherwise, you're going to fail. So, I mean, it definitely, that tennis part, it's kind of like a, think of it as like a chess match, but you're also, there's a physical aspect of it. The strategy in tennis translates well into business. And all my kids played.

4:35And I think it's an advantage for a young person to take that, you know, at least have experience in that realm and that sport. Let's dive into the mental game. I have always been one to say, yes, anyone can start a business, right? You can create an LLC. It's really easy to do. But it doesn't mean you can be successful and continue because the mental game is very, very hard. I think out of the hundreds of people we've interviewed, that is the thing that always comes up is do you have the mental fortitude to have what it takes? How did you do that? Maybe while you were playing tennis, what did you learn that you were able to really control your emotions and your mind and not just want to give up?

5:26Definitely. I mean, that was the biggest challenge for me. I'm half Italian, so my emotions run a little hot sometimes. So I remember in high school, sitting in study hall, reading Jim Lehrer's book on mental toughness, just because it's like, I know this is my weak point. I was always a pretty good athlete, but I never had, you know, that control, emotional control when you're in the heat of, you know, heat of a battle on the court. You can lose it very quickly. And you've seen it in professional tennis, that momentum can change in a minute. And then all of a sudden you're, you know, you're losing a match.

6:10But, you know, for me, it was it was definitely the biggest aspect. I mean, that was I played with with world class players. And I think that when I when I started training with them, I realized I wasn't working hard enough. I wasn't putting in the time. I just, you know, I was at a good level, but I wasn't nearly the level they were at. So, I mean, that was eye-opening too, playing at a high level, realizing the dedication and the work ethic that they put in. It changed me as a person, and that translates into how I ran a business too. I definitely carried that over and realized that if I get upset or if I get angry, you're not going to make the best decision for your employees and for your company.

7:05So it definitely correlates. That's for sure. So you've been in business for multiple decades. What has been for you maybe a specific thing that you've done in order to continue? Because I think we know competition changes, technology changes, the ability to market and sell changes, people changes. So many things happen, I'm sure, over the last few decades. So what's been something for you that's been really consistent? I mean, making, probably challenging myself, realizing that I can do more, you know, having that confidence to raise the bar, you know, go after certain accounts that maybe I'm not set up to go after.

7:58kind of putting those goals out there and working towards them. I think that's, for me, that's, that's what I've tried to do for my company to grow. Although we're a small company, it's, you know, we're still, we're still growing. And I try to always kind of push the bar, push the limit. COVID was definitely a challenge for my company. We had, you know, we had some shutdowns. We do a lot of assisted living facilities and that was a challenge and I had to kind of pivot, figure out how to make it. And it definitely shakes you to the core when you have everything riding on your company and you also have a responsibility to your employees to keep things moving and growing.

8:49So does that answer your question? I mean, I think there are many, many other instances with employees and with certain accounts where I thought, oh, I'm going to lose this account. So I got to really be on top of it. I've got to be on my game. And I always go back to the competitive side of myself to like rise up to that challenge and dig deep. And, you know, it always comes down to yourself in the end, I think. I mean, I have great employees. I have a great staff. I have, you know, good resources. But at the end of the day, when you meet a tough challenge, it comes down to yourself and, you know, making the right decision.

9:40And maybe for me, I try to simplify things and maybe not make them too complicated. Pick one or two things that really, you know, I can go after and, you know, that kind of simplify that decision-making process. I think a lot of people are afraid of disruption, whether that be technology or maybe a competitor who can get cheaper products or labor in being outsourced to different parts of the world. there's a lot of reasons I think that people are nervous right now. And I think specifically when it comes to AI and technology, which might not necessarily impact you so much, but over the years, how do you look at disruption and a staying ahead of the curve?

10:28Yeah. I mean, it, it all comes down to, you know, does, does that customer want your service? Does that customer want your product? Are you providing a service to them? And I, and I, like I said, I try to simplify things and really, you know, I can't necessarily be the cheapest guy in town, but I know I can out-service a lot of my competition, make it personal, you know, make it the best quality that I can give and really offer solutions to their problems, you know, think strategically, put myself in their shoes. And I don't think as maybe, you know, you look at some brands and you have luxury brands and, you know, maybe it's a luxury purse or a luxury car and what makes them different?

11:26You know, it's a car, you know, but what makes that car different? It's a brand of clothing. Why are you going to pay more for that brand of clothing as opposed to the other one? And there's, I think, a branding side of it. People want to associate with quality. They want to associate with service. I mean, that's a, you know, you mentioned the technology world now. I mean, how many times have you made a phone call and you can't even talk to somebody on the other line? It's very frustrating. So there is a niche there. You know, and that's my job to figure out what that niche is. And it's, you know, the difference of nowadays, it's changes so quickly, you have to really be on top of it.

12:10And, you know, really understand the market and understand what your business is, and it changes so fast. So, I mean, for me, it's, you know, it's draining, but I think you kind of become accustomed to waking up in the morning and saying, what's this day going to bring? And, you know, I'm ready for it. Yeah, it sounds like what I'm gathering here is Lombardi Interiors really continues to create that personalized touch and individual to the client, to the customer, which I love that. I think you're right. I think there's so many companies that are just focused on mass sales, and it's not personalized enough anymore.

12:53You can't ever get a hold of anybody. It's quite frustrating. I'm like you. I like to pick up the phone and call somebody, and I can barely ever get a hold of anyone with any company. I'm even going through it right now with a large company, and it's really frustrating. So I'm glad that you've continued to maintain this for your customers, which makes sense as to why that you've continued with the company for so long. So if people want to get in touch with you, Robert, they want to find out more information about the company, they want to maybe get in touch with you personally, how can they do so?

13:24They could go to my LinkedIn page and look me up there. That would be probably the first step. And feel free to contact me and touch base through there. And I'd be happy to answer any questions and help anybody I can. Well, Rob, this has been amazing. I super appreciate your time today and all that you've been doing. I learned a lot. And I hope in 20, 30 years from now, I could say my business has survived. I mean, that is incredible. And all the people that you're impacting from the employees to the customers, I'm sure they also are super appreciative of everything you do. And I'm very, very interested to talk to more people who are in tennis and how that's transitioned over as a solo sport into business.

14:09I'm super interested in that. But thank you so much for joining us today on Founder's Story. Thank you. I appreciate it, Daniel. Have a good day.