Steve Monas, Serial Entrepreneur and Author of Shoestring Venture

What do you do when you get a song stuck in your head? For serial entrepreneur and Shoestring Venture author Steve Monas, the answer is simple. Move to Hawaii.

Originally from the Ukraine, Steve and his family escaped religious oppression in the late 70’s, starting a new life in sunny San Diego. Not long after, the 8 year-old kid with a stuttering problem (who, incidentally, barely spoke English) could be found selling his wares on the streets of La Jolla. Undeterred by cultural and social obstacles that defined much of his early life, Steve went on to found and successfully run a multitude of businesses after his ambitious first days street vending in California.

There was the girls’ surf/skate/snow line “Lucky Girl”, a variety of internet-based businesses, books and websites on internet dating, and the recently published Shoestring Venture – The Startup Bible, co-authored with Richard Hooker, an in-depth resource guide for anyone on a budget brave enough to start a venture of their own. By cramming all the resources accumulated over his past decades in business, Steve is doing his best to satisfy one of his passions – helping other entrepreneurs.

In the time since I interviewed Steve just a couple weeks ago, he added another new business to his ever-growing entrepreneurial plate, a taxi service on the island of Kauai. Which brings us back to Hawaii and that song…..

1.  You moved to Hawaii recently on a whim. Does that describe the way you have lived your life to this point?

I wish. Yes, I did pick an island and just moved. I wanted to do something different. It all started with a song by Ziggy Marley (Beach in Hawaii), then I saw the movie Benjamin Button, where he says:

“#8. For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

I believe in all these things. I looked at my life, realized that I had nothing holding me in a certain place. My book Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible is being referenced at Rutgers Business University, and has amazing 5 star reviews on Amazon as being the most detailed and best business book that you will ever need. I am helping people, finally! Now I need to follow my own advice and work anywhere in the world (for now places that have a Costco). I love the island of Kauai. Everything has worked out well so far, and I am meeting some of the most interesting people that shine the Aloha spirit.

2.  Why do you love helping other entrepreneurs? Wouldn’t life be easier with a little less competition?

It wouldn’t be as fun….Entrepreneurs are the innovators of the world. Without them, we, as humanity would not move ahead. I am happy that my purpose in life is to inspire others to be their best and produce their passion. There is nothing like seeing someone create something that makes people’s lives easier or more enjoyable.

3.  Which venture were you most passionate about in the start-up phase? Which has given you the most lasting satisfaction?

I loved everything that I had tried. Whether it was writing a business plan about a coffeehouse / juicebar when I was 16 to having girls in the surf / skate / snow market get stoked on the Lucky Girl clothing that I had created. The satisfaction is getting praise for your product or service. The lasting satisfaction is knowing that even if it didn’t succeed, at least you tried, picked yourself up, dusted yourself off, learned from any mistakes, and start all over trying something new.

*This reminds me of a joke….Two kids get placed into two separate rooms both with a big pile of shit right in the middle. After 3 hours, the door gets opened to the first kid, and he is crying. The guy that opened the door asked the kid why he was crying? The kid answered that he was left for several hours with a big pile of shit. Next the guy opened the door to the other kid, and couldn’t see him anywhere. All of a sudden, a head pops out from the middle of the pile of shit, and the guy asked him “What are you doing in the pile of shit”, the kid answers “With all this shit, there has to be a horsy around here somewhere…” —being an optimist or resilient, is also a lasting satifisfaction, not everyone will hit a successful product or service on the first try.

4.  Did your early childhood in the Ukraine affect the type of business person you have become?

I think that I was too young and living in a communist country. I was 5 years old when I moved to San Diego from Odessa, Ukraine. The year was 1979, and we had to be invited, we couldn’t just leave. The agreement between the US and Russia, was to help move Jews (from repression) to the United States. My dad was a Professor of Physics at the University of Odessa, and my mom was doing accounting for the railroad. It was not easy to get a Visa out, but after three years, we finally did.

5.  Describe your first entrepreneurial experience and how it shaped your future.

Before my first entrepreneurial experience, I was playing around with my first computer, a Commodore 64. There was a limited amount of things that you could do with this 64K computer. I did have a Lemonade stand game. Then I put theory into practice, by selling lemonade. How American from an Émigré! That’s where the journey of success started and there is no destination…it is a blast!

6.  What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?

What don’t I? Its just fun doing, creating, and evolving an idea until it becomes real. And if you can make a living doing something that you are passionate about, even better! The other thing, is hearing people praise your product. That’s huge.

7. Describe the person who would best complement both your life and your business.

I am not sure if I want someone who complements my business. I would rather be with someone who is passionate about doing whatever they enjoy doing. I live my life, she lives hers, and when we are together, it’s just magic. We are best friends. When we are not working, we enjoy doing similar things, by not even thinking about it. To much to ask for? Perhaps…It takes two to tango and compromise.

8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Enjoying my entire family (wife, kids, parents, sister, etc.) and doing something different. I am not even going to speculate on what type of business or if I will be running for an office (or in an office), it’s not as fun. And the journey continues….

Steve’s Bio:

Steve Monas is a serial entrepreneur currently living in Koloa, Hawaii (The Garden Island of Kauai), where he enjoys an active lifestyle and is working on various Web projects. Having just launched ScourEvents.com, he has just started a film and fitness video startup that has just introduced its first DVDs on the market.

Want to connect with Steve? Email him, follow him on Twitter and Facebook…or just buy the book!